A visit from Kiki!

My long time friend Kiki came for a short visit this past weekend.  Kiki and I go way back.  We met in college and really got to know each other very well when we spent a semester together studying abroad in Scotland and then being roommates the rest of our college years. She is a very dear friend and we were SOOOOO HAPPY to have her come stay a couple of nights with us while she was here working in Albert Lea.  She lives in Montana and I was lucky enough to catch up with her this past August when I spent a long (much needed) girls weekend in Missoula.   She is one of those special friends that you can just pick up where you left off and enjoy every little second together.  It was a short visit but we were happy to get some quality time in with "Aunt Kiki". To say the kids loved their time with Kiki is an understatement. They are still asking when she is coming back and when we can go to Montana to see her. I hope soon kids, I really do.

Friday night we were able to get a couple of the Scotties together for a wee reunion. It was great to see everyone! Christina and Steve came with their adorable daughters and Dean and Stacey were able to stop by for a very quick visit.  We got to catch up with some drinks and pizza while the kids all got along, which for parents is always nice.

Can't believe it's been over a decade since we were all abroad together living the life in a Scottish palace. No big deal.

Me, Kiki, Dean, Christina & baby Eloise (the best behaved baby in the world I might add).

Evie and Miles hanging with their new best friend.

Sidney turns 3!!!!

My nephew Sidney turned 3 on Sunday (the 24th).  He lives in WA state so I don't get to see him very often at all. It makes me so sad that all this time is passing and he just keeps changing and growing so much, like all these little kids do! This year for his birthday my sister told me that he is obsessed with Jake the Pirate so we sent him some Jake goodies for his big day, and I guess they were a hit!  I love this video of him on his new Jake scooter. I just hope that next year we will all be together to celebrate.  We love you Sidney!!!!

Taking a ride on his new Jake scooter.

Modeling his new Jake birthday pajamas!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I have seriously made this recipe about a dozen times this fall and they are always a hit. I have stopped making regular size muffins completely and work this mini muffin pan constantly. Kids beg for them. I also use mini chocolate chips instead of the full size.  And although they are full of butter and chocolate, it makes me happier knowing they are not full of chemicals like most baked goods you buy at the store these days. You can also make this as a loaf of bread, just bake for longer.


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Recipe

This recipe makes about 1 pan (24) of mini muffins.

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soad
1/4 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
2 eggs
1 cup plain pumpkin
1/2 cup butter melted
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside. In a small bowl blend eggs, then add pumping and melted butter. Whisk together, then stir in chocolate chips. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold together. Pour into lined muffin tins or greased loaf pan.

I usually bake for about 15 minutes and then check with a knife until it comes out clean. Usually takes around 15-20 minutes depending on how large the muffins are. They stay good up to 2-3 days and freeze well.
Enjoy!

Miles' Thanksgiving Feast

Miles and his best buddy at school Charlie.

The week before Thanksgiving Miles' preschool puts on a big Thanksgiving feast for the kids. They set up this long table and the kids make their own little place mats and turkey hats.

The kids all walk out in a line behind their teachers to be seated at the table and Miles came out walking with his buddy Henry. It was pretty cute!! He said it was Henry's idea :)

Every kid is assigned a food item to prepare and bring for the feast. The younger, first year students just have to bring one piece of fruit for a big fruit salad they prepare. That was us last year, while the older second year students bring a dish to pass for the feast. We were assigned our pumpkin chocolate chip muffins since I had just made them for the Halloween day snack and all the kids loved them. So I put my mini muffin pan to use once again, found some mini turkey liners and made a double batch for Miles to pass around to his classmates. He did a fantastic job giving each kid at the table a muffin and then finding his seat and waiting for the rest of the food to be passed out. Their little plates get pretty full of goodies and this year Miles actually did a good job of trying most of the food on his plate (last year he didn't eat a thing). The kids are so cute to watch and the teachers do such a good job preparing the kids for the event.

Waiting to be served.

 The kids take a break to gather by the piano and teachers to sing some Thanksgiving day songs and a little act where they are turkeys. Miles got chosen to be a turkey to run away and hide behind the piano. I'm also so proud of him for getting up in front of so many people and participating.

I love how Evie is trying to be part of the show. She loves trying to get right in there.

Evie sneaks a bite of cheese.

Miles as a little turkey going to 'hide' behind the piano.

Still hiding....

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Sunday night comfort food, that's what I was thinking about all day, so I whipped up a 'made from scratch' tuna casserole that I found on www.skinnytaste.com .  Funny because, I have never made tuna casserole before, besides cooking some egg noodles and mixing them with a can of cream of celery soup and not even adding any tuna.  After I found this recipe I decided to give it a try. My kids both frowned and said "I don't like this" before I even told them what it was. After Miles tried it he ate the whole thing and well Evie, she never tried it so that's that.  But I really liked it, it hit the spot and I'll definitely make it again. And no canned soup needed! The only changes I made was I used only one can of tuna and vegetarian no chicken broth (by Better Than Bouillon). I also just used olive oil spray instead of the butter cooking spray listed. I think this recipe would even be great without the tuna if you are not a tuna fan and like creamy noodles and mushrooms. Yummy!

Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 6 • Size: 1/6th • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 318 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 27.3 g • Carb: 34.3 g • Fiber: 3.6 g    


Ingredients:

• 6 oz no-yolk noodles (Ronzoni Healthy Harvest, or brown rice pasta for gluten free)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, minced fine
• 3 tbsp flour (gluten free use rice flour)
• 1 3/4 cups fat free chicken broth
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1 oz sherry (optional)
• 10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 cup frozen petite peas (thawed)
• 2 (5 oz) cans tuna in water, drained (I used albacore)
• 4 oz 50% reduced fat sharp cheddar (I used Cabot)
• butter flavored cooking spray
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs

Directions:

Cook noodles in salted water until al dente, or slightly undercooked by 2 minutes. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large deep skillet. Add onions and cook on medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and stir well, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat 

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly spray 9 x 12 casserole with butter flavored cooking spray.

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until well combined, increasing heat to medium and whisking well for 30 seconds, then add the milk and bring to a boil. When boiling, add sherry, mushrooms and petite peas, adjust salt and pepper to taste and simmer on medium, mixing occasionally until it thickens (about 7 to 9 minutes). Add drained tuna, stirring another minute.

Remove from heat and add 1 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar and mix well until it melts. Add the noodles to the sauce and mix well until evenly coated. Pour into casserole and top with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray and top and bake for about 25 minutes. Place under the broiler a few minutes to get the crumbs crisp (careful not to burn).

The Letter Box

Miles got the Letter Box at preschool this week!  And boy was he EXCITED!!

Every kid at his school gets a week to take this little suitcase home with a different letter of the week. Being a letter/word/book enthusiast Miles couldn't wait until he got the letter box last year and he had to wait until the very last week of school to get a turn.  So imagine his delight when he got to take it home so soon! He was so cute when I picked him up from school and he had it in his hand with the biggest smile on his face. Right when we got home he had to fill it up with things starting with the letter "H", which he did all on his own. 

Harold the Helicopter makes it in the box, along with hat, helmet, handprints, heart and Hamm the pig. I had to stop him at 6 items (as they only want 3-4). He could have went on and on and on. He seriously loves his letters.

Mr. Banana Face

Miles and Evie have this little beat up baby book that we got out of a Little Free Library, that has a picture of a face made out of fruit, mainly a banana.  Miles is obsessed with it lately so I started making these...

I mean look at how happy it makes him.  

He will eat these little fruit faces up so quickly. His sister on the other hand always wants one but never finishes them. Usually it is Miles who is not the best eater. I guess this is a big deal to me because I have NEVER made a fun face or any sort of picture out of food in the 4+ years that I have been a parent. I guess the little extra effort does make them want to eat the food on their plates!

Healthy Banana Bread and Hummus Recipes

So I made two new recipes this weekend. Banana bread with no added sugar and all whole wheat flour and a straight up hummus recipe. Honestly the banana bread is not my favorite but Miles loves it, he's eaten a ton of it. I think that banana bread needs to maybe be a little bit unhealthy so it's more of a treat. This version is a bit dry and I ended up slathering butter on my piece which I never do with other banana bread recipes. Evie and I both loved the hummus, but we are hummus fans in general. Both recipes are from www.100daysofrealfood.com

I used coconut oil in this recipe and had to melt it in the microwave first, it seemed to work fine. Next time I will substitute a little bit of unrefined all-purpose flour for the whole wheat to help with some of the coarseness.

WHOLE-WHEAT BANANA BREAD

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ¼ cup whole-wheat flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup oil (I used coconut oil)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease pan.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl mix mashed bananas with yogurt, honey, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
4. Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture until blended. Do not overmix.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan.
6. Bake large loaf for 40 – 50 minutes or until it comes clean with a toothpick

With the hummus recipe below, I did leave out the water until last, and just added a little bit at a time, I don't like runny hummus. I also used a whole can of garbanzo beans and added a little bit of crumbled feta in at the end. Pretty yummy!!

Traditional Hummus

 

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup dried chickpeas or 2 cups canned (rinsed)
• water
• ⅓ cup cooking liquid (that is left after boiling dried chickpeas)
• 3 or 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, to taste
• 3 tablespoons tahini (ground sesame seeds – usually found near the peanut butter in the grocery store)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ⅛ teaspoon of salt (or more if preferred)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. If using dried chickpeas pick over and rinse them. Put them in a Tupperware container or bowl with water to cover by 2 inches. Soak them in the fridge overnight. The following day rinse them again and then put them in a small pot with fresh water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 90 minutes. Reserve the cooking liquid.
2. If using canned chickpeas rinse them with water.
3. In a food processor combine the soft chickpeas, ⅓ cup cooking liquid (or fresh water if using canned chickpeas), lemon juice, tahini, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Blend until smooth and add more liquid if a thinner sauce is preferred.
4. Garnish with paprika if serving as a dip.

Haircut!

I couldn't handle the struggles anymore with Evie and her long hair (she won't let me put a single thing in it and it is usually sticky and knotted from food) so this is what happened...we are both loving it!

       

My Evie Girl

This little lady is such a handful these days. She is definitely in the full blown '2' stage (um terrible 2's are upon us) but then has these moments of pure adorableness that just make my heart melt.  One of our biggest challenges these days are naps. She needs them, badly, but refuses to take them. We keep our routine the same every single day and I always prep her for nap time, yet she still throws a fit. Yesterday I told her it was time to take a nap and she went running into her room - usually she is running away from her room at this time of day, and I went in to to find her like this.

She threw all of her babies and their things out of the toy crib and crawled right in and said "shhh, mama I sleepin"

Snow and Quinoa Oatmeal

Today we woke up to snow! Snow on November 6th, hmmm, it is very pretty, but I think fall needs to last a little longer in my book.

The kids ran to the window and Evie couldn't stop staring at the snow on the ground.  It was pretty darn cute.

Then we ate a nice hearty breakfast of quinoa and steel cuts oats, a new recipe that I made last night. I always make my oatmeal usually the night before and make a huge batch of it and we eat it all week. Just scoop some in a bowl and warm it up, add whatever (honey, fruit, maple syrup) and then soy milk. Evie LOVES it. She literally wakes up every single morning and screams "oatmeal!!!" until it is ready.  I have started adding different things to power it up, such as ground flax seeds, chia, wheat germ, whatever I have on hand. Last night I tried quinoa. We eat quinoa once in a while but always for dinner, never breakfast. I have a huge bag of it from Costco so I found a recipe to add it to oatmeal, apparently it is what some people have been doing for awhile. Here is the recipe I used, though I didn't add the nuts and I doubled it which made a lot. Maybe too much. Next time I will leave out the raisins and the apples too, my kids didn't like them in there and honestly I wasn't a fan either. We eat plenty of both of those things any way!

Quinoa and Oatmeal Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients:        

1/2 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup quinoa (well rinsed)
1 apple, cored and coarse chopped (unpeeled)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons raisins or 2 tablespoons dried blueberries, and or 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
2 tablespoons walnuts, toasted and rough chopped
2 cups water

Directions:

1.  Mix all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 20-30 minutes. Depending on size and juiciness of the apple you may need more liquid. Adjust accordingly, by adding water or juice.
2.  Stir and serve with raw honey, and soy milk.

Saturday Mornings at the Home Depot

We recently discovered that the first Saturday of every month the Home Depot has a free little workshop for kids.  I took both the kids myself for the first time in October where they made little wooden airplanes that they got to hammer and paint themselves. They loved it, so we went again as a family this time for the first Saturday in November to build little wooden boats. They get their own little apron with their name on it and a pin for each project they make. It's fun to watch them enjoy making something with a little help from mom and dad. We will definitely be going again in December.

Trick or Treat Flashback

That was then....

This is now!

Happy Halloween!!!

Halloween is really such a fun holiday now that we have kids. They get so excited to dress up and go trick or treating. Last year we discovered that our street was the trick or treat jackpot. Everyone goes above and beyond to decorate and hand out candy to the little trick or treaters. We also discovered that the head brew master for Surly beer lives on our street just a few blocks up and hands out a special Surly home brew as a treat for the adults. Their house is completely decked out with lights and smoke machines and the lady dresses up as a witch with a huge cauldron filled with treats for the kids. It's our new trick or treating destination, even if it means letting the kids eat some candy on the way!

We started out the day with Miles' preschool Halloween program. The kids got to bring their costumes to school which they wore for their little performance. They sang all their fall and Halloween songs for us. It was adorable as usual, and this year a little more pleasant for Tim and I, as Evie actually sat and behaved while the kids sang.

Chosen to be a little pumpkin for the 5 Little Pumpkins Song

Having fun with Daddy at school!

Happy Halloween!