Breakfast smoothie?

So today, I wanted to fry something up for breakfast. Here I am, trying to cut back on coffee and eat healthier, and I'm craving something crunchy and greasy. So I sautee'd up 2 corn tortillas with a little spray olive oil and salt. I shared those with Katie, then figured I really should figure out something healthy.

I had some fresh kale in the fridge from the other day, so I figured I'd try one of those kale smoothies I've been reading about. Here's what I came up with, whilst cleaning out the fridge:

5 kale leaves
1 apple (I actually used about 3/4 of a small fuji)
1/4c rolled oats
1 small mango (pitted & peeled)
3/4c soymilk (I use 8th Continent plain)

At a glance it looks like an apple - LOL! I have got to get a show-quality glass for these pics haha :) 

I threw it all in the VitaMix and it made a perfect sized meal for me and I even shared it with Katie. I thought it could use a little crunch, so I paired it with a handful of sesame sticks.

Still the vibrant color that I have found kale to be so good for producing, and it does not look yummy per se, but it sure was delicious! The oatmeal makes a good filler and adds some texture, and the fruit and kale, being fresh and not cooked or processed made for a healthy breakfast!

Here I am, 3 hours later, and I'm still not hungry. Granted, I'm craving some processed food but that's because I am a junk food junkie, but I'm working on that.

Kale

I'm not sure if I've ever had Kale before. Probably as a kid because we gardened a lot, but I don't believe I've ever cooked it myself. So, last week I bought a bunch of Kale because I've got a pesto recipe in mind: not the recipe I'm about to share with you, but another recipe that I am still going to try with my leftover Kale!

This morning, I had some basil that was on the verge of going 'off', so I decided I was going to whip up some pesto with it. Turned out too watery, so I added a few Kale leaves to it. WHO KNEW!!! The amazingness that the Kale brought to the pesto was super!

I think what awed me the most, was the color. I've never made such a beautiful green pesto before, and it held its color through temperature too!

Here's what I did:

1 small bunch of basil
3/4c pine nuts + 2 T for toasting
1/2 olive oil
1/2c water
1 good size piece of fresh garlic
about 6 kale leaves
dash of pepper
salt to taste

This is a super mild pesto, so you don't want the garlic overwhelming the sweetness of the Kale or the kick of the basil and pinenuts. I also overdid it on the olive oil a bit - I probably used a cup. If the mix is too thick, just add a dash of olive oil to wet it up a bit.

Cook your favorite noodles, toast the leftover pine nuts. Drain noodles and put the pesto over them immediately. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts. (I wanted fresh Parmesan cheese for this, but in all honesty, it is delicious enough without it).

Check out that color! 

 I was very impressed with this dish and it is definitely going to be a new family favorite! 

Happy Days

Now that I finally have an oven again, I tried making spaghetti squash last night. I love spaghetti squash, when prepared properly. Wellll... let's say I forgot I had it in the oven. Boooooo! 

So, I made burritos instead. Good stuff! 

Katie's life revolves around bubbles, balloons and balls. I finally got her a bubble blower so that we can get a break from time to time. 

Wednesday, I am trying my hand at beef stew for the first time ever. I'll be reporting on that soon :) 

Haystacks!

Now that I'm cooking twice a week for the volunteers at Bingo, I should be able to add recipes and goodies here regularly. I'm looking forward to it!

Growing up, we had haystacks every weekend. They feed large groups fairly easily, and they're delicious. Today, I made a pot of beans, and figured since not everyone knows how to make a haystack, I'd build a little how-to on the typical haystack. This will be posted at the buffet table, providing I find a color printer between now and then! Dressing can be subbed for sour cream or in addition to, and a lot of people use cheese as well. This time, I'm making it my favorite way:

Fried Rice - YUM!

I just made the best fried rice I've ever had. Not to toot my own horn, but it was pretty darn good!

I used pre-cooked rice that comes in the little pouches. So brown basmati rice and quinoa mix for today's meal. I sautee'd onions, peas and garlic in sesame oil, then added in the rice and about 1/8c soy sauce. Fried it up until it was starting to stick, then added 2 eggs. Cooked thorougly, and enjoyed.

For a delicious vegan option, omit the eggs!

Even Katie liked it!

Painting

We spent the day prepping and painting. It never ceases to amaze me how long it takes to prep a room for painting, then how long it takes to get really good coverage. We're not even doing 2 coats! We are doing 3 tone though: light purple on top, medium purple wainscotting, and a super dark purple trim in the middle. I believe we got everything done but the super dark trim. I'm stoked! Not my room, but I sure do feel accomplished and look forward to seeing it completely done.

I made breakfast wraps for lunch - SO yummy! I had flatbread in the freezer that I thawed out in the microwave. I scrambled some eggs, sliced some cheese, and used a veggie burger for "meat".

So, I laid slices of cheese (whatever kinds you want, the more the merrier!) in the flatbread, threw on the eggs, and put the veggie burger (halved so it took up more room) in the wrap. Rolled it up and grilled it so it was a little crispy. I sprinkled it with some Tapatio and voila! Delicious! Way better than a normal tortilla.

Monkey

So Katie's got this book. In the book are different animals with their names under them so she can learn different types of animals. So she points to the monkey, and I say "Monkey". She says (ever so calmly) "mommy". I say "no Katie, MONKEY". "Mommy". Love this kid :)

Been hanging out with my brother who's in town on leave from where the Air Force. Good times. I always forget how much he cracks me up!

I found some rubber boots for Katie at a thrift store - they're brand new! I got them for a buck, and oh were they worth it! She loves her boots, shoes, fleece sweater, and movie (Surf's Up). She still doesn't have much hair, but she's working on it! Here's a few photos from the other day:

Playing with her new toy

 Her eyes were especially green this day! 

 Blowing bubbles for Miley

Mmmmm... Quinoa noodles! 

Pic - haha.

So I went back today and took a photo of the sign - for the sake of misinterpretation.


....nope. I still think it means "additional" 30% off! :)

What does "additional % off" mean to you?

Today was pretty awesome. It was my mom's birthday - a big milestone birthday! I was teasing her all day that she was turning the big "21" because 50 is the new 21. Fun times! I took her to Starbucks for "breakfast" then we ran some errands, and we met my brother (in town from Montana!) at the Alehouse downtown where we had lunch for mom's birthday. She got a free beer and I got some yummy nachos!

Meanwhile, while mom was at one of her appointments today, I went to Sears. I go to Sears all the time. They have some really good sales regularly, so I like to hit the sale racks in the baby clothes, shoes, etc. Today, I was looking at tennis shoes for Katie. They were Avia brand, marked down from $19.99 to $7.99. Good deal, right? Well even cooler, there was a sign by the door that read "take an additional 30% off women's and children's clearance shoes and boots". SCORE! I was thinking great, now I can get 2 pair for about $10 for Katie!

So I go to the register and the guy said he'd have to ask his manager. The manager laughs at me and says no, they're as low as they're going to go. He muttered something about them being super cheap already, what more did I want?

I told the cashier I'd put the shoes back. As I was leaving the store, I noticed the manager a couple rows of shoes away. I grabbed the sign that said "take an additional 30% off women's and children's clearance shoes and boots" and handed it to him. I advised him "You may want to take this down then because it's misleading". He ARGUED with me! He said that the 30% is already taken and it's included in the ticketed price. I informed him that it shouldn't say "additional" then. And he said "Well, I can't control how you interpret the sign", and promptly hung it back up.

Maybe I got a bit carried away, but I was pretty ticked the guy laughed at me and practically called me an idiot without saying the word. Not only that, what ever happened to "the customer is always right"? I know I'm not always right, but the guy was just plain rude even before I started trying to push my point.

Pre Pregnancy Jeans FIT!

Today was my cousin/roomie's birthday. Went to town and walked downtown Livermore. I had Katie stripped down to a dress and diaper, and she played in the fountain with some other kids. It was super cute - she ended up getting soaked. I'd post photos but I left my camera in the car so hopefully I'll get pics up next post!

My brother came into town from Montana today. He's going to be here for a few days so we're looking forward to hanging out with him! 

I did a mega-cleaning in my room which allowed me to get a TV hooked up and set up Katie's easy chair. What a relief! I have a floor now! I can play Bible stories for Katie! Good stuff. I don't put her in front of the TV often, but when I do it's gotta be worth it.

That being said, she watches a movie with my cousin every couple days. Her latest favorite is "Surf's Up" - she loves the music! I walked in the room and Katie was dancing on the bed to the music. Wish I had my camera!

Her new favorite pastime is bubbles. Not just any bubbles, but bubble gum bubbles. If someone is chewing gum, it better be bubble gum because she won't let up until you blow her a bubble..... or ten bubbles :)

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I tried on a pair of pre-pregnancy jeans that haven't fit me right for years and guess what? THEY FIT! They're a little snug but they sure are a lot more comfortable than they were last time I tried them on and couldn't even button them! Score!

I haven't stood on a scale since December, just days before New Year's. I don't *feel* like I'm losing weight, but my pants are telling me otherwise. Yay!