Taste of Tuesday

I don't have much for you today. No recipe, no fabulous dessert or gourmet meal. I've been eating very plainly lately. Our food budget had a little inflation problem over the summer (guess I bought too much produce), so now we are having to cut back a bit to bring it back in line. I'm going back to basics and cooking low budget. I'm also trying to eat very few processed foods. One place I get lots of inspiration for my cooking is the Everyday Food magazine by Martha Stewart. Most of the recipes are simple, many are healthy, and the ones I've tried have been quite tasty. The recipes cover all kinds of food, from ethic to vegetarian, sides to desserts, breakfasts to drinks. Jillian started receiving the magazine in the mail one year, and I liked it so much that I renewed the subscription. Check out the blog if you need a new recipe or two, or pick up a magazine in the store.

Never were such devoted sisters

About a month ago I met my sisters in Seattle for a quick getaway weekend. It was fun, but we learned a few things. Next time (and there WILL be a next time) we will

- go somewhere warm
- make sure no one has to bring a baby
- stay longer

I love each of my sisters. I have three. Lisa is the oldest at 36. She is only 19 months older than me, though, so it feels like we are about the same age. I am 34. Marisa is 32. And the baby of the bunch, Shauna, is 29. Between us we have 13 kids. Whenever we are together with our families, it seems like we never really have time for each other because one of us is always having to take care of a child. That is why weekends like this are so important. It is so fun to be together as sisters and individuals. We can relax and talk uninterrupted, we can stay up late and sleep in (well, we could, but my sisters like to go to bed early). We can shop 'til we drop and eat good food. I hope this sisters' weekend is a tradition we repeat for years to come. Next time we'll have to invite our new sister-in-law Mignon along, and maybe even our Mom too!

Marisa at the Space Needle. Even though I've been to Seattle at least 10 times, I'd never gone up in the Space Needle before. It was cool, but I've been in taller buildings.

Lisa trying to look cute and cool despite the wind. She succeeded.

I failed.

Marisa and Shauna ponder pasta at Pike Place Market. (How's that for alliteration?)

Seth came along as our token male. He was a good baby.

Beautiful flowers at Pike Place.

Shauna and Marisa enjoy hot cocoa at Fran's Chocolates. We stopped here after Pike Place, the wharf, and the Seattle Art Museum. We really had fun exploring the city.

Ideas for our next trip:

Arizona, California, Mexico?

Dear Santa

The Christmas season is almost upon us! I've been sneaking in Christmas music on Pandora when Kyle's not around (he thinks it's too early), and I just downloaded the new Christmas album from The Lower Lights. We're going easy on gifts this year, due to a costly refinance and a costly (but much anticipated!) trip to St. Louis for the holidays. Nevertheless, I do need to have a few things on my list for those Santas out there who are planning on getting me something. And I always like to have a wish list floating about anyway, just for fun. I hope I've been nice enough to receive a few of these things!

1. The Sweater

Hmm, I can't get an image to load BUT it's at Banana Republic and it is so cute! It is a pullover sweater in an orange and gray stripe and it has elbow patches. That what makes it awesome. And it is totally soft. I saw it in the store a week or so ago, but can't find it online. Which has me worried. But here's a link to a similar sweater.

2. The Boots

I need some brown riding boots. Jillian has commandeered my other brown boots, and now I don't like to wear them. But I think I'd better pick these out myself, so a gift card to DSW should do nicely.

3. The Twinery

I would love a sampler pack of baker's twine to wrap up packages and goodies all year long.

4. The Weights

I am still in need of weights that go up to the 15-25 pound range. Because I like to be tough.

5. The Jewelry

I've had my eye on some unique and sweet necklaces on Etsy. Here are a couple of examples.

a key locket from Precious Pastimes

love letter necklace from Bijoux Mimi

And that's about it! I am looking forward to starting Christmas shopping -- NEXT week. I am boycotting Black Friday shopping because I think it's ridiculous stores are opening Thanksgiving night. Can't we all just wait until Friday at 8am? Sheesh!

Taste of Tuesday -- Baking with agave nectar

We have swimming lessons tonight, so the dinner spinner came out! (It's just in my head, really, but if I were awesome I would make a cute printable for you. Maybe next year.) We're having . . . wait for it . . . Spaghettio soup and banana bread made with agave nectar instead of sugar! Now, I know that Spaghettio soup sounds kind of ghetto, and it is. It's one of those recipes that got handed down from a generation or two ago on someone's side of the family. Not mine, because I never had Spaghettios growing up. It comes from the side that had Spam casserole for dinner. There's no shame in it. Anyway, Spaghettio soup (besides being hard to type) is basically a mild chili with lots of veggies. The kids kinda like it. I use ground turkey instead of beef. I'm trying it tonight to see if it is a recipe we still like, or if it's one that should go the way of other dinners I never cook anymore, like tuna casserole (which kind of sounds good, actually).

On the side we're having banana bread and maybe an easy vegetable like frozen peas. I have been trying for a week or so now to get some overripe bananas to make banana bread. My family (mostly Kate) just goes through them too quickly, though, and so it's been a challenge. I had a beautiful one saved up, along with two questionable halves, and then Kyle (who thought he was being helpful by eating the most ripe banana) had it for breakfast. So I made do with a just ripe banana and the two questionable ones.

The recipe I'm sharing with you today, however, comes from momcooks.net and is for pumpkin bread with agave nectar. So far I've had success with quick breads, and and absolute FAIL with agave brownies. If you'd like to try a recipe with agave nectar instead of sugar, here's one that my family liked. My substitutions are in italics.

Pumpkin Bread (from momcooks.net)

Yields 2 medium loaves

Oven 350°

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat -- can't take too many chances)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 15-ounce can pumpkin (unsweetened)
1 1/2 cups light agave (I wouldn’t use more than ¾ C. It was plenty sweet.)
3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used 1/4 C oil and 1/2 C plain Greek yogurt.)
3 eggs (I used an egg white substitute.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 2 medium loaf pans. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl beat together pumpkin, agave, oil, eggs, and
vanilla. Slowly mix in dry ingredients.
4. Pour batter into prepared pans.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
6. Allow bread to cool in pans before removing.

There you go, easy peasy. 15 days into my experiment and I have lost two pounds. Two more to go and I will be a happy lady (without love handles, I hope). But really I'd like to get past the point where I crave sugar and chocolate every day. Honestly, I am not there yet. I am going to take a break next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and then jump right back in on Sunday. After I reach my goal weight and maintain it for a few days I will evaluate my eating habits. I will say that I have a lot more energy and food just tastes better. So there you have it!

A Veteran's Day to remember

This year I really wanted to do something with the kids to let them experience Veteran's Day, not just have a day off of school. I had a great discussion with Hayden's cub group on Wednesday, so I was feeling motivated. Lucky for me, there is "the biggest Veteran's Day parade west of the Mississippi" in a city just north of us. Even better, I have a friend who lives there. She and her three cute kiddos met us for the parade. It was a nice day weather-wise, and the parade was inspirational and fun. I enjoyed seeing the different military groups marching in uniform, and I think we were all inspired and grateful. As veterans return from serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think this holiday needs to take on more meaning. One person of interest in the parade was Don Malarkey from the actual Band of Brothers. He lives in Oregon and even played football for the University of Oregon. It was very cool to see him. Here are a few snaps from our day. I think we will attend this parade every year as long as the weather is good. I am grateful for all of the men and women who have served in the military.

After the parade we grabbed lunch at Wendy's and went to Kim's new house. It was great to see them and fun to hang out. All in all a great day.

Fashion Friday (or Saturday): Teacher's Pet

Those of you who know me well know I was the teacher's pet often growing up.  Or at least one of them.  I couldn't really help it.  My fear of being irresponsible coupled with my natural desire to please adults made me a joy to have in the classroom. I went to Hayden's conference with his teacher last week and was very happy to hear that he, too, is doing a great job at school.  In fact, his teacher said she couldn't imagine not having him in her class.  That is a big relief, because sometimes Hayden is highly sensitive with volatile emotions. 

I used parent/teacher conferences as an excuse to dress up a bit, you know, put on the "responsible parent" routine.  Apparently I looked so responsible that somehow I got nominated to help out with all art lessons in Hayden's class.  Hmm. Me, twenty-eight third graders, and art supplies.  Fun!

Onto my outfit:  It was a nice fall day, not too cold, so I decided to wear my favorite trouser jeans and a cute sweater.  I threw on a black skinny belt and a black cardigan.  I could have worn red flats, but instead I chose leopard print kitten heel pumps (which I got for a steal at Target -- $6.49).  The overall look is classic, but the playful mix of patterns adds a visual element of surprise.  Thanks to Hayden for the great photos.  Mixing patterns might be something you are wary to try, especially if you like order.  If you are like me, you may need to start small, mixing patterns in a subtle way.  Think of pieces not as "matching", but as "going", as in "these two things go together".  And remember, if it's your style and you feel comfortable in it, who's to say it's not right?  It seems to me that fashion right now is incredibly subjective: fabrics, decades, gender-specific clothing, colors, patterns, and textures are being combined in innovative ways.  So give mixing patterns a try.  You might just like a change.

Fashion Friday is back! I've missed it, have you?

 Pattern #1.  Leopard print on my shoes.

Pattern #2.  Geometric print on my sleeve cuffs and collar. (Man, I should have flexed for this photo!)

The final look.  Can you see how the two patterns go together, or do you think they clash?

For jewelry I wore simple gold hoops and a pretty black and gold flower large ring.  I should have added a watch, but all four of mine have dead batteries.  So don't ask me what time it is.

So long, October

October was a difficult month for me. I am so glad it is over! I didn't feel well for most of the month, and getting through each day was sometimes a challenge. November is looking up in so many ways. But before I move forward and start planning my Thanksgiving dinner menu (not enough time or kitchen space to cook all the things I'd like to eat), I guess I should revisit Halloween. That happened, right?

Last year we decided to do a kind of "Greek Gods" theme this year, since three of our family members read and enjoyed the Percy Jackson series. But since Kate was just a wee little bug last year, I wasn't feeling up for any sewing adventures. Turns out, I wasn't really feeling up for any sewing adventures this year either. But since I bought the fabric, I had to do it. Some old curtains were the base for the littlest kids togas (Kate refused to wear hers), and then I accessorized accordingly. I learned I'm actually a better seamstress than I give myself credit for, particularly when I am just making things up as I go along. Here's how everything turned out:

Zeus and Hera. Zeus refused to wear a crown. Since he's king of the gods, it's allowed, I suppose. I found my costume to be most unflattering. I resolve to look better next year. And my feet were kinda cold in gladiator sandals as the night wore on. Hera's symbol is the peacock, thus the feathers.

Jillian as Medusa. Sewing 16 snakes into her wig took a bit of time, but the end result was pretty good.

Hayden as Poseidon. His hair was spray painted a glittery green. He really liked his costume.

Kara as "The Pretty Aphrodite, goddess of beauty". She did get a few looks from people who clearly did not know who Aphrodite was. She's missing her belt in this photo. Huh.

Kate as Cupid. She has a little sash on that says "love" and has hearts. I couldn't find her a bow and arrow set, or I just gave up trying too soon. She DID NOT like dressing up.

Another shot of our Greek gang (yes, I know Cupid is Roman). We had a fun night trick-or-treating followed by snacks at a friend's house.

Kate gets the hang of things.

Jillian carved this pumpkin herself and then took a photo of it. We just never made it to carving this year. Argh! Next year will be better. I already have plans to do personalized trick-or-treating bags and a few other things.

On Halloween night I was talked into going off of sugar until Thanksgiving. A week in and I am doing pretty well. I can only imagine how much Halloween candy I might have eaten last week, although the kids are being very disciplined. It's hard to decide what not to eat, though. Are graham crackers and granola bars out? How about diet soda? Brown sugar on oatmeal? So far I'm not eating those things, just having dried fruit and flavored water when I want something sweet. But I might cave and get some sugar free pudding this week because I MISS CHOCOLATE. I am trying to avoid artificial sweeteners as much as possible too, so I'm having a bit of honey (funny?!), and maybe maple syrup. I'm going to try to make banana bread or the like with agave syrup, but I've never used it before. And on Thanksgiving Day, I hope to be thankful for the last three pounds I just lost, a sense of taste not dulled by sweet, and the opportunity to have a few slices of pie, one of which must be pumpkin (served cold with real whipped cream).

On to November! Month of thankfulness and delicious foods.