Me at 33

Today is my 33rd birthday, so I thought I would take a minute to reflect. If not for any other reason than the fact that my children will be able to know what I was thinking at that time.

Me at 33

is a mother.

is a dreamer.

is rich in hugs and kisses.

cooks a lot. 

would rather make than buy.

wants to ride her bike more and drive her care less.

 is obsessed with recycling and burdened by waste.

is plant-based, and eco conscious. 

runs with a stroller.

loves a good thrift store.

sews standing up.

reads lots of books and takes my children to the library.

believes in simplicity.

has finally excepted that she can not change people, who are not willing  to change, but she can control the impact that their actions have on her.

is aware of my faults and making the effect to accept them.

He's addicted to Chili! Green chilies and lentils

My husband loves chili. Even during the summer he wants to eat chili. I think he would eat it 3 times a week if I would cook it for him. So, I do cook it at least once a week , from October to March ,and I will be posting those recipes, as I make them.  I generally make chili different almost every time trying to use the ingredients that we have on hand and the produce that is on sale. Being a veggie family we always have a selection of beans and fresh vegetables in the house. My husband especially liked the version I cooked this past weekend so, here it is. This one is protein packed and I bet even the biggest carnivore would be happy with how filling and hearty it is. It is even better as left overs the next day. If you have never cooked with lentils this a great place to start. They are a nutrition powerhouse and cheap! This is also a quick chili, taking less than an hour from start to finish and only about 10 minutes hands on time.

Ingredients:
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 cup dry lentils
1 can cannelloni beans-(white kidney beans) you could substitute regular red kidney if needed
1 can black beans
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 little can green chilies
3 cups water

Chili seasoning:
1 tablespoon Cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt to your liking -I used 1 tablespoon( but salt is my vice)

Chop onion and garlic. Remember the smaller you cut the faster it cooks. Drain and rinse your beans, including the dry lentils. Saute onion and garlic until onion is tender. I do not use oil to saute but I add a little water to keep the onions from sticking to pot. After onion is tender add the remainder of ingredients including the seasoning and let cook over medium heat until the lentils are tender about 30-45 minutes. That is it. So easy and so good.

**I serve it with quinoa and diced avocado but it really doesn't need either. It does enhance the yumminess!

Black-eyed Pea Gumbo

Black-eyed Pea Gumbo

This is my vegetarian/vegan version of a recipe that I loved growing up Maggie's chicken and sausage gumbo. This is my take on recipe eliminating all meat products. Maggie's gumbo was different from a tradition creole gumbo there is no roux to worry with or burn. It is quite easy and every bit as good in my opinion. It will fill your the whole house with an amazing smell. A smell that takes me back to my childhood and makes me incredibly happy. Figuring out a way in which, I could prepare and serve Maggie's recipe to my family has been very therapeutic and  has helped me deal with life without her in a healthy and productive manner. I even think Maggie would like this one(not so sure what she would say about some of my other ingredient substitution). This recipe also freezes very well. I keep individual servings in my freezer ready to pull out on days when I need good meal that gives me a pick me up and that happy feeling of home.

Ingredients:
1 onion
1 bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
4 stalks celery(about 1 cup)
4 bay leaves
1 28 oz diced tomatoes
1 cup okra- frozen or fresh
3 cups water
Salt and pepper
Black eyed peas- dry peas- 2 cups, fresh/frozen -4 cups, or canned peas -2 cans rinsed and drained
***if using dry see note at bottom
1 large pot

Step One: Chop onion, bell pepper, garlic, and celery. Trying to keep keep the pieces the same size. I chop my pieces fairly small but not fine. Also, use the celery leaves. They have a lot of great flavor. Step two: Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in pot and cook until tender. After a few minutes add the bay leaves and season with some salt and pepper. This step takes about 10 minutes over medium heat.
Step three:  Add the remaining ingredients and cook until peas ans okra are tender or desired consistency for your liking. Depending on your preference this step will take 45 minutes or more. TAdd salt and pepper if needed.
Step Four: Serve with brown rice.
*****If using dry beans: Rinse the beans very well and look for any thing that may be in with them from the factory. Cook in a large pot covered with water until tender. You will also want to season the water with a few bay leaves, salt, and pepper. This will greatly enhance the flavor of your gumbo. Drain beans when done and discard the water. Also, you only start with 2 cups dry because the will almost double when cooked.

Left overs ready for the freezer

Nature Inspired Fall Wreath (no cost, nothing new)

This is one of those projects that just came about from things that where right in front of me and a little time. I broke the glass in an old 11x14 used frame I had that needed to be painted. I knew I wanted to try and use it to make a fall wreath for our front door. I painted the frame green using left over paint and it just sat in my work area for about two weeks. I found a  piece of blue remnant upholstery fabric that I had and decided it would look nice in the back of the frame. I really like the way the colors looked together, but that was all I had at that point, and I was stuck on my fall wreath again.
Then over next week the weather started changing more, so my children and I started spending more time outside in the afternoon. The letters came about while I was trying to occupy myself while they played in the dirt.(that is where I draw the line playing with them, lol, and if I sat still in the lawn chair I may have gone to sleep.) A storm had come through and there were sticks everywhere. I started just trying to make shapes,  I saw a heart made out of sticks on Pinterest that looked pretty cute, but I soon gave up, got some thin wire, and made these letters. I was surprised how much I actually liked them. I used left over off white paint from my paint stash to paint them.
The next day while outside, we started picking up the sweet gum balls that were falling everywhere playing with them (throwing them, counting them, etc.). I thought they might add some interesting texture to the wreath. I originally was thinking of using them around  the sides of the frame, but as you can see that changed when I painted them orange. I had orange paint and wanted to add that color to keep it fall looking, plus it is a complementary color for the blue.They started sticking together after they were painted. I got the idea to make pumpkins when several had stuck in an oval shape. Then, I just pushed them together to make the shape bigger and added hot glue in the cracks on the wrong side and added a 3 stick stem. They fit together a lot like brillo blocks do. If you know what that is. Lastly, I glued the letters and pumpkins on the frame using a strong adhesive. The frame already had a wire hanger on the back to hang it on the front door.

 

This is how we painted the gum balls. We rolled them in the paint until desired coverage. My daughter enjoyed helping with this.

Here are the supplies all together. At this point the pumpkin idea had not come about.

Trying to figure out the letter layout. We have two last names in our family  so the letter layout took me a little while until I was happy with it. 

Pumpkin up close.

The finished wreath on our front door. Not too bad for a found oboect project. Who say's nothings free.

Adorable Sustainable Scarecrows

First, let me say, I love fall and everything it entails. I love the cooler weather and watching the leaves fall. I find fall colors to be so soothing and warm. I just love fall. I also love to decorate for fall. This year I decided to go with scarecrows as my theme. My decorating budget is very small so it was time to get to thinking. The idea of recycled scarecrows came about when I was looking at a pile of pallet scraps left over from another project we did that needed to be cleaned up. 

Scarecrows are also great for fall because they can  work as decorations  from  September until Thanksgiving. You can add a few little Halloween touches in October and then just add some gourds or uncut pumpkins and such in November.  Or do neither and leave them how they are.It is nice to be able to get some time out of the decorations that you took time to make. This is also a fun project to do with the whole family. Even the little ones. You also teach a valuable lessons in sustainability and creativity. A project like this teaches children that items can be reused and not everything needs to be bought  new at a store. Projects like this will spark their imagination. Projects like this can also build family bonds and makes memories not matter how it turns out. When I  was little, I loved to help my dad with projects ,especially, holiday ones. 

Make a Sustainable (almost free)Scarecrow

Supplies needed:

A Pallet

Rope(we used old clothes line)

Staple gun

Drill and screws or hammer and nails

hand saw

Old clothes(hats, pants, shirts, skirts)

Fabric for heads- could be old sheets, pillow cases, or shirts

plastic shopping bags for stuffing heads

A little about making frames from pallets

In order to make the frames for our scarecrows we used free pallet that we took apart.  The first piece you need is a tall piece the height of your scarecrow. If needed pallet pieces can be pieced together to make it tall enough. We screwed together one longer piece then a smaller piece. Boards can lap over too. You will not see this. Second, you need to add shoulders. We measured our shoulder and cut pieces to match. Then screw or nail this piece to the front of your frame. 8-10 inches from the top. For girl scarecrows add another piece at the bottom that is about 5 inches longer roughly 10 inches from the bottom. This will help the shirt or dress to look full and give you somewhere to secure it to.

  Guidance for Making Heads and Faces

To make the head you need a piece of fabric about 30 x 30.  Does not need to be cut exact or be a square.  the extra will be tucked down in the neck of the clothing. When in doubt use a bigger piece. Gather and tie the fabric around the neck. Stuff with plastic shopping bags and staple to the back of the post.

 To make a girl head with pony tail. Gather and tie fabric around the neck.stuff in plastic bags. Staple up the back securing fabric to post. Stuff more plastic bags if needed. Gather up to fabric and pull to one side and tie. Cut fabric that is sticking up into 1 in strips. Add an old bow. We used one that had gotten an ink stain on it.

To make the faces I used permanent black marker, orange, white, and pink craft paint. All you have to be able to paint is circles, lines, and triangles.

Lastly, Dress your scarecrows. This is the fun part. You can use old clothes of your own or hit the thrift store. We used a combination of both.  Just use a staple gun and rope to secure the clothing to the stake. Altogether our scarecrows cost less than Five dollars.

More Pictures

The Pumpkins on the sides were made last year from scrap tin.

Easiest Plant Happy Meal Ever!! Black Bean Salsa with Brown Rice.

Today being meat-free Monday and the start of my participation in Vegan MOFO  blog campaign to expose others to animal product free living. I thought I would share with you a hearty and very, very easy animal product free meal. Jeremy loves this meal! Only 3 required ingredients. It really is too easy not to try it out.

Black Bean Salsa with Brown Rice 

1 can black beans rinsed and drained

1 cup salsa (based on you preferance mild, medium, or hot)

4 cups cooked brown rice (or any other whole grain, no white stuff)

serves 2-4 depending on appetite

Directions: Pour black beans and salsa in pan. I use my cast iron saute pan but any pan will do fine. Cook over medium heat until becomes thick. Serve over cooked rice.

**If you want to get fancy saute a few mushrooms and some bell pepper before adding beans and salsa.  If you want a little more spice add a can of green chiles and some chili powder. You can also use hot salsa

You can serve this with any whole grain. We have even had it over whole wheat pasta before. It is Yummy, very filling  and so quick. oh and it is cheap too.  A double recipe will cost you less than 5.00 bucks and yes I do recommend making double!!

Rice Reminder: Remember to cook your rice like you would boil pasta in lots of water then drain when tender. This will help reduce your chances of arsenic exposure.

I also want to add living a life with minimal animal products is not hard for me and I do not consider it a sacrifice. It makes me very happy and healthy. Eating animal free even for one meal makes an impact on our environment and reduces your carbon foot print.  Small changes can help your health, the environment, and our children's future. Try to be plant happy today!!

If you can do laundry, You can make yummy healthy bread!

If you can do laundry, you can make bread.

People are always surprised when they find out I bake our sandwich bread each week. I started doing so a little over a year ago and have gone through several recipes and techniques(one rise and two rise) but now I have it down to a very simple system. I even have the recipe memorized.  I like to make bread while I am doing laundry  because the dryer is one of my time saving tricks.I usually make it on Friday  so we have it for sandwiches on the weekend and the first of next week. I make it again on Tuesday if I need to. The whole process only takes a little over an hour.

All you need is:

1. 2 1/4 warm water (microwave about 1 minute needs to be around 115 degrees)
2. 5 cups Whole Wheat Flour (you can use white wheat too) (I am sure you could use other flours too)
3. 1/4 cup coconut oil or olive oil ( I really like the way the coconut oil taste better)
4. 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey (I like the maple best and plus it makes it stay vegan)
5. 2 packages rapid rise yeast
6. 1 teaspoon salt (I usually use 2, I like salt.)

First, oil bread pan so that it will be ready.(I lightly grease my pan with coconut oil. again you can you olive oil) Combine all ingredients in mixer mixing bowl with half the flour.  Mix using paddle attachment or dough hook for until all is combined. Use spatula to scrap sides. Turn mixer on low and gradually add the rest of the flour about 1/2 cup at time.(if it looka a little soupy add more flour) Mix until all flour has all been added. Scrap sides again to make sure it is mixed well. Let the mixer run for about one minute.

 I then dump the bread dough into my pan. I smooth the loaf so it will cook evenly.(I use a large silicone bread pan, you could use 2 smaller loaf pans, too.)

  I place my pan on a cookie sheet and place it on the top of the running dryer. I then cover my pan. You can also just place it in a warm place in your house. Let your bread rise for about 30 minutes

 I place my pan on a cookie sheet and place it on the top of the running dryer. I then cover my pan. You can also just place it in a warm place in your house. Let your bread rise for about 30 minutes. It should have double in size.

Then place on the bottom rack of your oven, set to 350 degrees. Let bake for 30-35 minutes but make sure to  test to the middle to make sure it is done. I use a metal kabob skewer to test things when i am baking. You could also use a small knife.  It also sounds hallow when you thump it when it is done.

  Then just try to let it cool before cutting. It never does at my house. 

I started with a recipe that from gold medal flour's website and went from there!

Kindergarten Perspective on Diversity

Today, I went for my weekly volunteer time in Rylee’s kindergarten classroom. I go during their literacy center time. The class is broken up into different stations such as reading, writing, listening, games, etc. Today, I worked with children in the writing center. Each time I go, I learn something and gain a new perspective. Today, I got to work with two children from Saudi Arabia, one who just started this week, and another child whom I had worked with before. This sweet new face got me thinking about understanding and embracing differences(we had a little communication issue to begin with). Rylee’s class has a lot of diversity. Several ethnic backgrounds are present in her room. This is one of the reasons I like Rylee’s school so much. Rylee has experienced more diversity her first 3 ½ weeks of school than I did k-12. I never knew much about other types of individual as a child, I learned about other places and traveled through the US but the idea of diversity was never introduced to me as being important. I only really knew black and white and honestly, I never did learn much about African American culture. Which is a shame because an amazing African American woman helped to raise me and was one of the most important individuals in my life.  I am not talking history. I am talking culture. It is important to learn about where individuals come from, what they believe, and why. I think as Americans we take that fact that we were all once immigrants for granted. I am not even sure most Americans really even know their own cultural background. I don’t really. We all studied the hardships in our history classes that different ethnic and cultural groups have gone through but have we ever applied to our everyday lives.  It is very important to me that my children grow up knowing that every person has value and purpose. I want them to know diversity is a good thing. If we were all the same, it would be quite boring, right? What is important to understand is people may look different, people may act differently but essentially we are all the same. We all just want to know that we are loved and understood by someone. These children are a great example of understanding and community because all they see when they look at each other is their friend and classmate, a child that is like them.  I think the ability to except and understand others is just as important as any other thing we teach our young. Difference is a good thing and often it is not valued like it should be. If your child does not have this type of exposure on a day to day basis, you can create exposure for them.With the technology we have today no one should limit their cultural exposure to the world or even our own country. 

10 Years of Wedded Bliss, LOL.

Today, Jeremy and I celebrate 10 years of wedded bliss.lol. Anyone who has been married knows it is not all bliss. It is actually quite difficult and making it 10 years without killing each other is definitely something to celebrate or at least take time to recognize as an accomplishment. Looking back we both have changed so much as individuals but have maintained our connection. I think that is one of the biggest struggles of getting married young is the fact that you do not really know who you are until you enter your 30's. I could not have asked for a better friend through it all than Jeremy has been. I am not saying he has always been perfect(despite what my family thinks). He has not always agreed with everything I have done but he has stood beside me through it not saying I told you so too often. Jeremy has been with me through my greatest losses and greatest joys. I think what is most important to acknowledge as I look back, is that the goods days out number the bad days and our happiness has outweighed the sadness. As a result of our time together, we have 2 healthy, beautiful, smart, and happy kids that make our life messy, crazy and wonderful. Our life together, so far has been an adventure and I hope it will continue to be.

The Impact of Dance

Last night, I attended Rylee’s first dance recital. She did a tap dance and sang to the song “Good Ship Lollipop” the Shirley Temple classic. She was absolutely beautiful on stage and did a great performance. She grinned from ear to ear the whole time, and danced her heart out. She just loved being on stage and I was so proud of her. She would not practice at home much so, I did not really know what to expect when she got on stage. Honestly, I have to admit I was really dreading the whole thing. I did not want to sit through all the other dances just to see her on stage for 3 minutes but I was wrong. I actually really enjoyed it. The whole performance was very surreal and it was an all together impacting experience. It was as if you watched these girls grow up on stage before your eyes. The girls ages 3 to 21 moved across the stage from song to song very fluidly. As the music and costumes changed, it was as if that first set of little girls had transformed and grown right before you. This recital gave me a new perspective on how quickly time does go by and how quickly the years of Rylee’s childhood will pass. Before I know it Rylee will be all grown up and dancing on her own through life. My biggest hope at this time is that I find a way to insure Rylee retains that sweet, sparkling, smile of happiness and remains as confident in the rest of her life’s performances as she was on the stage for the first time.

***Lesson I learned from this experience: Sometimes all the money and craziness is worth it to see your child experience 3 minutes of pure happiness.

My first blog mission: Solving the problem of too much stuff.

My first blog mission: Solving the problem of too much stuff.
 I am just so sick of all the stuff. I find myself so distracted by all the things that we have. The maintenance of keeping it picked up and keeping it cleaned. It actually depresses me. It inhibits me from being creative and I  feel it holds me back.  We currently live in a home that is much bigger than we need. We have two rooms we do not even really use except to house mounds of unused toys and crap we don't use. I have been going through all our stuff for the past few months due to an upcoming move. The thing is we have gotten rid of a lot of stuff but there is still so much more. How do you decide what toys stay or go? How do you decide what you love and what you don't? I am a sentimental girl and I am working on realizing that it is not the items that holds the memory. The memory is in my heart. I have lots of family furniture that I can not really part with(and don't want to) but it is time I get creative and make them functional in my life.
My family consist of 2 adults and 2 children. Rylee is 5 and Finn is 18months. Kids have lots of stuff and my 5 year olds get attached to things(Finn doesn't care as long as he has a couple of books and some trains, lol). I have to come up with a way to teach her not to hold on to everything. I also have to find a way to get grandparents to buy functional gifts and stop filling my house with junk.
We move in approximately 1 month and I hope to find ways to condense our stuff and make function of our home. I see this move as an opportunity to get it together.We will be down sizing significantly most likely going from a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 family/living spaces into a 2 bedroom apartment of duplex(their is a slight possibly of a 3 bedroom1 bath home, but slight). We have decided to downsize our living cost and will not be going over the budget we have set. We also are restricted to a specific area so that my daughter can go to kindergarten and the school that best suits her.
So, now I am on the mission to get organized and get rid of the clutter. Let the fun begin.

Blogging Begins

Over the past years, I have tried to blog before but always lost interest. I think mainly because I did not blog about  what was really important to me. I tried to blog about thing that were pertinent in my life at that time but not about what makes me and  the things that drive me. The idea behind this blog is to share the ways in which I aim to raise my children in a healthy plant-based, eco-friendly manner. The solutions that I have come up with to live well on a limited budget and the way I strive to re purpose the old instead of purchasing new. I also want share my creativity in hopes that it may inspire creativity in someone else. This blog will also at time serve as an outlet to share commentary on life as a full time mom and serve as a reference for my children in the future to know what our life was like and how I tried my hardest to raise the "wright".