Naan, anyone???

Tonight's dinner was good. No, it was great. It was fresh. It was healthy. It was tasty. It was colorful. In fact, I'd like to eat it again tomorrow... for lunch... and dinner. I came across this blog post, Whole Wheat Indian Naan and Tandoori Chicken Wraps, and it just jumped out at me. Now, awhile back, I took a stab at making my own whole wheat tortillas. Total fail. I was a little nervous attempting a similar task today but decided to give it a stab. And guess what? Yum, yum, yummy!

Whole Wheat Naan (similar to pita bread)

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 C warm water
• 2 T organic cane sugar
• 1/4 C organic plain yogurt
• 1 local organic egg
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 1/2 C organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/2 - 2 C organic whole wheat flour
• Combine yeast and water; let rest for 10 minutes
• Add sugar, salt, yogurt, egg; mix
• Add 2 C flour; mix
• Work in remaining flour until dough is knead-able by hands without sticking
• Knead for 5-10 minutes
• Let rest in oil-coated bowl covered with plastic wrap until doubles in side
• Once doubles, punch down and form golf-ball sized dough balls; place on greased cookie sheet; cover with plastic wrap and let rest until doubles in size
• Roll individual dough balls out on floured surface until 1/4 - 1/8 inch thickness; cook on lightly oiled pancake griddle, brush the side that is face down with a bit of melted butter; flip, cook, and enjoy!

The bread turned out great - lightly browned in spots, cooked through, and pliable enough to fold into a taco-pita shape to fill. Here are the fixins:

• Cilantro yogurt sauce from above website
• 1 C organic plain greek yogurt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 C finely chopped fresh organic cilantro
• Salt, pepper
• Chicken
• Local, free range chicken breasts sliced thin and marinated in honey and soy sauce; cooked on stove top with marinade
• Organic local fresh spinach
• Organic avocado
• Organic cucumber
• Organic red and yellow pepper slices
• Organic red onion

Let me tell you - those two little fun-muffins ate every bit of everything listed above. And asked for more! Well, actually they like to ask very politely "Momma/Daddy, may I have somepeen else please?". Isn't the center pic just lovely? That is exactly how it tasted! After dinner was done and the little wild women crashed for the night, I finished up my daily load of laundry. Elise is into changing clothes... again... and again... and again. Here is the breakdown of my load of laundry, which consisted entirely of items from yesterday since I do a load everyday:

• 4 cloth napkins
• 2 pairs of my socks
• 1 of my shirts
• 1 pair of John's pajama pants
• 26 items of Abby and Elise's, 4 of which probably belonged to Abby. See what I'm talking about????

Turkey Meatballs

As I've said before, I'm not a big pasta-eater. So wasn't my hubby surprised when he came home one night last week to find that I'd made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner???!!! Meatballs appear in nearly every "cooking for toddlers" book - they are easy to prepare, provide for unlimited ingredients, and kids are supposed to love them. Meatballs have not been huge hits in our house - the girls took quite some time to acquire a taste for meat and, let's be honest, when the cook isn't crazy about what she's preparing, it's hard to motivate the little mouths. I found these two blog posts: Let Me Feed You a Meatball and Quick and Easy Tender Turkey Meatballs and I was inspired to make meatballs. That's what I love about other bloggers - inspiration to make, do, change, create. 

Turkey Meatballs

• 1 package frozen, antibiotic-free ground turkey (maybe this was about 1 pound?)
• 1/2 small organic onion (finely diced)
• 1 C finely grated organic carrots
• 1/2 C crushed crackers (I didn't have bread crumbs, but would have used them)
• 1/4 C organic milk
• Kosher salt, pepper, basil, oregano
• Organic ketchup
• Soak cracker crumbs in milk for a few minutes
• Mix ground turkey, cracker crumbs, seasonings, onion, carrot, and a hearty squirt of ketchup
• Form balls and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet
• Bake at 375° for 20 minutes, or until browned and done
• Serve over organic whole wheat spaghetti with sauce

Quick and Easy Spaghetti Sauce

• 1 large can organic Muir Glen tomato puree
• Organic onion
• Organic pepper
• Organic garlic (1-2 cloves)
• Oregano, basil, kosher salt, pepper
• Saute onion and pepper; added minced garlic
• Add tomato puree and seasonings
• Simmer for 15-20 minutes

Speaking of turkey... Gran and I took my little turkeys to visit Bubbe for a night over spring break. And let me just say, Abby and Elise, you are great travelers, you are wonderful overnight guests, and you continue to be stellar snugglers (although the three of us are quickly outgrowing a queen sized bed!). The trip made for many stories that often start with "So..." or "Last time...", that may involve a snake or a groundhog, and might include statements such as "COW COUNTRY!" and "Momma, I just saw a caribou". 

GO KU!

Whole grain pancakes (and a plug for consignment sales!)

We are no stranger to pancakes in this house - made with pumpkin or yogurt, topped with berries or syrup. I found this recipe in one of my favorite tiny magazines, Everyday Food, and we mixed up a double batch this morning (remember: extra pancakes or waffles are perfect for freezing instead of a store-bought frozen breakfast option).

Basic Pancakes (adapted from Everyday Food, September 2010)

• 1/2 C organic whole wheat flour
• 1/4 C wheat germ
• 1/4 C local cornmeal
• 2 T organic pure cane sugar
• 2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 C buttermilk
• 2 T organic unsalted butter (or oil)
• 1 organic egg
• I also added a mashed banana this morning since we had an over-ripe one begging to be used
• Combine dry ingredients
• Combine wet ingredients in separate bowl
• Mix all together and cook on a lightly oiled griddle

And my consignment sale plug is this: GO TO THEM! SHOP THEM! BUY YOUR CHILDREN'S CLOTHES THERE! :) I only wish I had discovered these sales when the girls were tiny infants (not that we had the time or energy to go to them at that point in our life) but, especially baby clothes, are in such good shape since they are so quickly outgrown. I have completely outfitted the girls for multiple seasons now in second-hand, good quality, inexpensive clothes. Yesterday, Gran and I shopped and spent $50. We bought 13 different items (which averages $4 a piece) and the majority of our purchases were Gap, Gymboree, and Janie and Jack. As we are now buying a lot of 3T clothes, the selection is less and the clothes have had more wear and tear, but the amount of money that we've saved and the quality of clothes that have been worn is well worth it. Not to mention the cuteness factor - I mean, you've seen the pictures... Here's the link to the sales we've shopped both in Lawrence and in Overland Park: Kid's Closet Connection. And here are yesterday's finds:

Wordless Wednesday: Sisters

Kale, corn, and curls

Happy Spring Break! (well, to me, anyhow!). It is sunny, windy, warm, and the hairs in this house are a-curlin', the most tell-tale sign of warmer weather and returning humidity. Along with the springy locks, this time of year brings a whole new feel to cooking, which often times is a feeling of "Do I have to turn the oven on?" and "Do we have to come inside in order to get dinner ready before bedtime?". Last week I threw together a super simple Chicken and Couscous dish. It was a big hit and took very little time. I served it with kale chips, which the girls devoured (thanks, Liisa, for the kale chips idea!).

Couscous with chicken, green beans, and corn

• 1 Cup Israeli couscous
• 1-2 organic/free range chicken breasts
• Organic chicken broth
• Frozen organic corn
• Fresh organic green beans
• Local honey
• Balsamic vinegar
• Organic olive oil
• Toast couscous in a dry pan until it starts to brown and smells toasty; add 2 1/2 cups chicken broth and simmer, covered, for 10-12 minutes (can add more broth if needed; simmer until couscous is done)
• Slice chicken into strips and marinate in fridge for at least 30 minutes
• Marinate with honey, balsamic vinegar, and a splash of chicken broth
• Cook chicken on stove top with a bit of olive oil; remove from pan when done
• Cut fresh green beans into 1 inch pieces; saute until they start to soften
• Microwave the frozen corn a bit; add to green beans
• Add cooked chicken
• Serve over couscous

Kale Chips

• Wash organic kale, dry, and tear into pieces about the size of chips
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt
• Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes until crisp - be careful as it's easy to burn these little babies

Rock Chalk...

JAYHAWK!

Wordless Wednesday: Ice Cream

Happy Thursday!

Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips

Here's a quick and easy toddler snack: Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips.

• Organic whole wheat tortillas (we used some that are locally made)
• Organic olive oil (butter would work too)
• Cinnamon and sugar
• I gave the girls each a tortilla and a small bowl of olive oil; they used Daddy's grill basting brushes to brush oil all over the tortilla
• Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top
• Bake at 400° until crisp (maybe 10 minutes or so)
• Turn broiler on at end to melt the sugar, giving the chips a lovely sheen (just try to avoid over-broiling as there is a chance this might cause smoke hence setting off the smoke detector)

Time to share a few twin-tales... Now that the girls are back to their very perky ways, the house is once again filled with book-reading (I think Abby reads Mary Wore Her Red Dress at least 16 times before John even gets to the shower each morning) and self-dressing (Elise quickly latched on to some new jammies that I picked up last weekend and, with the exception of laundering each day, she has been wearing either the pants or shirt for the past 48 hours, straight). 

• At approximately 6:32 yesterday morning, this conversation took place:
• Abby: "Momma, I can't find Mary." (referring to the above-named book)
• Elise: "Abby, you already look in library basket?"
• Abby: "Yes, Elise. I already look. Do you know where Mary is?"
• Elise: "Abby. Look in library basket again. Come on, I show you."
• Upon entering the living room, I find that the cat Lucy (who the girls refer to as Chew-Chew) is passed out on the floor. Abby has conveniently placed the clothes pins attached to the bottom of balloons on Lucy's side, so the cat is lying there with debris sitting on top of her. 
• Abby says to me "Momma, is Chew-Chew dead?"
• Elise replies "No, Abby. Chew-Chew is alive."

Ahhhhh... good riddance illness. Welcome back 2-year old entertainment! :) 

Pickle Face and Pizza

"We're gonna make it after all..." (cue Mary Tyler Moore theme song here). I think John woke up singing this song a couple of mornings ago and it has managed to stick in my head since. Need proof that we are indeed going to make it? Here you go:

Elise's "Pickle Face" was necessary in order to assist Daddy in the making of a bloody mary!

Need more proof? Well take this:

Does that look like the face of a child who is feeling better? I THINK SO!

What's that you say? Still not totally, 100% convinced? Well... the Lawrence kitchen is officially up and running again! Yes, friends, I fixed dinner last night! For someone who loves to cook/bake, this shouldn't seem like such a feat, but I haven't fixed a meal in DAYS, maybe even WEEKS!! It's just rather tricky to wash, chop, prepare, saute when there is a very sad face looking at you, pleading with you "Momma, please hold me". 

We had a simple meal of homemade pizza with a side of fresh organic green beans. The pizza dough can be found here. And the remaining ingredients included:

• 1/2 can Muir Glen organic pizza sauce
• 1/2 organic zucchini (quartered then thinly sliced)
• 1/4 organic red onion (diced)
• shredded cheese
• fresh organic green beans - boiled then drizzled with balsamic vinegar

And for dessert? Homemade organic vanilla ice cream topped with organic strawberries and blueberries. Sorry, no picture. By the time I had the camera turned on, all that remained were a couple of grinning toddlers with ice cream mustaches. :)

And another 24...48...72...hours later...

Well, 24 hours after the "Yay! Abby's on the mend and we're doing great" post, Elise spiked a fever. That was Friday. And continued through Saturday. And got worse on Sunday. We made our first ER visit with either of the girls on Sunday evening - Elise was wheezing, struggling to breathe, and still running a fever. ER results: pneumonia.

Then we hit Monday. Elise was worse. Abby's cough was back and she was complaining of ear pain. Let me remind you - the girls have NEVER had an ear infection. Could it be possible that we would have 2 toddlers with pneumonia AND an ear infection?

Hello Tuesday. Doc visit for an ER follow-up and to have Abby's ear checked out. Doc results: both girls still fighting pneumonia and BOTH with ear infections. It was Elise's turn for the killer shots in the thighs to fight the lung infections and what followed included "get a doctor!", "get a crash cart!", and "call the paramedics". To make a long and very scary story short, Elise stopped breathing after the shots basically due to her body freezing from the pain of the shots and the very weak coping skills of her sick system. From this experience, I learned that my coping skills are downright awful in times of trauma.

It is now Friday. The girls are on the up-and-up! I haven't shed a tear in over 24 hours! And some of the sights in our household are once again returning to normal.