Friday, April 30, 2010

ohh emm geeee!



for those of you who know me well you know that chocolate is a real problem for me. i will eat it until i am sick. i will sneak it. i will even eat the shittiest of qualities when in dire straights. at times i truly do feel like i have a serious habit i must kick. i have special, secret and weird ways that i like to eat my chocolate and in most cases i choose a good quality dark, dark, dark chocolate. YUM! here is a little gem i found in one of my mums raw food cookbooks. it is a great alternative, super easy, and.....wait for it....HEALTHY!

all you need is

1 cup of coconut oil
1/2 cup of good quality dark cocoa
1-2 teaspoons of agave nectar
handful of any or all of the following currants, raisins, almonds, hemp seeds, coconut.....or whatever other treat you may want. try fresh mint too!

i use a double boiler and melt the coconut oil then mix in the cocoa, agave nectar and any treats i may want to add. pour your concoction onto a wax paper covered dish (the dish should have sides as the chocolate is runny at first). place it in the fridge for a 5-10 minutes. i cut it into small squares and store it in the fridge.

it's so good you may want to overindulge at first;) i would advise to take it easy as it is a bit rich, but great for that after dinner craving! and don't forget a high quality dark chocolate is good for you!

can't wait!

for may 7, 2010

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

prits







did i mention i love white?

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

late afternoon

this is my favorite time of day. the light is always so nice. georgia and i were playing at the window and i was lucky to be able to capture her curiosity. pure bliss - just us hanging out and chatting;)


there is a god

we got our permit! let the games begin!

Monday, April 26, 2010

home again....kinda

Sofie Hewett by decor8.

we are back from NYC. great trip! georgia was an angel and kept up without a complaint! she was born to travel;)

we continue to wait for our mother*&^%#@! permit. in the meantime.....

Emma Jeffs
IKEA Family LIVE

IKEA Family LIVE

IKEA Family LIVE by decor8.

i love white.


Wednesday, April 21, 2010

rice milk and the big apple

i am so proud of myself! i made rice milk from scratch and it is goooood. we actually drink almond milk, but i use so much brown rice for georgia's cereal that i started thinking, "what else can i do to get the most out of the rice"? So, naturally i made rice milk;) tonight we had some warm rice chai lattes.

here's how you do it.

rinse 1 cup of brown rice
add 2 cups of water
blend thoroughly
strain the water (which is now the milk) using either a very fine strainer or you can buy a nut or rice milk bag.
add a teaspoon of honey while blending, if you want to sweeten it, and you can even add vanilla or cocoa powder to make chocolate!

wondering what to do with the left over rice grits? i make cereal for georgia by cooking it on the stove like oatmeal. for myself and casey i add tons of ground flax seeds, cinnamon and agave nectar to taste.....you can even add fresh berries. so good!

store the milk in a sealed container for up to 4 days and make sure to shake at each use.
enjoy! things taste so much better when they are made from scratch, don't you think?
xo




we are off to NYC for the weekend! we got some special peeps meeting us there too!
see ya in a few days.

Monday, April 19, 2010

the go to

this is my go to muffin recipe. quick, easy and healthy!

2C. mashed bananas ( i use apple sauce too sometimes)
2T. sucanat (optional as i don't often use it)
1 egg
1/3 C. coconut oil (or melted butter)
1tsp. baking soda
1tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1.5 C. brown rice flour (spelt is great too!)

mash the bananas, then add sucanat, egg and oil.
mix in the dry ingredients

*you can add frozen blueberries and if you are making the apple ones you can add diced apple or pear. i just throw in an amount i think looks good;)

oven is at 375 and cokk for about 20min.

we made some this morning! so fast. so good.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

'tis the season...

....to buy local produce. well it could be the next great debate! i found this article titillating (i think that word is gross, but  it works non?).


and i wish this was my backyard and this was me bringing veggies into the house;)

perfect

today we went to the zoo. when we got home i took georgia outside and we did a little painting. i have painted with her before, since she was 3mos, but as she gets older it proves to be more and more fun. it was the perfect end to a perfect day. 





Thursday, April 15, 2010

things i like

nice lawn


a pothole garden!


prits!




our porch please!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

a place to read your books ...




... or read your computer;)
i want this badly for georgie. we would have hours of fun in it....not too sure where it will fit in our new house though.

butter bean tuesday

i made butter beans today....you can view the recipe and info about butter beans here. this website is great. lots of wonderful recipes. my next post will be house related not food related i swear! we are still waiting for a permit.
m

Monday, April 12, 2010

beans for a week


i am learning how to cook beans. well, learning how to cook a larger array of bean dishes. so i have challenged myself to make one bean dish everyday for one week; lunch, dinner or snack. don't matter. as long as i can learn 7 new easy ways to make beans. we watched food inc. awhile back and it is one of the reasons we have decided to eat way less meat. my gag reflex is kicking in thinking of it. you should watch it. i can guarantee that we will eat meat here and there, but if we can choose we would like it to be free range and/or organic. otherwise we are sticking to lots of grains, beans, veggies and fish. so we made a mean ass black bean and sweet potato burrito to kick off the week. the recipe is below. it's a keeper!
black bean and sweet potato burrito
serves 4 to 6 peeps

•5 cups peeled cubed sweet potatoes


•1/2 teaspoon salt


•2 teaspoons olive oil


•2 cups diced onions


•2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed


•1 tablespoon minced fresh green chile


•4 teaspoons ground cumin

•4-1/2 cups cooked black beans (three 15-ounce cans, drained)


•2/3 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves (parsley for those who don't enjoy cilantro)


•2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


•1 teaspoon salt


•whole grain tortillas


•fresh salsa and guacamole

preparation:
place the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with the salt and water to cover. cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
while the sweet potatoes are cooking, warm the oil in a medium skillet or saucepan and add the onions, garlic, and chiles. Cover and cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 7 minutes. add the cumin and coriander and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and set aside.
in a food processor, combine the black beans, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, and cooked sweet potatoes and puree until smooth. (you can also mash the ingredients in a large bowl by hand using a potato masher. the result will be a less smooth but nicely textured filling.) transfer to a large mixing bowl and mix in the cooked onions and spices.

we made the burritos and then put them in a sandwich press for a few minutes. you could wrap them in tinfoil and warm in the ove as well.

Friday, April 9, 2010

les ouefs


we have, in the past, entertained the idea of keeping chickens. it truly was a mere mention of the thought of how wonderful it would be to have fresh eggs daily. fresh, clean eggs steps from our backdoor! who wouldn't want that? i myself have thought more and more about it recently while looking into ways for us to become more self-sustaining and the decision has been made! after reading this post i think i can speak for both casey and i when i say, it is not for us. at least not yet. maybe when we are fifty or if we lived on a farm and all we did all day was harvest and shovel manure and brush the horses out;) i wish i could be more willing, and i give full props to those who do it, but the truth of the matter is i can barely keep it together now. so i am sorry to say i don't think farm fresh eggs, from our very own coup, will be happening in the near future. 
m

Thursday, April 8, 2010

oatmeal cookies

i have never  really been into baking. too much work and too much measuring and accuracy. they say that artistically inclined people are better at cooking meals than baking because it is easier to just through stuff in and voila!  but when georgia came along i started experimenting with recipes that i would gladly feed her (although she is still toothless and unable to indulge in all my homemade decadence, her dad does).  none of us have a real wheat or gluten intolerance but we try to stay away from it.  eating whole foods is sort of our motto and spelt, being an ancient grain or basically a grain that has been around for ever and ever;)  is a better alternative with many more benefits than it's inbred cousins of the wheat family. you can use spelt to basically replace any wheat in a recipe as it's properties are quite similar (i find it just slightly lighter and flakier if you will). People that have sensitivities are generally ok with eating spelt, so it's a great option. i have attached my newest addition to the baking repertoire, oatmeal cookies. you will notice that it calls for coconut oil. just so you know coconut oil is probably one of my favorite foods at the moment. i eat chunks of the oily stuff while cooking and have definitely been looked at in disgust, but it's delish (fin loves it too!) plus it is a pure, whole food with a high smoke point - which means when used to cook it's properties don't break down and we can get its full benefits! it has been used for centuries as an antibacterial agent, helpful both inside and out. i could go on and on about this special little oil. it is so tasty and i even use it as a moisturizer.  anyways, this recipe was handed down by a friend and i have tweaked it slightly. i haven't tried it with brown rice flour yet, but i plan to. i'll keep you posted! 



1 cup rolled oats (or spelt oats) 
3/4 cup spelt flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt

1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp molasses
1/4 cup chopped dried fruit (optional as these cookies are great as is)
OR
1/4 cup of carob chips1/4 finely chopped walnuts (also optional but i recommend it)


preheat oven to 350
combine oats, flour, bp, bs and salt.  in separate bowl combine syrup, oil, vanilla and molasses.
add wet to dry.  stir just to combine and fold in fruit and nuts.

place small tablespoon size dollops of dough onto a greased cookie sheet. bake for 8-10 min.


Wednesday, April 7, 2010

just so you know...

so, i began this blog to keep track of the new home we are building for our family, but then i was thinking, what makes our home, home? i went through what our daily activities are at this point and although slightly repetitive and mundane and despite the fact that we currently are not living in our own space, we have begun to set a precedent for the environment we want georgia to grow up in, and for us to grow together in. i think my thoughts have stemmed from the fact that i am mere weeks away from re-entering the work world and leaving my little baby for the day - albeit a short day, it completely breaks my heart. but i digress, we can chat about this at a later date;) we feel very strongly about providing georgia with great experiences in travel and culture, but most importantly we want to create a space where she can learn from us how to be creative, unique, happy and inspired.  so i have decided this blog will be a place where i can share our home life and hopefully provide inspiration to those around me. It's rainy out so i think g and i may take it to the kitchen to bake - nutritiously and holistically of course! 
xo