Seedlings- wk. 2

I was behind in my blogging, so week 1 and 2 got posted a day from each other! No, I don't have miracle grow plants...

I promise I wont post this weeks growth till after next Friday:)

Our Bean, Squash, and Cucumbers have taken right off!

We already decided to increase the size of our garden this year, but now are debating if we want raised beds or not?...

Mike has been very encouraging, and really wants me to have a nice crop this year.

(Mostly in his efforts to save money, I think;)

Seedlings- wk.1

Eggplant,

Beans,

Tomatoes,

Cucumbers,

Sweet Peppers,

Broccoli,

Zucchini,

and Snap Peas currently growing.

We put 2 seeds in each pot and after the first true leaves appeared, cut back the shoots that were not the strongest.

Spring!

Spring is a busy very time in our home school! We are busy trying to fit in anything important we might have missed. I feel the crunch, as do most hs moms to squeeze in as much as we can before NYS mandatory testing in April. William is being tested at the fourth grade level this year. I'm a little anxious, trying not to let it show.

Every Friday we go to group lessons with our LEAH home school support group. William is taking Art, Wiggle cars, and Recorder/ Music class. Griffin is taking Gym, Music, and Cup Stacking. Breanna and Matthew are both in the PreK classes. Involving Games, Fitness and Movement, and Dough. Each family is to volunteer their time and teach a class when able. I usually am in the nursery, have taught Art in the past, but this session I am leading one of the Pre K classes. Dough, Dough, and more Dough. Each week they will work with a different homemade play dough. In the line up we have: Oatmeal, Nutty Butter, Rubbery, Chocolate and Kool-aid Play dough. Most are edible. Doesn't that sound like fun?

This year for the first time ever, we started our garden indoors from seeds. My friend Lauren came over with her 3 kids and we had a seed planting. I bought a starter kit for cheap at Walmart, but she is more thrifty than I (and I mean that in a good way!) and uses newspaper wraps for her pots. Really a neat idea and they were so cute! Our plants have taken right off! I will post our progress weekly.

Tomato Soup sans msg or milk

I have been on the look out for tomato soup at the store that doesn't have MSG or made with milk. Its hard to find! So I made my own alternative...
Using tomato paste as a base, you can make just about any soup you want!
I tried a plain Tomato Basil last week. After simmering for a while I pureed the diced tomatoes I had added, then returned it back to the pot. It was nice, but I wanted something with a little more substance.
This week using the tomato paste as a base again I made
Vegetable Garden Tomato soup.
tomato paste
(hint- you don't need very much of it, I used one 14 oz can for both recipes)
left over brown rice
kale
spiral gluten free noodles
carrots
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 tbls brown sugar
garlic
5 cups of water

Cooking the noodles in the broth gives this soup a nice 'creamy' texture that I was missing from the plain tomato basil recipe. The kale holds up when cooked and doesn't get too mushy, and adds a nice touch of green color.
I served my self some topped with shredded rice cheese and fried polenta today for a mid morning snack. Delicious!

Ice cream, salads and more...

There are certain foods I am definitely addicted to now!

Rice Dream Organic (non-dairy frozen) Mango coconut is to die for!
And I cant seem to put the Cocoa Marble fudge down till its too late...
For being a rice milk product they are surprisingly creamy and flavorful.
It uses agave as a sweetener, which is so much healthier for you.

I make a salad every day! not just any salad...
Field Greens
Baby Spinach
strawberries or raisins
avocado (a must!)
tomatoes (mostly Roma's)
radishes (not always)
bean sprouts ( Mike likes those better than I...)
chick peas
black olives
I actually crave these salads now, and feel so good after eating!
Sometimes that is my meal!
I top them off with olive oil, red wine vinegar sprinkled, coarse sea salt and finely ground pepper.
A special thanks to my mil who gave me the idea for the salad dressing.
Also to Betsy for the avocado and Roma tomato.

Gluten free- Vegan Cornbread made with banana is a recipe I stumbled on.
My brother got me a great gf cookbook a couple years ago and I noticed it also has a 'V' by some of the recipes. The cornbread actually calls for 1 egg but I substituted a banana instead and it is so moist and stays moist! It doesn't dry out like most gf baked goods. I make it in a round 8x8 pan and it reminds me of johnny cake! This morning I took a section and split it in half making it thin enough to toast. After buttering ( yes I use butter..shh) I used peanut butter to bring out the flavor companion of banana. I enjoyed every bite, as it was my last piece... Time to make more! I don't always have a ripe banana on hand as an egg substitute with my vegan recipes, so Ive learned to put them in the freezer when they have gone ripe. Pulling one out as needed.

I remain mostly vegan with a few exceptions... I feel better when I leave out the dairy and meat. go figure!

My Vegan journey #2

It has been 1 week and 3 days since I went dairy and meat free. I am surviving!! Actually, I'm doing better than that. I feel great! An unexpected side effect is the energy I have.
For example- this Sat. I was up with the baby at night, nursing her a few times. Then I got up early with the kids, around 6:30 or so. Bre had her princess party that day, so I had 5 young girls here with much activity for several hours. (My friend Lauren who is one of the moms stayed to help- I must confess.) After the party I finally sat down around 3 to eat lunch! Noticed I still had energy, and I was surprised. Did my weekly grocery shopping that afternoon and rushed to get home. The boys were in their Christmas play that night too! I seriously felt like the Energizer bunny! You may be thinking sure... She must have downing the Red Bull! All I had to drink was a cup or two of tea and lemonade.
I have cheated a time or two- I must admit... sneaking a nibble of meat here or there... naughty.
(but I really mean nibble!)
You may be asking- what are you eating? cardboard?
Today I made collard greens with quinoa (which is a whole grain that is a complete protein).
That was a new recipe for me and was real good! I also made gluten free, vegan cornbread to go with it. Delicious! I substituted a banana for the eggs. Like a banana cornbread, it was good. Easy too!
Another nice meal was the gf pizza I made with rice cheese. Erik tasted it and said you couldn't even tell it was gluten and dairy free! You can tell, but I was happy with it, and he was just being nice.
I used alot of corn tortillas this week, as they are very versatile. Rolled up with Pb and J, re fried beans, or quinoa and salsa. (fyi- corn tortillas work better when slightly warmed.)
I also use quinoa frequently. Piling veggies on it for a meal.
On Sunday we like to get Chinese on the way home from church (when our budget allows) and that meal worked out nice too. Broccoli with garlic sauce, white rice, and sweet and sour soup (picked out the 'pork'). It lasted 3 meals for me!
For snacks I've had tortilla chips, black bean dip (which can also be used in a meal), popcorn, and rice cakes(which my 3 youngest have eating more than I!)
I am finding I eat less and get full with smaller portions. Its hard to tell, but I feel slightly thinner, in my 'core'. And the scale tells me I lost 1-2 lbs.
I am hoping that at 'my time of the month', I will have less pain. But If I dont, I still think this may be a lifestyle change for me...
Not bad for my first week- I am pleased with myself.

the Beginnings of My Vegan Journey

Due to my suspected Endometriosis (which is soon to be confirmed by my OBGYN) I am on a journey to become dairy, meat and gluten free! I have done some research on Endo sites and it seems there are 3 options... Hormone therapy- No Thanks! A partial or full hysterectomy- No Way! OR the healthy option of eating well, having positive thoughts about my situation, and exercise/ yoga. Oh- did I mention that the hormones in pregnancy help as well? They mask the symptoms. Which Is one reason why I haven't discovered this till now! I'm either pregnant or nursing exclusively long enough that I don't have a menses till the baby is about 11 mo!! The pain in my menses on day 2 or even 1 week prior has gotten so bad, that I am literally lying on my side, fetal position, and breathing to alleviate the sharp-stabbing pain. I wont go into the details of where the pain exactly is because the main purpose of this post is to share my vegan status. So I will get on with it!
I think I might be able to do this change. I love green leafy veggies and I already was gluten free and mostly dairy free anyway.
Tonight for dinner while everyone else was eating tacos with organic beefalo- I was cooking up red quinoa to serve on soft corn tortillas I got on sale this week! I used salsa and a little Italian dressing in place of sour cream or cheese. They actually were quite good! And I almost had a third! For my lunch today I whipped up some potato kale soup. It was simmering while I made sandwiches for my crew. They were asking what is cooking that smells so good? But decided not to try it once they saw the green leafy kale in it. Oh well, Rome wasn't built in a day! I froze some of this healthy soup and kept some for leftovers. (kale was on sale this week as well...)
Last night the family had pork tenderloin with rice and salad. So what did I eat? You guessed it- rice and field greens! I was perfectly happy too! Pain is a powerful motivator! Yesterday for lunch I had leftover roasted squash soup that I had in the freezer and thawed out. fyi- it freezes well! That soup was made with vanilla Almond milk, squash, nutmeg, and cinnamon. It warms you all the way to your toes! Such a comfort food and easy to make. At least I think it is.
For breakfast Ive been eating rice or corn chex with the vanilla almond milk or Van's gluten free waffles. Snacks are easy too- I love popcorn! Then there's my usual gf items...tortilla chips, dairy free rice milk, kettle chips, etc...
I'm hoping Ill lose weight- so we'll see! Thanks for listening to my ramblings about being vegan!