EVER AFTER - MY WAY: April 2012

Apr 30, 2012

Apr 29, 2012

We went down to the Seaport Farmer’s Market yesterday. I can tell you it won’t be the last time we go there. There were so many wonderful vendors who were so sweet and we got a lot of great deals. We also saw some interesting people, tasted some great snacks and heard some music.

I bought lots of yummy veggies some of them from here. The girls were going crazy to eat all of them before we even left. Funny girls we got, we buy them treats and they cry for veggies. LOL

These guys were there and raised about $160 for the Prostate Cancer run/walk on Father’s Day.

There were so many talented vendors. I wish we had gone earlier in the day so that we could have spent more time.

Lilly had fun running up to the vendors and trying all their free samples. The man from Acadiana Soy Products was so impressed by her willingness to try the tofu products that he let her have her choice of $5 containers of tofu cream cheeze spreads. She was thrilled and sat down for breakfast with the container and some crackers.

Apr 28, 2012

LOVED it!

For about 6 months, I posted on another blog. This a post that was copied from that blog. I used different names for the family. Just so you know the names were as follows:

Prince Charming - Wandering Aengus
Princess Belle - Lilly
Princess Magpie - Rose
Princess Snifflefritz - Lotus
Little Prince - Reed

We had a great time at the figure skating. We got to meet Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir after the show. They were very sweet. Lilly had a wonderful time and asked if we could go every year. I told her we would see what we can do.

Apr 27, 2012

Going to be fun!

Apr 26, 2012

Hummus Salad Dressing

For about 6 months, I posted on another blog. This a post that was copied from that blog. I used different names for the family. Just so you know the names were as follows:

Prince Charming - Wandering Aengus
Princess Belle - Lilly
Princess Magpie - Rose
Princess Snifflefritz - Lotus
Little Prince - Reed

I tried a new recipe today for Hummus Salad dressing. I really liked it. I made a smaller batch than I have listed here and I even had to chase Lilly away from the bowl I mixed it in so I would have enough for my salad! It was that good.

Hummus Dressing
Ingredients:
2/3 cup prepared or homemade hummus
5 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt, fresh ground black pepper to taste
(I used only a bare pinch of salt)

Websites

Cheese Sauce – No weird ingredients and no nutritional yeast for when I am out of it.
Basic White Sauce – use this sauce as a base – then add seasonings or shredded “cheese” to it and use it as a “cheese sauce” over veggies.
Eggplant Pizza Stacks – simple and sounds yummy!
No Bake Brownies – a wonderful splurge

Apr 25, 2012

Fit at Forty

I turned 40 last month and I decided that this is the year that I get my body back and I get healthy again. I am going to take my diet step by step towards a healthier way of eating and towards a way of life that I can maintain. I am going to enjoy my life in HRM with my kids, enjoying all that it has to offer. I want to lose between 65 and 80 lbs. 65 would get me to about 10 lbs below my best weight to date and 80 would take me to my ideal charted BMI. I don’t have any scales right now, so I am just eating and trying to be healthy but I plan on buying a set of scales soon and then I will update on my progress here.

Apr 24, 2012

Tofu, Vegetable, and rice with Peanut Sauce

My supper tonight! I can’t wait to dig in.

Tofu, Vegetable, and rice with Peanut Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1 pound firm tofu, cut into cubes
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 large broccoli floret, diced
1 large red pepper cut into strips
1 cup mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
½-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
3 or 4 TBSP peanut butter
5 TBSP water
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 TBSP soy sauce or tamari
2 TBSP soymilk
optional: 1/2 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper and/or hot sauce added to peanut sauce (to taste).

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Pan-fry the tofu in a non-stick skillet pan until the tofu is lightly browned. You may add a teaspoon of oil, or you can just pan fry with no oil in a nonstick pan. Remove from wok/pan.
2. Heat 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil in the wok and stir-fry the mushrooms and zucchini for 4 minutes or so – until the onion becomes translucent. Add in broccoli and pepper and continue to cook for a few additional minutes (feel free to add whatever veggies you like, greens would be great here and I will be adding spinach to mine tonight)
3. While this is cooking (or even beforehand), add a small amount of oil in a separate pan and add the ginger and garlic. Cook for a minute or two, then stir in the peanut butter and then the water. Stir until smooth. Add the lemon juice, tamari/soy sauce, soymilk, and stir well.
4. Return the tofu to the wok, and stir in the peanut butter sauce. Mix well and serve on top of the rice.

Entertaining Center

For about 6 months, I posted on another blog. This a post that was copied from that blog. I used different names for the family. Just so you know the names were as follows:

Prince Charming - Wandering Aengus
Princess Belle - Lilly
Princess Magpie - Rose
Princess Snifflefritz - Lotus
Little Prince - Reed

It is funny how much my girls love our entertainment center. This place is not ideal and I have arranged it so that the the entertainment center is beside my desk, creating a wall between that and the living room. Well, this means that there is a hole in the back of the shelf we have left empty. The girls love to climb in and peak at me when I am on the computer. It cracks me up to see their little faces peaking out at me.

Sometimes, Little Miss Rose gets her long arms out and reaches for the computer mouse to see what she can get away with.

Apr 23, 2012

Just a note

Apr 22, 2012

Rose, Berry Yummy Breakfast and Recipes

It’s a good thing we understand Rose because life would be pretty frustrating for her if we took her at her word. She says everything backwards to what she intends. She needs things to be a certain way but when she tries to explain to us that something is wrong, she says it the opposite way. She says the door is closed when it is open and she wants it closed. She says the light is off when she means that it is on and she wants it off. She says, “Sisser, let me OUT!” when she means that she is out and she wants IN! She says things backwards all the time. She also loses her ability to verbalize altogether when she gets upset.

For breakfast this morning I made Very Berry Pancakes. I wanted to make a lot so I doubled the recipe.

Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup berries (I used quite a bit more)
Preparation:
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until well mixed.
Mix in the almond milk, berries, and oil and beat together until batter is smooth.
Drop 1/4 cup of batter at a time onto a hot oiled griddle, or well greased frying pan over medium high heat. When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake, approximately 3 minutes, flip, and cook the other side for another 2 minutes. Enjoy!
I have been looking for some new vegetarian recipes to try. Here are a couple that look really good and I want to try.

Sweet potato and lentil patties
1/2 cup brown lentils
1 sweet potato about 400g, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon of each ground cumin and corriander
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons of finely chopped parsley
freshly ground black pepper
Boil lentils for 20 – 30 minutes or until soft, drain. Cook carrots, sweet potato and onion until soft, drain and mash (personally I would saute the onions then add to the mix). In a large bowl add combine the lentils, cooked vegetables, parsley, soy sauce and spices, mix well. You will have to use your own judgement at this stage, if the mix is too wet add some bread crumbs or rolled oats. Shape into patties, either burger size or smaller, coat in flour, oat bran or bread crumbs. Place in the fridge for half an hour or more, to firm up. Cook in a frying pan with a little oil until browned on each side. Serve in a burger or with a salad or in a wrap.

Taco Style Lentils & Rice
3/4 cup dry lentils
3/4 cup brown rice
4 cups tap water
4 bouillon cubes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
In a 2-quart saucepan bring the water to a boil. As the water is heating, add the lentils, rice, bouillon, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder. Bring the whole thing to a nice fat boil. Reduce the heat to low. Place a lid on the lentils and allow the mixture to simmer for about 45 to 50 minutes. The water should be mostly absorbed. You may serve this as it, topped with a little vegan cheese if desired. Or you can use it to fill burritos or tacos instead. Both ways are very tasty.
This can cook in the crock pot on low for about 6 to 8 hours instead. I’ve never cooked it on high, so I’m not sure how quickly it would cook that way. I suspect about 3 hours would be enough.

Spicy Chick Peas
Here’s a really quick and easy meal…you could use any type of legume/vegetable/spice blend and just follow the basic instructions. This is more of a method than a recipe and can be varied greatly, depending on what you have at hand. You could use beans instead of chick peas and any variety of vegetable that is in season. It is a very quick, frugal and nourishing meal when served with brown rice from the fridge.
You’ll need….
a chopped onion
2 crushed garlic cloves
6 teaspoons of Moroccan spice mix(or curry powder)
1 x 450gm can of chick peas(garbanzos)
1 x 450gm can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup of chopped zucchini….here you could use any fast cooking or pre-cooked vegetable. even frozen vegetables
handful of currants(or any other dried fruit)
pinch of dried chilli flakes(optional)
Gently fry the onion and then the garlic in about 2T oil
Stir in the spices and stir fry for at least 2 minutes to release all their flavour
Mix in the chick peas, tomatoes and vegies and stir well ( I put about 1/4 cup of water into the tomato tin to wash out the last of the tomato juice and dilute the dish a little)
Cook for about 20 minutes or until the vegies are tender, check to see if it needs salt or pepper.
You could serve it with lemon or lime juice, harissa paste or preserved lemon on a bed or rice or couscous, over cooked potatoes or pasta.