Peanut... peanut butter! (no jelly)

The local coffee shop, Z's Divine, has great peanut butter bars. They are dense and packed with peanut butter. And it's no secret that PB is a staple in our diets. Again, kind of like eggs get a bad rap because of the cholesterol issue, nuts get a bad rap sometimes because of the fat issue. And, like cholesterol, there is good and bad. In my opinion, peanut butter = good.

Back to the PB bars, I'd love to have a go-to recipe that might come close to the taste and consistency of the ones from the coffee shop. I found this recipe and decided to give it a whirl. Snacks are a biggie for us - I am constantly searching for new recipes and/or creations that are not-processed, easy to make from scratch, and will give the girls that little "something" between meals that will tide them over without requiring the consumption of large quantities. We're definitely talking quality here, not quantity. I'd much rather feed them a nice, little peanut butter bar than a bowlful of goldfish crackers (which we've never purchased) that will leave them thirsty from the salt and hungry in 27 minutes. Back to the recipe...

Peanut Butter Bars

• 1/2 C organic whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C ground flaxseed
• 1 C organic oats
• 1 tsp baking soda (I felt like I could taste the baking soda, so I think I'll reduce to 1/2 tsp next time)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 C organic brown sugar
• 3/4 C organic peanut butter (no salt added)
• 1 T organic vanilla extract
• 1/2 C organic 2% milk
• 1/3 C mini chocolate chips
• 350° oven
• Combine PB and sugar (I mixed it by hand); add vanilla
• Add flour, flaxseed, oats, baking soda, salt
• Mix in milk; add chocolate chips last
• Squish into an 8x8 pan (I buttered the pan)
• Bake 15-18 minutes

This really is a nice recipe - and in terms of ingredients, it has no eggs and no butter. I might experiment with replacing the sugar with honey and/or sorghum (shocker!) but would I blog about something that I didn't find worth sharing???

Or, if you're feeling a little peanut butter crazy... this was one of last week's post-nap snacks. The girls found them hilarious and named them "crazy man", as in "Momma, you make this crazy man for me to eat again?". Yes, part-Yoda, part-cavechild. Momma make this for you again, I will.

Caterpillars!!!

If you came here looking for a recipe, I disappoint yet again. If you came here looking for caterpillars... you got 'em!

Honestly, I don't know who is more excited: Abby, Elise, or me. Last year we had swallowtail butterflies take over our dill and parsley, leaving us with beautiful caterpillars. We didn't catch any last year, so we missed out on the caterpillar-chrysalis-butterfly transformation. This year, we packed the small planting area around the light post in front with butterfly plants: tropical milkweed and lantana. I have been keeping those blooming beauties alive all summer and the monarch butterflies found us! We have at least a dozen caterpillars out there and the girls picked 3 to bring inside. We set up a nice little box with freshly cut milkweed and some sticks and, as I type, the first of the three is hanging beautifully preparing to move into the chrysalis stage.

I highly encourage those of you in this area to plant a little butterfly garden next year. The cost is extremely low - we put in 6 milkweed plants and 6 lantana. The monarchs love the lantana, so that draws them in, and then the milkweed is essential for the caterpillars. Abby and Elise hold the caterpillars, they talk to them, and they are so excited to see the "beautiful butterfly". Nature is amazing. And these simple little projects teach our children about nature... and life cycles... and care for living things... and curiosity... and they provide endless conversations that bring up new questions and new ideas. Isn't it wonderful?

For those of you that live near us, KU has a fabulous Monarch Watch program. Check out this link for information about their open house, which is a great opportunity to see butterflies in action! In the past, they have often had caterpillars and/or chrysalis to send home with kids.

And I just checked the caterpillar. Still hanging, no chrysalis. It's totally going to happen as soon as I go to bed...

Pork chops and eggs

Say what? Pork chops and eggs? Okay... sounds a little strange... but sometimes you've just gotta think outside the proverbial box, right? Here's the real deal: it's hot again, I'm back at work (still part-time), and cooking just isn't the highlight of my life right now. The girls have had a busy week, adjusting to the new routine, and we needed a well-balanced, filling, and easy dinner. Here's what went down:

Pork chop and egg sandwich:

• 2 thin-cut pork chops 
• Whole wheat bread, toasted
• Local, free range eggs
• Unsalted organic butter
• Salt and pepper
• Cook pork chops whole on the stove top with salt and pepper; set aside and cover with foil
• Cook eggs on stovetop (John is the fried-egg master in this house, so I handed that part of dinner over to him)
• Toast bread
• Thinly slice pork chops
• Assemble and eat

We had some nice organic green beans and organic kiwi on the side. Some A-1 sauce was thrown in the mix and everyone cleaned their plates! Dinner tonight was a good reminder for me that it can be so easy to make a home-cooked meal. I love new recipes and interesting ingredients but at the end of the day, a pork chop and egg sandwich with green beans and kiwi gets the job done. Fresh, clean, local, healthy. 

Since the food on here isn't all that interesting or entertaining, allow me to digress....

The girls are hysterical right now. They are laugh-out-loud funny... What's that? You want me to prove it? Done.

• After a marching band session up and down the hallway playing their harmonicas, our friend Lana asked the girls "What's your next number?", to which Abby replied "3, 3, 6, 9".
• On their way into my bedroom, Abby said "I'm going to toot in your bed", to which I replied "Abby! Why would you say or do that?". Abby had a leggo in her hand that had been her "flute". She clarified and said "No, Momma, I'm going to toot with my flute in your bed." Elise overheard our conversation, realized what I was thinking, and said "Momma, don't be gross."
• After 9 hours in the car on the way to Minnesota, we asked the girls if they remembered the name of the lake we were heading to, Little Pine Lake. As they sat and pondered the lake name, Abby followed up with "There going to be pine trees there?". I thought this question was brilliant. Elise then thoughtfully inquired "There going to be PINEapples there?". Another great question, my dear.
• We had many conversations about my return to work, which often involved all three of us saying "I don't want to go back to work!". Elise had the ultimate solution: "Momma, maybe you can retire like Grammy and Gramps and then stay home with me all the time!". Yes, please.

Frozen banana? Yes, please!

Okay, so does everyone know about frozen bananas???? I just discovered them. Go right now. Buy some bananas. Let them ripen. Freeze them. Once they are frozen, don't assume that the ugly, brown peel is a sign of what you'll find inside - slice that unattractive thing open and you will find a cold, in tact, perfectly preserved banana. Talk about a tasty treat! So far we've used them in smoothies, popsicles, and psuedo-ice cream (did you know that if you throw frozen, sliced bananas in the blender with a splash of milk to get it going, the consistency totally mimics ice cream????)... I feel like there is a lot more that could be done. Ideas, anyone????

Strawberry Banana Popsicle

• 1 frozen organic banana
• 8 medium-sized organic strawberries
• 1 C organic apricot nectar
• 1/2 C organic plain yogurt
• 1 T local honey
• Place all ingredients in blender
• Follow Zoku popsicle maker-instructions, adding a few strawberry slices before filling

Wordless Wednesday: Teach a man (or woman) to fish...

And you feed him (or her) for a lifetime...

Button Book

As we began preparing for our trip to Minnesota, I started putting together the bag that every mother does before a road trip: the random assortment of new and/or novel goodies that will provide the little ones with entertainment and will be just perfect in the event that somebody is on the brink of a meltdown. (I do have to brag for a moment... the much-anticipated meltdown never arrived. A & E are roadtrip rockstars! They sang, they read, they snacked, they snoozed. It was downright enjoyable. And while we did arm ourselves with an iPad loaded with what would have been the girls first movie, it served us no purpose. In 3 years, the girls have seen KU basketball games on TV, old-school Pink Panther cartoons with Daddy, and less than 3 hours of anything else. They are not programmed to be entertained by TV and movies, which is exactly what we hoped for. We have one television in our house - in the basement - and we don't have cable. TV is just not part of our daily lives. The girls are programmed, however, to interact, make up silly songs, read to each other, and sight-see, all of which made this road trip a piece of cake.)

Back to the buttons... I did a little internet search for fun things for kids to do quietly and I stumbled across an etsy item: Colors Fabric Quiet Book. As usual, the first thing in my mind is "I could totally make one of those!". The next day, I bought some extra felt and fabric and started working. Since I was down to the wire on time, I skipped a lot of the nice detail work, such as stitching around the flowers and instead of sewing the fabric on each page, I just used craft glue. As an afterthought, I added a pocket and a miniature felt-board on the last two pages with some cut out ducks and frogs with a pond and a log. Here's what I put together:

So the idea is that the flowers on the cover can be buttoned and unbuttoned and then as you flip through, each page has a matching button for the flower to be attached to. I think it's brilliant and adorable. I was so excited for the button frenzy to get started in the car and, who would've thought, but the tiny frogs and ducks were a far bigger hit! I so wish I would have had a recording of the songs that were being created about these little critters. The imaginations of our girls are astounding - the ideas that they have, their ability to express their thoughts, and the animation and enthusiasm... it all just makes me happy.

I love opportunities to create a sense of appreciation in the girls for simple, handmade treasures. I am proud of John and I for sticking to our guns (and following some clear-cut research) in eliminating screen-time from the girls infancy and toddler-hood. And I think the way in which they used this button book beautifully demonstrates what a 3-year old mind can, and should, be doing. Throughout our vacation, the ducks made appearances. The frogs popped up. And the flowers were buttoned on and off, collected and distributed, attached to buttons on Gran's shirt, and used as a starting point for something wonderfully creative. Thanks for letting me share!

Wordless Wednesday: It's never too early to teach emotions

Kale and Onion Egg Burrito

Nothing fancy here - just a little egg burrito that was a perfect lunch today. I'm trying to be somewhat conscientious about adding a little protein here or there now that I'm running fairly frequently again. I get 2-3 good runs in each week with the stroller - the girls have always been awesome running company- and then I shoot for 2-3 runs each week solo. And by solo, I mean totally solo. My faithful running buddy for the past 8 years hit her wall this summer. With her white face and slower gait, Aura's age (11 yrs) is showing. In early June, she and I were running and for. the. first. time. ever, she needed to stop and walk on a run. This dog has covered some serious territory with me throughout Lawrence - I have no doubt that she could navigate her way from our last house to downtown, to the farmer's market, up to the campanile and around the chi-omega fountain and back, across town to my parent's house, down Tennessee to my brother's old house, and all without missing a beat. Aura is the very reason that I started running - about a year after I got her, the vet said she needed to lose about 4 pounds, which he shared was significant in that 4 extra pounds on a dog is equivalent to 30 extra pounds on a human. Well, I'd be damned if I was going to have a fat dog (even though I had some pounds to shed myself). Fast forward through our running days and low and behold: Aura lost 4 pounds and I lost 30. That vet is one smart man. I look forward to some cooler weather when running isn't quite so taxing and my faithful companion can head out for some short jogs with me again.

And... jog on back with me to the protein. This morning's run was hot and tiresome, so for lunch I wanted to refuel. I think eggs often get overlooked because of the cholesterol issue - we are not egg-white or egg-replacement kind of people. Not only are eggs high in protein, but the egg yolk is good source of choline, which is important for brain development (during pregnancy) and function. Crack a couple eggs, toss in some greens, roll up in a tortilla and refuel!

Kale and Onion Egg Burrito

• 2 local eggs
• 1/4 medium organic white onion, diced
• 1 C chopped organic kale
• Splash of organic milk
• Salt, pepper, salsa
• Local, whole wheat tortilla
• Whisk eggs with milk, salt, pepper
• Heat 1 T olive oil in nonstick pan
• Saute onion until translucent
• Add kale and cover until wilted and tender
• Add eggs and scramble
• Roll up in tortilla with some salsa