Green Pancakes

At our house, we don't believe in hiding foods such as vegetables in other more kid friendly foods. We do believe in letting kids help and taste and create the food for the family. It is no secret that spinach is what makes these pancakes green! E watched me rinse and dry the spinach leaves, pack them into the measuring cup and whir them into a green liquid with the other ingredients in the  blender.

These are a bit more savory that traditional pancakes but were quite good with a bit of Earth Balance spread and a squeeze of honey.

Green Pancakes

Spinach Pancakes? I'm kinda worried that you're going to want to skip this recipe based on the name, but I beg you to give these pancakes a try. I originally made them as a St. Patrick's Day-themed recipe for my monthly "Snack Mom" column in the...

Spinach Pancakes? I'm kinda worried that you're going to want to skip this recipe based on the name, but I beg you to give these pancakes a try. I originally made them as a St. Patrick's Day-themed recipe for my monthly "Snack Mom" column in the...

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp coconut oil + 2 Tbsp water + 2 tsp baking powder
•  1 cup packed fresh spinach
• 1 cup original unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. In a small bowl combine 1 Tbsp coconut oil + 2 Tbsp water + 2 tsp baking powder and let sit for one to two minutes.
2.  In a blender, combine the spinach, almond milk, and oil and the above mixture and blend until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
5. Heat a large pan over medium heat and grease. 
6. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the pancake mixture onto the griddle, making as many pancakes as will fit and cook for 2-4 minutes depending on the heat of your stove.
7. Flip the pancakes when bubbles begin to appear and cook or 2 minutes or until cooked through.
8. Serve with Earth Balance spread and Agave or Maple syrup or honey.

Vegan "Meatball" Subs

First of all.. I just want to say that as soon as my brother sees this post (providing he ever reads my blog, wink wink) he will send me a text that says, "those are not meatballs. They cannot be called meatballs." Semantics. Anywho, these came about because I had an abundance of leftover marinara that I had pulled from the freezer. I didn't think it would be wise to freeze it... again. I asked P what he could think of to use it for. This is a bit funny because usually he looks at me and says something like, "can't you find something on Pinterest?"Ahaha. This time he said (without hesitation) "Meatball Subs". Well, ok then.  Excellent idea, except that I don't think I have ever had a meatball sub... in any form. Hmmmm. Despite this fact as well as the extra toasty buns, I thought these were quite good.

Meatball Sandwich

For the tomato sauce

•  1 medium onions, peeled and minced 
•  vegetable broth for sauteing
• 1 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 
•  2 cups canned crushed or diced tomatoes, along with their juice
• 3/4 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoons dried oregano 
•  1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• one bay leaf 
• 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar 

For the Lentil "Meatballs"

        This made enough for 5 sandwiches and then freezing an entire second meals worth

• 2 cups cooked lentils (I used one package of Melissa's brand precooked because I had them in the fridge
• Salt and Pepper
• Vegetable Broth for sauteing
• 1/3 Red Onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp Minced Garlic (or one clove)
• 1/2 Zucchini, finely chopped
• 12 Baby carrots finely chopped
• 1 Celery Stalk, finely chopped
• 2 tsp Dried Parsley
• 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
• 1 T Ground Flax Seed
• 2 T Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp each Paprika, garlic powder, Italian Seasoning
• 1 T Garbanzo flour (or regular if not gluten free) plus 1 T water

Additional Ingredients

Daiya Cheese

Gluten Free Vegan Hoagie Buns

For the tomato sauce

- Sauté the onions in vegetable broth in large saucepan. Season them with salt and black pepper, stir frequently, until the onions start to become translucent. Add the garlic and cook until the onions are completely soft

- Add the canned tomatoes, the tomato paste, salt, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, the bay leaf and the sugar, and let simmer for 10 to 12 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

- Heat the sauce with the meatballs in it until everything is warmed through. If the sauce is very thick, it can be thinned with a bit of warm water.

For the Lentil “Meatballs”

- Place the lentils to a large mixing bowl. Mash them with a fork, potato masher or your hands until they are completely mashed.

- Heat a large skillet and add the vegetable broth. Sauté the onions for about 5 minutes until translucent.

- Add the rest of the vegetables and the garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté about 6 minutes until the veggies are soft.

- Add the veggies to the mixing bowl with the lentils.

- Add the parsley, bread crumbs, flaxseed, Worcestershire sauce, and spices.

- In a small bowl, put garbanzo flour. Add 1 Tbs. of water and mix into a loose paste. This will help to hold the mixture together. Add to the bowl.

- Mix everything well. I used clean hands, which seemed to be the best option. If the texture seems too wet, add more bread crumbs. If it feels too dry add water.

- Wet your hands, scoop up about 2 Tbs. worth of the mixture (more or less depending what size you like your meatballs) and shape into a ball.

- Place them in a casserole dish or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

- Cook for 20 minutes at 375 degrees watching closely and turning halfway through.

- Turn on broiler after 20 minutes and broil for a minute or two to get a bit more browned. WATCH CLOSELY.

- Pull from the oven and cut one open to check for doneness. Meatballs should be well heated all the way through.

To make sandwiches, take hoagie buns, cut open almost all the way through. Slice some of the meatballs in half and put them between the bread, pressing down with a fork a bit. Top with a small amount of  shredded Daiya and heat in 400º oven or under the broiler, until the cheese melts. WATCH CLOSELY (I only know this from experience. See photo.)

Round and Round

I get so tired of the working parent vs stay at home parent debate. Stay at home mom's work hard, all day long. There is no debate. Working mom's work hard too, all day long. The argument that stay at home mom's are "on" and "giving" all day long is true but the insinuation that working mom's aren't and don't is gut wrenching to me.

My family is blessed to be in a position for one parent to be home with our boys all the time. My husband has taken over that role with grace. He never complains and he spends every waking moment each day "on call". He plays, and plays, and plays, changes messy diapers, builds ramps and train tracks, reads stories, makes breakfast and lunches and keeps the peace (mostly). I am sure he is tired and there are days where I know he watches the clock so that he can hand over the baby and pass on the 4 year old "baton" as soon as I pull in the driveway. I certainly can't blame him.

We are lucky, but we also make sacrifices, just like other families. We don't drive fancy new cars. In fact, I am pretty sure the "check-engine" light has been on in at least one of our cars without exception for over 10 years. Ha. We don't take grandiose vacations. We moved into a less expensive house. We eat out very rarely, and it is certainly a treat. We really are fortunate to make it work because there are certainly those who cannot.

These thoughts and feelings stemmed from a blog post I recently read from a mom about "taking a break". Actually, I read half of it and then I got frustrated and quit reading. Her point was that when she asks for a "break", it doesn't mean margaritas by the pool and the latest issue of Cosmo magazine. It means 30 minutes of time where nobody needs anything and she can get something done (a quick workout, a load of laundry, a chapter in a book)... in peace. Oh, how I understand that. I am not looking for a day at a spa or a weekend with the girls in a hotel. I am honestly, not even sure this would be possible for me, at this point. I would feel pretty guilty about spending the time and money but that is a whole different issue for another day.

I feel pulled in every direction all the time, to work, to earn a paycheck, to keep our health insurance, to make a half-hearted attempt to keep the house clean, dishes, laundry, groceries. I work so hard at work, where patients, families, coworkers, suppliers, and insurance companies need something all the time. When I come home, the little boys needs are hungry and tired and grumpy and both want to be held while I make dinner (if only I had 4 arms and bigger biceps). I certainly also owe it to my marriage to give my time, efforts, and attention to my husband as well.

There are so many things that I day dream of...
I really want to pick up my 4 year old at preschool at noon each day. I want to see the sleepy smiles in the mornings and feed them their breakfasts. I want to take them to the park, watch them play in the sandbox, create little crafts with them and read their stories over and over. Instead, I cram those things in on Saturday and Sunday between getting groceries and doing laundry and nap time. I relish the snuggles I get on those weekend days.... but I can't help dream of adding more time with them.

2015

I am not a New Years person. I never go out on New Years Eve. I never raise a glass to another new year. I never even see the clock flip to midnight. In fact, I pray fervently that my kiddos will be soundly, safely sleeping in their beds come the middle of the night. I realized that P and I have never seen the New Year in together in the time we have known each other. Some may say that is boring. I prefer to think of it as refreshing. I have no desire to see January 1st in with a hangover.

I also don't make New Years resolutions. I have always thought that if you want or need to make a change, it doesn't matter if it is Sunday or October. Just start right now. This year, however, I decided to try something a bit different. I will be setting mini goals each month. Resolutions, challenges, goals, however you would like to say it for 30 days. These will be driven by what I hear from my body. January is 30 days of no refined sugar. This has really good quite well, considering my sweet tooth. I am 11 days in and feeling good. Ironically, someone told me yesterday that he read that if a person drinks one can of soda per day that adds up to 60 lbs of sugar a year. Wow. It is in everything, ketchup, bread, pickles, pizza sauce, peanut butter. On the upside, I can make all of those things myself without sugar and they taste great. Phew.

I haven't decided if I will continue with each month's challenge after the month is over just adding the subsequent challenge or if I will replace it but that really isn't the point.

Looks to me like it is going to be an exciting year.

Yoga

It's been a very long week... and it is Thanksgiving... and I got blasted at work yesterday by a couple of tough cases which aren't resolved.

And all I want to do is practice yoga. All the time. Sun salutations, moon salutations, arm balances, meditation, relaxation, twists (yes! mostly twists), hip openers, standing balances... the list goes on.

And then I realized that yoga isn't just asanas/postures. I knew this. I have been told this. We learned it in class but apparently I have to really come to the realization on my own.  It is eight limbs with the meditation and postures being just two of the eight.

Why do I feel like yoga postures are what I need? Funny, that is the second limb, Niyama or self observation.

Is it because I am looking for sense withdraw (Pratyahara) or Dharana (Concentration) or do I think that it might help me attain a level of Samadhi (state of joy and peace)?

I don't even know today. All I know is that doing Camel pose where my heart and throat chakra are wide open is not pleasant and Warrior II when I am strong and Tree where I am balance and grounded with my branches low feels perfect.

Maybe it is time to move to Tibet.

A Messy, Happy Home

Last night, I went to bed and rolled over on a football. This morning I got out of the shower and stepped on a Monster Truck. I found a Hot Wheel in my work bag, a truck cab and trailer in the lazy susan, a Lego guy in my shoe, and a tiny sock in the wine rack.

There is a piece of me that misses a clean, organized home. When I was in PT school, I would clean my apartment each weekend. I would put everything away in its place and I would dust, vacuum, and scrub. Did I mention, I did that every weekend? I would clean out my fridge and wipe out my cabinets. It was a beautiful thing. I also lived alone.

Time lapse to today, a husband, two dogs, two children, and a full time job later.

The kitchen floor needs scrubbed, the cabinets and walls and appliances in the kitchen need wiped down. No matter how often I clean the bathroom it seems to need it again IMMEDIATELY. There seems to always be piles of laundry on the couch ready to fold an put away and piles of stuff on the kitchen counter where it is left for days. And the toys... they are everywhere. Despite my husband's valiant effort to corral them to the basement, they are everywhere.  Some days, it makes me crazy but I know it is all about perspective.

The surfaces in the kitchen need to be washed because I love to cook for my family, every day. E often asks to help and somehow ingredients end up everywhere. The memories of him learning to measure, pour, stir, "spin", and create is worth the splatter spots on the tile.

Making hummus - 3 years old

The bathroom needs to be cleaned... again... because I have a 4 year old who is learning to be more independent with toileting, teeth brushing and hand washing. The confidence he is learning is more important that the impeccably clean sink, toilet, and mirror. I also have two boys who love to play in the tub. They make the dinosaurs jump and the monster trucks crash and the water splash everywhere. The giggles and wet smiles are more important that the spotless floor.

The laundry is in piles and baskets in the family room because the boys love to pull it all out and hide in it. Watching M pull out article after article of clothing and laugh and laugh is more important than wrinkle free, folded laundry.

And the toys, the toys that are seriously everywhere. My kids play hard, just like kids everywhere. No matter how many bins, boxes, tubs or totes I label, everything is out at once and it is all played with together. The boys are developing imagination, independent play skills, creativity, sharing and social skills. We are blessed to be able to provide them with a variety of toys with which to do this. Apparently, they prefer to have them all out at once.  These opportunities for creative play and learning are worth the injuries inflicted on the adults in the house when we step on a Lego guy or a Hot Wheel in the middle of the night.

Playing trucks - 8 months

My house is a mess. My kids are happy. I am good with that. I do, however, plan on a good scrub down in the future, say... 14 or 15 years?

A big 4 year old

My oldest turns 4 tomorrow. We had his party tonight at Grammy and Pop's house. Firetrucks was the name of the game. We had firetruck plates, napkins, cups, center pieces, table cloth, and balloons. The birthday boy had a fire hat and of course there was a fire truck cake. Well, there was supposed to be a fire truck cake.

This little boy teaches me BIG lessons over and over and today was no exception. I had to work Saturday and so I didn't have a chance to get to the grocery store and then get the cakes made a day early like I prefer to do. I knew when I started the project Sunday morning that it was going to be a push to get it done. That and there were some things that I had never tried before in the world of cake decorating (and that I won't be doing again).

I was mortified at the results. It was a big pile of slimy pink frosting with white accents piped on carefully that had since slid down the sides. The lights were crooked. The ladder was off center. It was hose-less. A Pinterest fail of epic proportions. My heart sank. I just wanted him to have a cool fire truck cake and this was certainly not it. That, and selfishly, I didn't want this to be the cake that my family talked about 15 years from now. "Remember the year of the horrible, pink, vegan fire truck cake?" Sigh.

With that in the front of my mind, I raced over to the grocery store and bought chocolate sandwich cookies for the wheels, two little cartons of ice cream and sorbet, and a giant chocolate chip cookie cake with the words Happy Birthday Emmett in white frosting. A back up plan.

I got home put the wheels on and slid the cake back in the fridge to try and prevent further deterioration and melting. E and his dad came inside after playing football in the yard. He asked about his firetruck cake. I opened the refrigerator door and let him look inside. His reaction was the last thing I expected. "Mom! It's my fire truck cake! For my fire party at Grammy's. Wow! Mom, great job!" Cue the heart melting and the eyes welling up. He didn't care that it wasn't perfect. What he saw was a truck, a red firetruck, with red and yellow gumdrop lights, a white ladder, cookie wheels, and it was just for him, in honor of HIS birthday. He knew in his 3 year old way, that I had been working on it all morning and afternoon and he loved it. He loved it because it was from me to him. At that reaction, I immediately felt worse. Was it, in fact, sad that he thought it was "perfect"?

We loaded up the car with everything one might need for a party, including a perfect looking chocolate chip birthday cookie with calligraphy and a heap of homemade vanilla cake with pinkish frosting and candy accents in a semi square shape. I carried the truck cake on my lap on the cake board and my husband turned the air conditioner up to keep it from melting. We got to Grammy's and I apologized profusely for the cake that I quickly slid into their fridge. After dinner, Emmett put 4 candles in it wherever he chose, blew them out as we snaped a few million pictures of him and we cut it up and ate it with ice cream. It really tasted just fine. I knew the cake and frosting would taste okay. No other mention of it was made and the party continued until it was time to pack up and head home for bathes.

The next day (his actual birthday) I told him that we would cut into the cookie with his name on it. He thought that was pretty great because, really, who would complain about two birthdays? After dinner, I gave him his slice and he took one bite and pushed the plate away. "Mom, this is terrible." He hated the cookie and the frosting. A three year old not eating a chocolate chip cookie, with frosting!? Well, honestly, he was right. It tasted like cardboard with white Crisco flavored frosting. Yuck, but.... it looked great. Yeah, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the lesson there. Appearances can be deceiving and food made with love really is superior. Pretty sure the 18 year old kid in the grocery store bakery did not bake love into the cookie or add it to the frosting scraped out of the 10 gallon bucket. I loved Emmett with every bit of me as I measured flour, sugar, and baking powder and mixed, poured, baked, frosted and decorated. An entire Sunday to make something that only he could truly appreciate. (Oh, and apparently Kona, our dog, was also quite appreciative as she managed to snag several tastes and ruin two attempts. Sigh, I digress.)

So the three year old in the house, once again, teaches his mother a valuable lesson in giving, receiving, and seeing through eyes filled with love and understanding.

Happy Birthday Emmett!