It's too bad...

they don't love each other...

Current favorite quotes:

• Elise: After being reminded frequently that we just don't drink out of other people's cups, as I was returning Cohen's cup to his daddy, Elise says "Momma, Coco milk... me drink.". I said "You drank Cohen's milk?" and Elise responded "Yeah! Two times!". Honest little stinker...
• Abby's "ABCs"! She dances around the room, bouncing up and down on her toes, arms alternating up and down, to the tune of (and at the top of her lungs): "A, B, C, G, H, W, X, Y, Z! Now my ACs... Next time, sing me!". If at any point Elise chimes in, Abby declares "NO! Mine!", as she is quite proud of her alphabet performance.
• "Duh, doo" is finally transforming into "Thank you". Whew! It's about time!
• "Bless you" - both A and E say "bless you" when someone sneezes.
• And finally, shopping. The girls make multiple pretend trips each day to either The Merc or HyVee, pushing their strollers down the hall to buy "sugar", "blueberry scone", "peach scone", or today it was "new soap".

When asked what they wanted for breakfast this morning, both replied "PANCAKES!". No, I'm not considering changing the name of the blog to "pancakes", but I did kind of miss our daily request for "bananas and blueberries".

Black bean, spinach, and sweet potato enchiladas (#17)

I love sweet potatoes. Beans are a staple. Spinach kept Popeye strong. All together now: Black bean, spinach, and sweet potato enchiladas!

This was an insanely quick meal to put together - I made brown rice ahead of time so there wasn't the "Shoot! I've waited too long to start dinner, brown rice takes 40 minutes, what will eat on the side" debacle. And, as I typed that, I was reminded yet again why, whenever the girls drop something, they say "Oh shoot! Bummer!". Here you have it:

• Saute finely chopped onion in olive oil; add small chunks of sweet potato; cover until sweet potatoes are tender
• Add 1 can rinsed black beans
• Add 2 cups chopped fresh spinach; cover until spinach starts to wilt
• Season filling with salt, pepper, fresh herbs, salsa
• Sauce: Store-bought mild green enchilada sauce (make sure it's a brand with no MSG - they sneak that into some enchilada sauces)
• Pour 1/3 can sauce straight into bottom of dish (I used a casserole dish with a lid)
• Combine remaining sauce with 1/2 cup (or so) plain Greek yogurt
• Fill whole wheat tortillas with a scoop of black bean filling and a couple spoonfuls of sauce/yogurt mixture
• Pour remaining sauce/yogurt mixture over top of all assembled enchiladas
• Cover and back at 375 degrees for 20 minutes

Serve with brown rice and a fresh tomato and avocado salad!

Zucchini Bread (#16)

I love having friends come visit. Especially friends who you have known for quite some time, who you can talk easily with, and who brings along her daughter, a sweet, charming playmate and role model for my little ladies. Company also means an excuse to bake (as if I needed one, these days!). I've been eyeing this recipe and used it as my inspiration.

I've decided that I want to learn how to bake. Really bake, not just follow a recipe. I want to create recipes, but I'm still working on the whole "wet ingredients to dry ingredients" ratio and the "more baking soda or more baking powder" dilemma. I figure the only way to learn, is to do. So this is what I did, using Gran's zucchini bread recipe as a starting point:

• Grease and flour loaf pan; preheat oven to 325 degrees
• 2 organic eggs
• 1/4 C. oil
• 1/4 C. organic applesauce
• 1/4 C. organic cane sugar
• 2 T. local honey
• 2 T. organic agave
• 1 C. grated organic zucchini
• 1 C. organic crushed pineapple (drained)
• 1 tsp. organic vanilla
• 1 C. organic whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C. organic white flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• Bake for approx. 45 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean

I'm happy with the result - it was quite moist and chewy at first, maybe a little too much so, but after sitting for a couple of hours and cooling completely, it firmed up a bit and was a super morning snack for us and our guests as well as the requested lunch-dessert by the girls: "Momma, more 'cchini bread, peas-uh?".

(I've also been playing with camera settings - pretty happy with the above pic!)

Tofutti and Waffles (not together... #14 & #15)

Last night, I made Tofutti cookies. Really? The recipe called for cream cheese and butter, which I subbed with Tofutti and shortening in order to create a dairy-free treat for some co-workers. Here's the recipe. I used organic whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat white flour and eliminated the dairy, as noted above. The recipe says to bake for 12 minutes - mine were border-line charred on the bottom after 9 minutes, maybe from the substitutions I made? Tofutti is surprisingly handy - taste and consistency were perfectly acceptable in this recipe. Overall, good combination of health, tastiness, and ease.

This morning, blueberry waffles were

needed. I found this recipe and, once again, used all organic whole wheat flour. Abby and Elise were quite pleased with their breakfast and I am quite pleased with the energy and spunk that such a filling and nutritious meal provided them. Shortly after we ate, as I was putting on a necklace, Elise exclaimed "Momma, pretty!" to which her sister added

"CUUUUUUTE!". Talk about positive feedback!!! I will definitely be whipping up blueberry waffles again as well as adding that particular accessory to outfits in the future. Thank you, my little fashionistas!

Snack idea: apple sandwiches

As some of you read this, you might be thinking "that's not a recipe!" or "what's so creative about that?". And you're right - a lot of the things I love are simple. fast. easy. Like this:

Finely slice an apple. Use a cookie cutter for a fun shape, if desired. Mix the following to spread between the apple slices:

- 2 T. peanut butter

- 1 T. honey

- 2 T. finely shredded carrots

- 1 T. ground flax seed

Can you beat it? Fresh fruit, omega 3s, protein, veggies, and some local bee pollen to help combat allergies! Apple sandwiches get 4 thumbs up in our house!!!!

Sunday Dinner (Recipe #13)

Sunday dinner at home is somewhat foreign to us. We have a long-standing tradition of Sunday dinners at my parent's house, something that I look forward to weekly. It frees me from cooking that night yet we can still count on a fabulous, home-cooked meal (not to mention some pretty decent company :). In a world where far too many people dread Sunday because of its neighbor Monday, I like to think that our Sunday celebrations are a way to always make sure the week starts off on the right foot!

Tonight, however, we dined at home (I mean, since we had brunch at the parentals with my Grandma, I couldn't really expect dinner, too). Our menu tonight included:

• Grilled tuna steaks
• Strawberry, cherry tomato and feta Israeli couscous
• Corn on the cob
• Broccoli with dill-yogurt dip

Everything was super simple - the tuna steaks were lightly seasoned (by John) with a sesame seed crust (by the Merc). The couscous was cooked, tossed with feta, sliced strawberries, halved cherry tomatoes and a bit of dressing:

• 1 1/2 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1 T. POM juice
• 2 T. olive oil
• salt/pepper
• Served on a bed of fresh spinach

Abby and Elise DEVOURED their dinner. We're thinking they might be going through a bit of a growth spurt, and what better time than when hunger strikes to pack them full of good stuff? It's funny - they often request their vitamins, so John had this lovely conversation with them about how their food has vitamins in it, too! Now, when eating, they'll often say "Momma, vitamin!" and point to their plate. I love that they are already learning the importance of eating well...

Check out the great grill marks on the tuna above and the sisterly love below! If Sunday dinner tonight is any preview of what the week has in store, I say "Bring it on!"...

Recipe #12: Egg roll pizzas

First try tonight with egg roll pizzas - basically a healthier, homemade version of a pizza roll. Tonight's experiment: sauce was a bit too runny, filling needs to be thicker/chunkier, less cheese. But, great idea, good start, and endless possibilities!

The sauce:

• Muir Glen crushed tomatoes
• Chopped onion
• Shredded carrot
• Fresh baby spinach
• Fresh herbs
• Garlic powder
• Pepper
• Saute veggies, add tomatoes, herbs, seasoning
• Add spinach; cover and let spinach wilt
• Toss in blender for a minute'
• Return to pan to simmer

The rolls:

• Stuff egg roll wrappers with filling (sauce, fresh mozzarella chunks)
• Roll and seal with egg wash
• Brush lightly with olive oil (both top and bottom)
• Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes; flip rolls over and bake 8-10 minutes more
• I turned on the broiler for a minute or two at the end to brown the tops of the rolls
  
  

The girls (and parents) stuffed their bellies and after they crashed for the night, I did some crashing of my own in the kitchen:

Some of the oats did manage to find their way into the big yellow bowl, which in the morning will be the following muffins, made ahead tonight:

Flax seed muffins (recipe idea from here, but my muffin mix is below!)

• 1 1/4 C. whole wheat flour
• 1/4 C. wheat germ
• 1/4 C. ground flax seed
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 C. sugar
• 1/8 C. honey
• 1/8 C. agave
• 1/4 C. applesauce
• 1 T. oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 C. oats
• 1 C. milk
• 1/2 C. chopped nuts/dried fruit
• 2 T. orange juice

When the girls are asleep, I still have

a trusty cooking companion! ---->

Just because...

... they're so stinkin' cute!

Personally, I think the girls are in the middle of a cuter-than-ever, sweeter-than-I-could-imagine, and can't-get-enough-of-them phase. Maybe it's the freedom and independence that the loss of diapers have given them, maybe it's the incredible language they are using ("lazy", "lounge", "tangled", "quick", "wrong foot"), or maybe it's just because they are happy, healthy gals. Regardless, I had the whole day to myself today to paint the bathroom (with help from Gran, of course) and I seriously missed the two of them! Even with their tiny tushies in underwear instead of giant cloth cushions, they are still the most squeezable things around!

POM and Nutella (Recipe #11)

I am a self-proclaimed recipe junkie. I LOVE to jump from one site to the next and blog to blog reading about what people are cooking, baking, and eating. And then I take great pleasure in re-creating said recipes in our kitchen.

Tonight, POM juice met chicken, rice, and spinach for the first time in our house. Here's the recipe:

http://greenlitebites.com/2010/05/20/pom-chicken-brown-rice-spinach/

My only changes were excluding tarragon (we didn't have any) and adding a dash of dried oregano and basil instead. This was quick, easy, and yum-yum-yummy. Abby dined with Daddy while Elise snuggled with me, missing out on the POM chicken due to an upset tummy. I know she'll enjoy it next time, as there will indeed be a next time for this recipe.

After the girls went to bed, out came the mixing bowls.

We are no strangers to nutella, so when I found this, I immediately added the chocolate hazelnut spread to my grocery list.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chocolate_nutella_cookies/

Changes to the recipe included: part whole wheat flour and part whole wheat pastry flour instead of white, pecans instead of hazelnuts, and I used dark chocolate chips. I cut the recipe in half and it made about 2 dozen SCRUMPTIOUS treats! I told John that I was making cookies with a secret ingredient and he steered clear of the kitchen while I was creating. He then went on to identify the secret ingredient (nutella, of course) on his first (or maybe second) bite. His refined palate wins again! (I will add here that one last modification to the recipe was a wee bit extra nutella - seemed like a no-brainer to me).

Now, in a chocolate-hazelnut-butter laden cookie, one might wonder if the use of whole wheat flour really makes any kind of a health difference. My answer: not really. That's not why I sub in a situation like this. Personally, I prefer the heavier, grainier consistency of whole wheat.

Evening cooking verdict: POM chicken and Nutella cookies will again be invited to dine with us.

Squashy Success!

Mmmmm.... mmmmm..... good! Topped with some Oikos blueberry yogurt... Happy, healthy start to our Wednesday! I will most definitely be pre-mixing muffins in the evening again!

Butternut Squash Muffins (Recipe #10)

At 9:05 tonight, I decided that I needed to mix up muffins. It's been busy here - spent all weekend in the bathroom with a wallpaper steamer (bathroom project moves to the next level), work started back up on Monday (missing those 20 hours that I no longer get with the girls already), and when the outside temperature requires 3 digits, cooking/baking loses a bit of appeal. Additionally, I often spend a part of my evening time in the laundry room getting diapers washed. That nightly routine truly has not bothered me one bit over the past 2 years. But I certainly don't miss it! That's right, folks - ZERO diapers to be washed in this house tonight! Regardless, muffins it was.

I'm attempting a mix-the-night-before but bake-in-the-morning approach to these muffins. In theory, it's perfect! Even on work days, I could fill everyone's bellies with healthy, warm muffins for breakfast - I mean, it takes but mere minutes to pop them into the oven! Here's what I have resting in the fridge:

Butternut Squash Muffins

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 C. oil
• 1/4 C. applesauce
• 1 mashed banana
• 1/4 C. cane sugar
• 1/4 C. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 T. agave nectar
• 2 C. grated butternut squash
• 1/2 C. wheat germ
• 1 C. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

I'll bake these tomorrow at 325 degrees until they're done... 15-20 minutes, or so.

As a side note, I thought I'd add that, while I don't typically clarify in a recipe, the majority of the ingredients are organic. For example, this muffin mix has the following organics: eggs, applesauce, banana, squash, flour, wheat germ, sugar, vanilla, agave nectar. And the baking powder is aluminum-free. As with so many things, it just seems to make sense that if we can leave all of the pesticides, additives, chemicals out of our bodies, why wouldn't I?

So... check back tomorrow for the conclusion of this post. I'm hoping for scrumptious, fresh squash muffins for breakfast. Why butternut squash, you might ask? They looked great and they're loaded with Vitamin A. And, as you can see, the girls are getting plenty of Vitamin D, so I'd better balance them out with some A!

Brinner! (Recipe #9: French toast and Smoothies)

What do you get when you dine on breakfast for dinner? BRINNER! And brinner, a term coined by my hubby, is such a killer fall-back meal. Our house is currently under construction (new master bathroom necessary in order to prevent shower from falling into basement) while at the same time in the throes of potty training. Luckily, both battles are being won! The new shower looks great and the new tile floor is awesome - after the sink goes in and the paint goes up... voila! Bathroom beautified. And potty training - I never imagined I'd get such a rush from the girls becoming independent in the bathroom. In the words of their NICU doctor, they continue to be "rockstars". I just started my load of diapers for the night (cloth) and my two-day diaper count is a mere 6 diapers... for 2 little ones. Yes.. sweet, sweet, success.

This brings me full circle back to brinner. I have not been cooking. I've spent a lot of time in the bathroom, waiting for the delicate sound of tinkle in the toilet... I've been busy doing "dry, dry, dry

dances", celebrating the dry undies between potty breaks... and we've been on-the-go, picking out tiles and paint and snoozing at Gran and Grandpa's in order to nap without drills and saws across the hall. Tonight we feasted on French toast, chicken sausage, and smoothies. Brinner, you tasted so good!

French toast:

Bread (we used fresh Great Harvest Nine Grain)
Eggs
Milk
Vanilla
Cinnamon
Freshly grated nutmeg

Smoothie:

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 container plain Oikos yogurt

Handful of frozen cherries

Handful of frozen blackberries

Tablespoon, or so, honey

Orange juice (as needed to blend smoothly)

Recipe #8: Oikos Yogurt Pancakes

My quest to find recipes is never-ending. It goes on... and on... and on.... (hint-hint! Please pass recipes my way that you find delish and nutrish). I love to make breakfast and the girls love to eat breakfast. Perfect. Yesterday morning, I tested out a pancake recipe from Carrots 'N' Cake. It goes something like this:

Ingredients (with my modifications in red,

as usual):

• 1 cup Old Fashion oats
• 6 oz. Oikos honey yogurt I used plain Oikos and added 1 1/2 T. honey
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup whole wheat flour instead
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Blueberries

The result was good - definitely a keeper, with the fresh blueberries sealing the deal! John is actually the pancake master in this house, but someone has to keep the troops fed during the week, right???

Fructose = BAD!

Check out this link kindly provided by my fellow mom-of-twins, Kelly:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idAFN0210830520100802

I am constantly amazed by the overwhelming presence of high fructose corn syrup on ingredient labels. In bread? In fruit juices? Added to cereals? Get out of town! I am quite proud to state that we currently have NOTHING in our kitchen that contains high fructose corn syrup. John buys delicious Hansen's soda when in need of a fizzy fix - both sweetened with... wait... could it be... REAL SUGAR! Splenda/Aspartame are my other absolute NOs in our kitchen - and you really have to read labels carefully to catch these sour-tasting additives with that not-so-pleasant aftertaste. In the words of my wise-beyond-her-years Abby: "GROSS!".

Guest post: Erika's Banana Pecan Scones

Ingredients:

1-3/4C. AP flour

1/4C. whole wheat flour

3T. brown sugar or Demerara* or Turbinado*

1T. baking soda

1/2t. kosher salt

9T. cold unsalted butter cut into pats (easier to blend in the food processor)

1t. ground cinnamon

1/4t. ground nutmeg

2/3C. chopped pecans

3/4C. mashed ripe/overripe banana

1/4C. greek yogurt (I like Fage 0%)

Demerara* or Turbinado* sugar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 F.

• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

• In a food processor, pulse flours, sugar, baking power, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and butter till the mixture looks like rough sand. Pour into a large mixing bowl.

• With a fork, blend flour mixutre with pecans till evenly distributed. Add yogurt and banana puree, blend well with a fork until most of the flour is combined. Pour dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently til smooth or 3 turns. DO NOT-over knead, the scones will be tough and the warmth of your hands will melt the butter!!

• Form into a 9" circle that is about 3/4" high. With a bench scraper or knife cut the circle into 8 wedges and place on the parchment paper 2" apart. Sprinkle Demerara sugar on tops. Bake in middle of oven for 20-25 minutes til slightly brown. Let cool on rack for 10 minutes. Eat warm or at room temp with a cold glass of moo juice! Good for breakfast or a snack.

*Natural brown sugar is brown sugar made by partially refining sugar cane extract, whereas most brown sugar is made by addingmolasses to fully refined sugar.

Golden coloured natural brown sugar is produced by extracting the juice from sugar cane, heating it to evaporate water and crystallise the sugar, then spinning in a centrifuge to remove some impurities and further dry the sugar. It is commonly used in baking and to sweeten beverages such as coffee and tea.

In the US, a similar sugar is commonly called turbinado sugar, after the centrifuges or turbines in which it is spun. In the United States, most turbinado sugar is produced in Hawaii and is often sold as an organic product. The popular Hawaiian product sold in the U.S. is produced on Maui and marketed under the name brand "Sugar in the Raw". There are slight differences in taste between turbinado and demerara sugar.

These types of natural brown sugar are typically paler and drier than what is normally sold as brown sugar, and have larger crystals. In general, they can be freely exchanged with brown sugar in recipes, although it may affect the flavor of a recipe calling for a lot of brown sugar, such as a blondie, and the moisture content will be slightly lower.

**Thanks, Erika! Scones are well-known in our house - our local health food store, The Merc, is Abby and Elise's favorite shopping spot. They recently each received $2.00 from their Great Grammy for their 2nd birthday and, when asked "What do you want to go buy?", Elise eagerly replied "the Merc... SCONE!", so I'd better be a good Momma and get baking! We always have turbinado and cane sugar in our kitchen - I prefer the taste and I think cane sugar is sweeter so I can often use a bit less when baking. -Erin**