Quiet Morning Ponderings - First Day of School

I am sitting here in the office this morning and the whole house is quiet. The a/c is not running, nobody is talking or moving around and the sound of my fingers on the keyboard seems abnormally loud amidst the silence. 

It is the first day of school today, the first day of days carefully planned out and following a set routine. The first day "back to normal". I like school, I have always liked school and now, as a mom, I am liking it on behalf of my kids. Despite being a big fan of school, the first day of the year still makes me nervous. New classroom, new teachers, new supplies, new friends and of course new knowledge and new experiences. All the newness is exciting and full of opportunities, like a new box of crayons! All bright and cheerful and ready to be transformed into something new. 

My daughter is starting first grade this year. The first year with grades. The first year with actual, numerical, on the top of the page, how-did-she-do, grades. 

I am terrified! 

I am not terrified about how she will do. She is a smart kid and I am sure she will do great. I am terrified how I will do. I am terrified about how I will handle receiving that first piece of paper with a number at the top. A number that I, when I was a kid, always wanted to be 100. 

Here is where my daughter and I differ.

Both of us catch on to things relatively quickly and we like to learn. However, she speeds through things and completes them in a hasty manner just to be done and if she does not agree with the way she is instructed to do something she will ignore that and do it her way. She also has a "that's good enough" attitude a lot of the time.

I, on the other hand, I like to be thorough and take my time. I like things to be orderly and 'perfect' when I turn them in. I would rewrite notes or assignments if they looked sloppy or inconsistent. I tend to follow the rules to a T and if I am in doubt about what I am asked to do then I will worry if I followed the rules exactly. 

Deep breaths. 

I am terrified about how I will handle someone else doing the learning, someone else doing the work and someone else earning the grades...whatever they might be. Despite this fear, I am determined to let her do her own learning and completion of work and earning of grades. This is her time, her time to learn and grow and experience. I have been there and done that already. My daughter is not me, she will never be me. She is her. She is the first grader. 

I just hope I remember this as I pull out that first piece of paper with a number at the top. I hope I handle myself, my reaction and the situation well, if the grade happens to not be quite as good on an assignment. Will I be able to take a step back and recognize the effort she made and the work she completed rather than only noticing what she did wrong or where she missed the points? 

I hope so......

Tips for Dealing with Someone Who Has Allergies/Dietary Restrictions if You Don't Have Allergies Yourself

Here are a few tips for anyone dealing with individuals with allergies. From an allergic person's point of view, it is always very much appreciated! 

For additional insight into allergies and diet restrictions, also check out my other allergy posts here and here.

Tips for non-allergic people 

when dealing with someone with allergies/dietary restrictions

1) Respect the person and their situation

You are not expected to fully understand the situation they are in, and you might find it strange, but they still deserve your respect.

Tips for Dealing with Allergies and Special Events

Here are some tips for dealing with allergies and special events. Also take a look at my post about How to Deal With Allergies and Dietary Restrictions. 

What to do about allergies at kids’ birthday parties or other events

Talk to the host(ess) beforehand and explain your situation.

Ask about the food and drinks that will be served as well as any favors or candy.

How to Deal with Allergies and Dietary Restrictions 101

Dealing With Allergies and Dietary Restrictions 101

I have compiled a list of food/cooking tips for people who are challenged by allergies or other diet limitations. This list is not a guide to great substitutions or alternative dishes or ingredients. It is a list that hopefully answers the question “What now?” for anyone who has been thrown the curveball of having to make different food choices due to allergies, illnesses or for other reasons.

Even though I lack formal education on the subject I have lived with allergies my entire life. I have had family members both with allergies and sensitivities, and I now have kids with the same issues. In addition, I have been diagnosed with a chronic disease that is agitated by inflammation in the body caused by food or other external factors and I am therefore also following a so-called "low-inflammation diet". In other words, I might not be an expert on this subject based on education or work but I live this every day and I hope some of what I have learned might help you too!

1) Take a deep breath and open your eyes to the change

I am social and so is my clutter

I have come to a realization that there are some strong similarities between me and my clutter. Let me explain...

1. I am social and so is my clutter

I am definitely a social person. I love being around people and I am very much of the more the merrier mentality. Yes, I do like to spend time one-on-one with people too but a large social gathering energizes and excites me. Like an introvert needs their quiet time, I need my social, out among people time. How does this relate to my clutter?

Omelet Muffins

This breakfast dish is very easy, especially if you have silicone baking cups.

Omelet Muffins (6)

4 eggs, whisked

3 slices of ham, cut up

6 Tblsp chopped spinach, cooked and drained of excess liquid

Shredded cheese

Gluten Free Norwegian Waffles

When I think of waffles I think of dessert or a treat, not breakfast. I think of the Norwegian thin, slightly tangy, heart-shaped waffles served with brown cheese or jam. I would dare say that you cannot get more Norwegian than waffles. There has to be a reason why the symbol for the Norwegian Seamen's Church is just that....a waffle heart! Every Norwegian knows (or at least should know) how to make them and all Norwegians big and small love these heart shaped treats! 

My Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix (Wheat, Corn, Bean, Potato and Soy Free)

There are probably a million recipes for gluten free all purpose flour and there are quite a few ready-made varieties on the store shelves too. However, I have had a hard time finding one that is wheat, corn, bean, soy and potato free and that tastes good. So what do I do when I cannot find what I want? I make it myself.....so here you go!

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix 
(Wheat, Corn, Bean, Potato and Soy Free!!)

Ingredients:

**Make sure to measure by weight**

- 200 grams Sweet Sorghum Flour

- 200 grams Oat Flour (Gluten Free)

Rice and Oat Muffin (aka No-Corn Gluten-Free 'Corn bread')

I have this inability to leave a recipe exactly "as-is" and therefore end up with lots of total flops but also some hits. This recipe is an example of such a hit. 

Though the change, in this case, is minor it makes a big difference! I took my Wheat Free Pancake Recipe and tweaked it just a little and ended up with a muffin recipe. It is not sweet so I would use it as a substitute for a roll or a piece of cornbread with dinner or instead of a biscuit with breakfast. Served warm and with butter they are quite delicious!

Rice and Oat Muffins 
(aka No-Corn Gluten-Free 'Corn bread')

Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs, divided into whites and yolks

- 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour

- 2 tsp baking powder (I use this homemade version which is corn free)

- 1 tsp baking soda

Wheat-Free Pancakes

I found this wheat-free recipe for pancakes on Bob's Red Mill and it is great! The pancakes are golden and slightly crispy on the outside and fluffy and moist on the inside.

Rice and Oat Pancakes

Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs, divided into whites and yolks

- 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour

- 2 tsp baking powder (I use this homemade version which is corn free)

- 1 tsp baking soda

Corn Free Aluminum Free Baking Powder

There are a lot of different baking-powder recipes out there, but here is the one I use.

Corn Free Aluminum Free Baking Powder

Ingredients:

1 Tblsp baking soda

1 Tblsp arrowroot powder

2 Tblsp cream of tartar

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!

I am kind of excited that I have figured out a way to do pizza even on my new and restricted diet!

I am not eating wheat, which in most cases would mean I should be able to eat a gluten-free pizza.....well..... I am also not eating potato, soy or corn either and let me tell you that really limits the gluten-free choices out there! And yes I know that pizza is not a necessity by any stretch of the imagination but that does not mean that I don't enjoy eating a slice every once in a while. 

I am not going to pretend like I invented this new, revolutionary, never-before-tried recipe for amazing pizza crust. As a matter of fact it has been around for a while and I found the original recipe here on a blog called The Lucky Penny. Check it out, there are pictures and such! 

Quinoa and Lentil Curry with Broccoli

So here is the deal…..I am, as of recently, on a low-inflammation diet. It is a healthy, balanced diet with a decent amount of restrictions. Though I am glad there are a lot of great foods on my "yes" food list, I am still stomped at times when trying to come up with dinner. Today I am cooking dinner out of our stash of food so as it turns out none of us are eating the same! What my kids and my husband are eating I cannot have so ....what is mamma having????

Once I had cleared out the fridge for my husband's and my kids' dinners I did one last fridge/pantry/freezer raid in a desperate attempt to find some dinner for myself. And that is how this Curry recipe was born! Hope you enjoy J

Arg!!! Grease Stains

My daughter has a purple t-shirt that is nothing special really, it wasn't even expensive. 

It is a basic, solid colored, dark purple shirt. 

I like this shirt because it is simple and no-frill and it looks cute on her.

It is one of those great basics to have on hand. 

As you can tell I am quite fond of this shirt :)

Now imagine how I felt when I pulled it off the drying rack, 

after the last time it was washed, and it looked like this!!

I have NO IDEA what in the world my child did or spilled on this to make it look like this!

AFTER being washed!

HeartyTurkey Meatballs

The inspiration for my turkey meatball recipe comes from a recipe for Hearty Turkey Meatloaf which I found in Joy Bauer's book Food Cures. 

Below you find my modified recipe. Enjoy!

Hearty Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

- 1 lb lean ground turkey (or beef or chicken)

- 2 medium sized carrots, (peeled and minced or finely shredded)

- 1 cup quick oatmeal (can be GF)

- 1/2 - 3/4 cup finely chopped white mushrooms

- 1 Tblsp dried basil

Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Mash aka "Yummo"

The first time I made this mash for my kids they responded by saying it was Yummo! Therefore anytime they ask what we are having for dinner and this is on the menu, that's the name "Yummo"

Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Mash (Yummo)

Ingredients:

Approx. 2 lbs sweet potato
1 lb frozen cauliflower, thawed
butter (can omit for dairy free)
salt and pepper to taste

My New Favorite Flourless Chocolate Chip Blondies

A friend of mine sent me a recipe for Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies with Sea Salt from Ambitious Kitchen and I made them for dessert yesterday. I am in love!!

The recipe is grain-free and gluten free and it can be dairy free, corn free and egg free etc. but what it lacks in ingredients it makes up for in flavor, gooey-ness and deliciousness! And, it is actually pretty healthy too so I hope you give it a try :)

Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies

Ingredients
Cooking spray (or butter if not dairy free)
1 can (15oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup all natural almond butter or other nut-butter (I used almond)

Feeding our family of 5 for a month for less than $185!

So I know we are well into February by now, but I still want to take a look back at January and how my food/household spending challenge worked out.

I set myself a goal of not spending more than $1/person/day on food and $1/day on other household items. This worked out to 

($1 x 5 people x 31 days) + $1 x 31 days = $186 total for the month.
**take a look at the very end if you would like some perspective on how much this is**

My original post about my belt tightening is here, and I point out that this budget includes all food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, paper goods and diapers.

I tallied up all my receipts and I came to a grand total of $184.93!! YAY! 
($25.14 on household and $159.79 on food)

Creamy Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding

I came across a recipe for avocado chocolate pudding by Martha Stewart and, though extremely skeptical at first, I decided to give it a try. It was easy and quick and I have to say I was pleased by the end result. And yes it is dairy free but not calorie free :)

Here is my modified recipe:

Creamy (Dairy Free) Avocado Chocolate Pudding

1 serving

Ingredients:

1/2 large avocado, ripe

2 - 2 1/2 Tblsp light brown sugar

1/4 - 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 Tblsp unsweetened cocoa powder

sprinkle of sea salt

Whole Wheat Molasses Rolls

I found this whole wheat bread recipe that I thought looked promising. So, as always, I made a couple of small changes and I was pleasantly surprised with the result.

Whole Wheat Molasses Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cup Water
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
• 1/4 cup Molasses
• 4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1.5 teaspoon Salt
• 1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) Active Dry Yeast

Directions:

- In a large bowl, combine half the flour, the yeast and the salt and mix well. 

- In a separate bowl, combine water, molasses and melted butter and heat to 120-130 

  degrees F.

- Add the liquids to the flour mixture and mix until moistened. 

- Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a firm dough.

- Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic (approximately 5 minutes)

   **I used my mixer with a dough hook for the entire process**

- Place the dough in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and then a clean kitchen towel. 

- Let the dough rise in a warm spot for 1 - 1.5 hours, or until double in size.

- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, punch it down and then make smooth, 

   round ball. 

- Divide into 24-30 rolls (depending on size) and roll firmly between your palms until a 

   smooth ball forms. 

- The "seams" of the roll should be on the bottom of the roll when you place them onto a 

   cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

- Cover the rolls with the clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 

   minutes. When you lightly touch the side of the roll the indentation should remain 

   visible when the rolls are done rising.

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

- Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Enjoy!

My Favorite Wheat and Rye Bread (which I make quite often)

I got a Honey Whole Wheat Bread Recipe from my sister a while back and if I am not mistaken it is this recipe from Martha Stewart . However, like with most recipes, I made some changes and switched things around. The result in this case is my Wheat and Rye Bread, which I love and my kids really like it too. It is dense, it is hearty, it is very good!

Wheat and Rye Bread

Ingredients:
2 loaves

3 1/2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees F)
2 tablespoons Maple Syrup (You can use honey or other sweetener of your choice)
2 packs of Active Dry Yeast (= 4 1/2 teaspoons)
- - -

January 14th is National Organize Your Home Day! Part 2

Ok, so as promised here I did P.A.R.T.Y (Put Away Random Things, Yeah!) today in honor of NOYH (National Organize Your Home) Day.

The three areas I decided to tackle were the storage shelves in my kitchen, the top of the refrigerator and the top of the washer and dryer.

Here are the before and after pictures to show what kind of difference a little bit of time and energy made in making those spots more organized.

Take a look....

The Storage Shelves in the Kitchen

January 14th is National Organize Your Home Day!

I have to admit that I did not know that January 14th was "National Organize Your Home Day" but supposedly it is. Most of these random holidays I do tend to let pass without much thought, but since I am on this "clean slate" "new organized year" and so forth path I guess I have to come up with something to organize today.....

Despite all my efforts, there will always be something that can be organized better or organized again or just plain can be organized period, so this should not be too hard. 

There is always one spot!!

There is always one spot in my house that never, ever, ever seems to be able to remain organized and non-messy. Just to set the record straight, I am in no way going to try to convince you that there is only one spot in my house that is messy. Yeah right, dream on! There are many spots. As a matter of fact, most days there are many more messy spots than clean spots at my house. 

What baffles me is the fact that there is this one particular spot that, no matter what I try to do to it, attracts clutter and chaos and mess and disarray. It is not a huge spot, but it is centrally located and it is a catch-all and I have talked about it once before here. 

Food Challenge Recap

Like I already mentioned, the first part of my food challenge came to an end a week ago. Now that I have recovered from a couple of days of intensive cooking and prepping for the rest of the month and a weekend filled with organization projects and a birthday party I am ready to recap how it went. I am going to show you what my fridge looked like after the fact. (I forgot to take a picture of the freezer and now it is packed with meals and groceries so I will not worry about that).

I am still trying to figure out this picture taking and editing thing, so please be patient with me on that. Take a look at the after pictures, this is what was left in my fridge and pantry once I had cooked my way through it :) If you want to compare you can look at the before pictures.

Monday is Laundry Day!

As I loaded the washer this morning I started thinking about how much of my time is used on laundry. Monday is laundry day...and so is Wednesday and Friday too! Granted, we are a family of five so of course we will generate some laundry throughout a week. Also, we use cloth diapers so that adds a few loads as well. But that is not all. I believe the main reason laundry takes long at my house is because of my mom. Let me explain.

My mom is responsible for.....

     *teaching me how to do laundry properly and carefully

     *teaching me to take pride in my clothes and in taking care of them

What's in a name?

People have asked me why I chose the blog name I did. My initial response was that I did not know and that I just liked the way it sounded. However, the more I have thought about it, the more I have come to realize that is sums up my life in the kitchen quite perfectly.

There might be a lot of things I do not have right now, but I do have thyme and I have a wooden spoon. 

These two things encompass so much more than simply being an ingredient and a kitchen utensil.

Planning, planning and more planning....it is time for some serious belt-tightening in January!

The last couple of days I have been planning, shopping for and preparing food for this month. I did one large shopping trip yesterday that more or less will be it for this month. (At least that is the plan!) There were only a couple of things left on our list and those I picked up today and now I am going to try to make it through the month without stepping foot in any store much. 

The food challenge I was doing inspired me to really plan this months meals and groceries, down to the smallest detail. As a result, I have set a very tight budget for us for the month. At the end of the month I will let you know what that budget was and how it panned out. Was I successful? What did I buy/what did we eat? and so forth. 

Jan 5th - The first phase of the challenge has come to an end

Even though we still technically have food left in the fridge, freezer and pantry I have decided to wrap up the challenge for this time.
I finally headed to the grocery last night and I will post about that later, but for now here are the details about the day yesterday:

Breakfast:
- oatmeal waffles (new batch made with flaxseed instead of egg)
- sun butter
- almond butter
- home-canned pear

Ra Ta Da! Ratatouille!

I wrote this post a while back and just realized that I never published it. As I re-read it I realized it very much fit in with the food challenge I have been doing lately....take what you have and make it work!

* * *

I really like ratatouille…and though the movie is cute, I was in this case referring to the word and my version of the dish.

In case French cooking is not your biggest strength I have included the definition according to my “Food Lover’s Companion” (which by the way is one of my most favorite books):

Jan 4th - Meals prepared ahead of time is the way to go!

Today was a relatively "easy" food day because all our meals were in the fridge, more or less ready to just heat and serve. I have vowed to myself many a time to cook in bulk, freeze meals and be better prepared. And I will try again :) New year, new chance!

I would like to note that my husband was not there for neither breakfast nor lunch today, which made those meals stretch a bit further. 

Also, even though today's meals seem entirely devoid of vegetables I will note that the besides the soup being a veggie soup the meatballs have both mushrooms and carrots in them already. But do not worry, of course I will not keep our vegetable intake this low forever, but for now I am convinced we will be A-OK :) 

Jan 3rd - Still Cookin'

3rd day of the food clear-out challenge......our meals are definitely taking on some character but we are not starving :P 

As I am preparing meals and all 5 of us are eating I am amazed at the amount of food we still have. I am thinking I might stretch it past Monday.....we will see, as there is a limit to the amount of beans we can eat in a row.

Breakfast: 

- Oatmeal Waffles that were pre-made and in the fridge

- Sunbutter

- boiled apple

Jan 2nd - Baking away

I continued my food challenge today and made another small dent in the pantry and fridge. 

Here are the items I made and what ingredients I used today:

Breakfast: 

- Oatmeal

     *oats

     *milk

     *butter

Lunch:

- "Pizza"

     *homemade dough using 1 pack of yeast, sea salt, all purpose flour and oil from the pantry

     *the sauce was half the jar of potato/cauliflower soup

     *the meatballs cut up were the topping

     *half of the piece of Parmesan cheese shredded on top

January 2015 - Starting with a clean slate

A new year has begun and this year, rather than starting with a long list of resolutions, I want to start with a clean slate and see where it takes me.

Today it took me into my fridge, freezer and pantry. 

I needed to take a closer look at what I have on hand in the food department as this new year starts, and I also want to truly challenge myself to stretch what I have to the fullest. Looking at the list it might seem like I have a lot of food, and there is, but some quantities are very small. 

The challenge now is to try to use up a lot of this food over the next couple of days and then I will post an updated list and some new pictures. Take a look below for today's details!