Side Ways

/
Side Ways

Ever since I started back at school, the dishwasher always seems full, the cupboard a little bare, and I am just a teensy bit frazzled. It seems the 20+ minutes it takes to prepare those healthy whole grain sides that my family loves to eat everyday is getting to be too much.  We've resorted to buying bags of prepared brown rice to nuke for the kids just to get dinner on the table, even though we have full bags of the stuff in our pantry. It occurred to me that I could probably take a half an hour over the weekend to make double, triple batches and freeze it myself.  That goes for quinoa, and pasta too. Such a time saver, it will only take 2 minutes in the microwave to heat it up when we need it. Stay tuned for a few yummy recipes using pre-made quinoa this Wednesday...

Read More

Say Anything

/
Say Anything

At Alt Summit last month I got to do a little party hopping.  This doesn't happen in my everyday life unless both kids get invited to birthday parties on the same day. Anyway, I  wandered into the "I've Got A Crush On You" themed party hosted by Go Mighty! and Red Envelope. It was really the sweetest.  They had an old fashioned photo booth, and a valentine crafting set up for you to write to your favorite blog/blogger. The string art installation on the wall was a real show stopper.  Check it out here. I really wanted to put that idea into practice at home, but it looked pretty complicated, so I was VERY excited when I received an email from Creativebug last week, with the string art tutorial. Please visit their site for this DIY. The version I made for our home now hangs in our dining space, and is the first thing you see when you walk in the door.  I've been so charmed by all the "hello" themed brands of late, and it seemed like a perfect greeting. I actually used crochet yarn for mine to make it look less crafty, but followed their instructions for the canvas and tips for stringing. See more below... 

Read More

Small Plate

/
Small Plate

Both of my kids love carrots. We grew them in Oakland last year and they were picked and eaten straight from the earth when I wasn't looking. They really love them.  So when I was pouring over some of our new cookbooks over the long weekend and I found a recipe for carrot soup made with coconut milk and vegetable broth I knew we'd have to make it. The recipe comes from a book called Grow It, Cook It With Kids.  One of us, we're not sure who, got it for Christmas this year.  It's full of information for kids on how to plant their own garden, harvest, and prepare the fruits and vegetables. They learn about growing seasons, important knife skills, and basic cooking technique. You should check it out. Oh, and the soup was delicious!  If you omit some of the broth it would make a wonderful puree to serve with fish, and I'm betting babies would love it too. Recipe below.

Read More

Do Gooder

/
Do Gooder

So here's a sad story with a happy ending. It's about a mom who faced the scariest thing a mom can face.  It's also about doing something good. 

Last week I was contacted by Chelsea Carver, the co-founder of the flash-sale site P.S. I Adore You. It turns out that in the summer of 2010 Chelsea found out that her 4-year-old daughter, Cami had leukemia. The Doctor’s told Chelsea that Cami had a very good chance of surviving, but she would have a significant battle on her hands. After 3 years, with many ups and downs, she is now off treatment and officially cancer-free. Pheww. 

Read More