A little something for the pup

My name is Erin, and I make homemade baked goods for dogs. Is that strange? I personally don't think so. The dogs in this family are just that: family. And they work hard for their meals, right? Right? Well, regardless, we value their health and homemade dog treats seemed like a perfect cooking activity for the girls and they were a nice gift for some dog-spoiling friends.

Homemade Dog Treats
courtesy of hungrygirlporvida

• 3/4 C organic rolled oats
• 2 C organic whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 C organic white flour (original recipe called for bread flour)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 T organic turbinado sugar (original recipe called for brown sugar)
• 3 T organic flax seeds
• 3 local eggs
• 3/4 C organic peanut butter
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1 C water
• Mix dry ingredients
• Mix wet ingredients
• Combine all; roll out adding extra flour to prevent sticking; cut with cookie cutters
• Bake at 350° for 25 minutes

SWEET ALERT: Chocolate Mousse

Whole grains, fresh fruits, green veggies... all wonderful... all delicious... all important. But who doesn't need a little bit of chocolate mousse in their diet??? Sometimes I see a recipe and I just have to make it. Sometimes it doesn't matter if it has real sugar. Sometimes the main ingredient is chocolate. That's the beauty of a well-balanced, healthy diet: sometimes is perfectly acceptable.

I saw this blog post on Eat, Live, Run for a two ingredient chocolate mousse - it was a guest post by Blue Eyed Bakers. It caught my eye and after dinner last night, it just seemed like a decadent (yet simple) dessert was needed. The original recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate, which would make it dairy-free. I had picked up some semi-sweet a few weeks ago, with this recipe in mind, and I'm guessing that the difference in chocolate affected the thickening process - I needed to chill mine in the freezer a bit as it didn't quite solidify and fluff-up like the original post describes. I went light on the additional sugar and the result was an intensely chocolate flavor, which I prefer. And the girls? They enjoyed it plain. They found chocolate covered sunflower seeds to be a perfect pairing. And they surely think this might be one of my best "dip-dips" yet (for pretzel sticks or strawberries).

Chocolate Mousse
courtesy of Blue Eyed Bakers

• 4 oz fair trade semi-sweet baking bar
• 4 oz Ghiradelli semi-sweet baking bar
• 1 oz unsweetened baking square
• 2 T organic pure cane sugar
• 1 C water
• Combine all ingredients on stovetop over medium; heat until melted and incorporated
• Pour into bowl that is sitting inside a large bowl filled with ice water
• Whisk away (5-8 minutes)
• Move mousse to freezer for 15-20 minutes, until thickened
• Store in fridge

Latest food conquered: Asparagus

In a previous post, I shared our broccoli success... and this week asparagus simply reinforced my beliefs about eating habits/preferences in children. When it's in-season, John and I eat a lot of asparagus. Grilled, sauteed, drizzled with balsamic vinegar, tossed into pasta - it makes regular appearances. Abby and Elise have been present for those appearances time and time again and, without pressure, have been required to take at least one bite. Before this week, the bite was had and, when asked if they'd like another, "no thank you" was quickly answered. 

At dinner on Monday night, they both cleaned their plates - I made a simple chicken and asparagus stir-fry and served it over brown rice. Each green piece disappeared and asparagus-filled bellies were excused from the table. 

My belief: "picky eaters" are not born; they are created. Children have taste preferences and favorite foods. But is a child's refusal to eat certain foods a true expression of dislike? Or is it a powerful tool allows them, at their next meal, to avoid encountering that dreaded asparagus again?

Chicken and Asparagus with Brown Rice

• Local, free range chicken breasts
• Organic asparagus
• Organic garlic
• Organic short-grain brown rice
• Balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• Cook brown rice: 1 C. uncooked rice, 2 C water, 1 T organic unsalted butter; boil water/butter; add rice; simmer until done (approx. 30 minutes)
• Slice chicken into 1-2 inch pieces; cook over medium heat until almost done
• Salt and pepper the chicken
• Add asparagus, chopped into 1-inch pieces, and drizzle with olive oil
• Saute for a few minutes; add 2-3 pressed garlic cloves
• Drizzle with balsamic vinegar
• Serve over brown rice

It's too bad that there isn't any love between them...

Wordless Wednesday: Ride... then eat!

Vacation Preview

We just returned from a family vacation to Minnesota, a place that is near and dear to me, my brother, and my parents. After 19 hours in the car (round trip) and six days of fish-catching, loon-watching, leach-removing, rock-collecting, song-singing, dock-jumping, boat-driving, uncle-following, pancake-eating, beer-drinking, lake-bathing, and fish-frying fun, I can pretty much assume that Little Pine Lake now holds a special place in the heart of my husband and children. There will be more to come on this topic...

Sum-Sum-Summertime!

Is there anything that screams "summer! summer! summer!" more clearly than pool-time and popsicles? Now, I'll put this out there for the whole world to know about me: public pools just are not my thing. In fact, my children have never been to a public pool. I know, I know - some of you are rolling your eyes (uncle zach, i'm talking to you!) but I just don't feel at peace in a sea of other people. Regardless, we've been fortunate enough to have super generous friends share their pool with us and, between afternoons in their backyard and private swimming lessons this past week, my poor, deprived darlings have been able to swim! Elise was asking just this morning: "When do I get to go to swimming lessons? I want to do that again!".

We had a great day yesterday - first swimming lessons and then a pool/lunch date with Sydney and Madilynn. Let me take a minute to rant and rave about their swimming lessons... we signed them up with a woman who teaches lessons in her backyard (obviously a bonus for pool-phobes like myself). She was fantastic! Her entire focus is water-safety: teaching the girls how to flip to their backs and free their faces for a breath and working with them on putting their hands up while underwater to find and grab the edge of the pool. Abby took to lessons instantly and the smile that you can see on her face in the pictures never went away! Elise's cautious-side kicked in and, while she has been the fish all summer, she had some reservations about lessons. By the end of the week, her comfort level returned and, as I mentioned previously, she's eagerly awaiting her next session. Thank you, Ms Claudine! Our first swimming-lesson experience was nothing but great and I am so proud of Abby and Elise!

For their birthday, the girls received a Zoku Popsicle Maker from their Great Grandma. This is not a paid promotion by any means, but it is AWESOME! I've been working extra hard hard to reduce/eliminate our use of sugar. In my defense, we are healthy eaters. But I do love to bake. I'm trying to expand my use of natural sugar-substitutes and our first popsicles were a perfect, sugar-free and refreshing summer snack.

Cherry Yogurt Popsicles

• 1/2 C organic plain yogurt
• 1/2 C organic whole milk
• 2 T local honey
• Fresh organic pitted cherries (not sure how many... maybe 1 1/2 C after removing pits)
• Put all in blender
• Follow Zoku popsicle maker instructions

Wordless Wednesday: Party Pics!

My Beautiful Birthday Babies

Three. Not one... not two... but THREE YEARS OLD. My beautiful babies are three. I love them for their enthusiasm. I love them for their curiosity. I love them for their intensity. I love them for their independence. I love them for their love of each other. I love them for their bottomless pits when eating. I love them for making our life what it is today. Every picture I see of them, every time I hear them singing a song or reading a book, every facial expression that appears... I love them more.

Abby - Strangers say that you're more outspoken because you were the first-born. I say you just have a lot to say. I love when you roll your eyes up and to the side when telling a story, usually a made-up story about a make-believe little girl named "Kiki". You are the animal-lover, kissing the dogs and kissing the cat until she smacks you. You went from screaming/crying to violently shuttering at the sight of a ladybug... now you're catching everything from bumblebees to lightning bugs. You want to know EVERYTHING and we hear "Momma/Daddy... what'd you said?" anytime you might have missed a detail that you feel could be important. You love to be held and you are always the first one up in the morning, quietly climbing into our bed for a few snuggles. When asked why you got up in the middle of the night, you said "Because I wanted to snuggle with you, Momma". You still have the same, deep belly laugh that first appeared when you were a tiny baby - I secretly hope it never goes away. Every time you tilt your head to the side to say "May I buckle my baby into my carseat when we get out?" or "Momma, may I help you?" makes me want to squeeze you and kiss you. I love you.

Elise - Your first signs were "milk", "more", and "shoes". The most upset we see you is typically over an article of clothing that is either dirty or that I've deemed "not cute enough for wherever we are going", but that you say is your favorite. You have opinions about your pants, your shorts, your shirts, your skirts, your dresses, your pajamas, your shoes. I don't think you've ever argued with me about your underwear... yet. I absolutely love how passionate you are about fashion and I love that you truly were born this way - it is 100% you and it's amazing. You fell down this week and, when telling a friend how you had injured your knee, the story started with the most important details, according to you: "Well, you see, I was wearing this very cute, red, long skirt... and I fell". You remember everyone's name - that girl you saw one time at the park 2 months ago? Yup, you remembered her name was Lucille. And most likely she now goes to your imaginary school that you talk about daily. You are our fish - jumping off the side of the pool, doing the "lala dance" down the inflatable slide, and squealing with delight with each breath. Every time I hear you read the book All Around the Mulberry Bush, which sounds something like "all around the bul-merry mush", I want to squeeze you and kiss you. I love you. 

Happy Birthday, Abby Rose and Elise Autumn! 

We love you!

The X-factor

One of the more frequently asked questions that I get is "why do you eat organic?". I've been asked on many occasions about our organic eating habits... or about our refusal to spray our house for bugs/pests, or the yard for weeds... or about my stubborn dedication to exclusively breastfeed preemies... Check out these links:

• Environment plays larger role in autism, study says
• Antidepressant use in pregnancy may raise autism risk

As these articles discuss, and which I believe, the presence autism is probably a combination of factors. I think there is probably a genetic predisposition which, speaking about my own children, I would have no way of knowing whether they had an "autism gene" or not. That is out of my control. But if that factor is an unknown, why in the world wouldn't I take every precaution possible to rule out the influence that might be the x-factor? Why wouldn't I breastfeed to ensure optimal nutrition for their developing bodies? Why wouldn't I eliminate any and all toxins from my system in order to be providing pure and natural milk? Why wouldn't I create a home environment free of garbage that I know does my family zero good? If it kills weeds, if it kills bugs, if it kills ANYTHING... there is no way it could be beneficial to us. 

With regard to the article above and antidepressants... the birth of Abby and Elise was NOTHING like what I'd imagined. Becoming a mom for me was scary and sad and defeating and exhausting and SO DAMN HARD... who wouldn't have been depressed? And I went as far as to call my doctor one day, when I thought I just couldn't keep doing it, and she gave me antidepressants. It was obvious to everyone around me that postpartum depression had taken up residence in my system. I picked up the pills and I took them home. And I stared at them. I read the "warnings". I plugged in google searches for "antidepressants and breastfeeding". I knew those pills could possibly pose some kind of risk - no matter how big or small - but it was an x-factor that I could control. It felt so wrong to even consider taking a drug that I would knowingly pass to my girls... so I didn't. 

And that's why we eat organic and use baking soda and vinegar to clean and keep shoes handy for spider-squashing. Because we can. Doesn't it just make sense? 

Pulled pork... crockpot-style!

So, it's summer. Triple digits. Steamy hot sidewalks. Swimsuits and cold beers. We recently signed up with the local electric company's Wattsaver Program. Basically we received a free, digital/programmable new thermostat in exchange for agreeing to allow the electric company to "cycle [our] central air conditioners or heat pumps in a coordinated effort to reduce energy demand." Wow. What a concept!?! Working together in an attempt to increase energy efficiency??? We recycle, our main vehicle gets good gas mileage and doesn't require 1 1/2 lanes in order to drive down the road, we let our grass stay relatively long to provide it's roots with some shade instead of watering... and watering... and watering... and the Wattsaver Program seemed like one more thing we could do. John really made this one happen and he's also been the driving force behind our energy audit that we're having done next month - we'll have a 3-4 hour audit done throughout our house to determine what improvements can be done to increase the efficiency of our home. I like. I like.

The heat plays a role in my day-to-day doings as well. I always do one load of laundry per day. It makes sense to me - one load in the wash, one load out of the dryer and put away. Quick, simple, and it means there is never a pile of laundry to be washed or folded. With the higher temps, I load the washing machine first thing in the morning so it's done before the sun is high. And the dryer runs after the sun goes down, so as to not add any extra heat to the house or to have an additional appliance running while the a/c is working away. I also use the oven a lot less. Which means that when we're having friends for dinner, many of my main dishes aren't an option...

Solution: Crockpot Pulled Pork. We had this last night (and leftovers tonight) and it was a hit, with both the adults and the kids! And the heat from the crockpot was minimal compared to what stovetop or oven cooking would have done on a 103° day.

Crockpot Pulled Pork
idea courtesy of my momma

• Pork (well... duh???): pork butt, pork roast... whatever you can get your hands on
• Green salsa 
• 1 large organic tomato
• 2 organic garlic cloves (and ours were homegrown!)
• Turn crockpot to high
• Place pork into crockpot
• Add chopped tomato, finely chopped garlic, 1 C salsa
• I diluted the salsa a bit with organic chicken broth just to make sure it wasn't too spicy for the little ones
• Put lid on and keep on high for 30 minutes, or so
• Turn down to low and leave to cook for 6-8 hours
• Because of the added broth, I strained the pork after 7 hours and returned the meat to the crockpot for another hour. 
• Sandwiches: whole wheat slider buns, pork, fresh cabbage and carrot slaw, organic bread and butter pickles, BBQ sauce

Fresh Cabbage and Carrot slaw

• 1/2 organic cabbage
• 2 organic carrots
• 1 organic lime
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• Finely chop cabbage
• Shred carrots
• Juice 1/2 lime
• Mix all with vinegar; refrigerate until go-time!