Kale Chips and Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast? Seriously? Sounds whack, I agree. I first encountered this term "nutritional yeast" in my absolute favorite baby food book, Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. I reference this book on occasion to this day, and it's no secret that Super Porridge is STILL a staple in our diet. Anyhow, this book talks about all kinds of additions to baby foods, such as nutritional yeast. I never went that crazy when feeding the girls - I mean, I went porridge-with-pears-and-spinach-and-hardboiled-egg-crazy, but yeast was reserved for baking bread. Then I found this recipe for Kale Chips, which calls for nutritional yeast. And you know me - I love to try new (and strange) things in the kitchen. I simplified my own concoction and we are hooked - nutritional yeast and all.

Kale Chips

• One bunch of organic kale (I often buy the fairly curly kind because it is a thicker leaf)
• 3 T organic olive oil
• 2 T low sodium organic soy sauce
• 1 tsp Bragg organic apple cider vinegar
• 2 T nutritional yeast (found in the bulk section at The Merc)
• Wash kale and tear off of stalk into 2-inch-ish pieces
• Combine olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, yeast
• Toss kale with sauce in a bowl; use hands to make sure kale is evenly coated
• Bake at 400° for 15 minutes; toss/flip chips over; bake for 15-20 minutes more
• I typically start removing some of the smaller pieces as they are crisping after 25-30 minutes, letting the bigger pieces bake longer

I can't lie - the nutritional yeast is a bit of an oddity to me. This combination of ingredients gives them a salty taste like chips (the soy sauce) but with a cheesy flavor (the yeast). They are by far the best kale chips we've made and the whole family devours them. These kale chips have been showing up regularly for post-nap snacks - they are quick to throw together and it gets yet one more super veggie into the girls. 

We are just coming off of our first illness since the pneumonia attack in early March. After that whole debacle, the slightest cough, sniffle, or whimper in the night makes me cringe to this day. The girls were in perfect health all summer and their eating habits are nothing shy of incredible. I expected the runny noses and the cough to linger for weeks this time around, again. But they didn't. The girls bounced back quickly, they never missed a meal while sick, and we only encountered one rough night each last week. So "Cheers!" to those super veggies and mega fruits, those whole grains and home-cooked goodness. I truly believe that every meal matters.

Wordless Wednesday: Owl Faces

I'm never sending them to school.

Why? Because what in the world could they learn at school that they aren't learning at home??? And, if they're at school, how will I know every little detail to document for posterity??? 

I love being home with the girls. Do I lose my patience? Yes. Do I sometimes feel like I never have a minute to myself? Yes. Do I sometimes calmly guide them to their bedroom and close the door to avoid a clash-of-the-titans moment? Yes. In fact, just this morning, they each spent some time in separate rooms as a result of their rudeness while I was on the phone with my brother. Why does the phone do that to children????

However, I would take all of the above in order to be present for moments like those that I'm about to share. And, from the things that they say and do, I feel so confident that their current teachers, with names like "Mom', "Dad", "Gran", "Grammy", "Gramps", and "Grandpa", are providing an excellent early childhood education.

• Elise: While explaining the concept of triplets, Elise says "So, if a momma have 3 babies in her tummy and 2 of her babies die, she will only have 1 baby left". (Please excuse the morbidity - I have no idea where that came from - but the emerging math skills were worth noting)
• Abby: Upon entering their room, I found this scene pictured below. I was informed that they were taking a road trip to Bubbe's and, when I came back later to make the bed, I lifted the far right pillow and discovered two pairs of shoes underneath. I said "Why are there shoes on your bed?" to which Abby replied in a very matter-of-fact way: "That our trunk!" (Ummm... hello dramatic play and imagination!)

• And, in the area of social interactions, I have several:
• Elise: Her new line, which was first rather successfully used with Grammy and Gramps and has continued to be implemented with Gran and others: "Please stay, because I love you so much." 
• Abby: "Elise, I so sorry you had to get a shot." (We're currently recuperating from our first bout with croup and had to take Elise in because I just don't handle that my-child-seems-to-be-struggling-to-breathe concept well)
• Elise: "Abby, will you be my best friend?" (and bestest buds they are)
• This morning, John and Abby went to The Merc, while Elise and I stayed home sick. This delightful conversation took place during lunch. I LOVE Elise's questions - and if you could see her face, you would know that she is asking each question in order to fully create a mental image so that she understands the whole scenario:
• Abby: "I saw a man with a white doggy."
• Elise: "Oh. Are you pet him?" (they both still substitute "are" for "did" and "is" for "do"... funny in an odd kind of way, I know)
• Abby: "Yeah. He was a friendly doggy."
• Elise: "Oh. Did he have a red leash or a blue leash?"
• Abby: "Well, I not see his leash."
• Elise: "Oh. Are you ask the man what color leash he have?"
• Abby: "No, I not ask."
• Elise: "Oh. They have groceries?"
• Abby: "No, just walking to the car."
• Elise: "Oh. I need to see this man with his white doggy."
• And, just for fun, at lunch last weekend Abby responded to my homemade mac-n-cheese with: "I not really a fan of noodles." 

I, however, am quite the fan of you two, Abby Rose and Elise Autumn. Maybe your number one fan.

Crockpot yogurt

You're right: "crockpot" and "yogurt" do not seem to go together. Or do they?

Guess what? The two actually mix... quite well. I found this recipe for homemade yogurt in the crockpot and, partially because I love homemade and partially because I had to see it to believe it... I gave it a go. I have a Donvier Yogurt Maker which I've used frequently and get good results with. But everyone knows that the crockpot is the epitome of easy in the kitchen, so if this recipe was a success, bam! I've made it twice now and, while you might think that a vat-o-yogurt would be too much, we plow through the stuff like there's no tomorrow. Plain yogurt, loaded with good bacteria, should be a staple in every diet. It is so good for you. The girls have had organic yogurt almost daily since we could first feed it to them. John and I eat yogurt almost daily (and maybe twice-a-day now that it floweth over).

Crockpot Yogurt

• 1/2 gallon organic whole milk
• 1 C organic plain yogurt (this is the "starter", which now I just reserve 1 C of the homemade stuff and stick it in the freezer for the next batch)
• Pour 1/2 gallon milk into crockpot
• Put lid on and turn to high for 2 hours (the milk should be bubbling a bit, with steam rising, but not quite boiling)
• Take lid off and let sit, uncovered for 1 hour (this cools the milk to a safe temperature to add the starter without killing the bacteria - I have the yogurt thermometer from my Donvier maker, so I used it the first time and it took 1 hour for the milk to cool)
• In a separate bowl, whisk 1 C of the hot milk into the 1 C plain yogurt starter (this slowly raises the temperature of the yogurt rather than dumping it all at once into the hot crockpot)
• Pour the milk/yogurt mixture back into crockpot and whisk until fully combined
• Unplug crockpot, put lid on, and wrap with a towel (I used a clean bath-sized towel; this creates some insulation so that the milk cools very slowly, allowing the bacteria to multiply, etc...)
• Place towel-covered, whole crockpot into the oven and let sit for 10 hours (the oven should be turned OFF, this is just a nice draft-free place to tuck it away)

So, last night I started the process at 6:00 pm, pouring in the milk and turning in on to high. At 8:00 pm, I took the lid off the crockpot and let it start to cool. At 9:00 pm I added the starter and moved it into the oven. At 8:00 am this morning, I transferred the yogurt to the fridge and it's now firm, cool, and ready to eat. I saved two 32 ounce store-bought yogurt containers and both are filled from this batch, with 1 C in the freezer for the next one. For $3.99, I have 64 ounces of homemade, whole milk, organic yogurt. 

And, if you are a Greek yogurt eater, this makes incredible Greek yogurt - just strain it through some cheesecloth (as pictured above). We discovered Greek yogurt when I was pregnant with the girls - I craved full-fat milk and yogurt my whole pregnancy and nothing in the world tasted better than Greek yogurt with a swirl of honey. Which, by the way, is what we typically use to sweeten, if needed. I prefer plain yogurt because it has no sugar and it couldn't be easier to jazz up yogurt. Also, when you have plain on hand, it's so easy to toss into savory dishes, sauces, or dressings instead of sour cream or mayo.

Crockpot yogurt. A nice combination, afterall.

Obsessed with butterflies

We are slightly obsessed with butterflies right now. It started with our homegrown caterpillars... continued with the transformation to butterflies... and today's visit to KU's Monarch Watch was the grand finale. Friday morning, we sat and watched our third and final butterfly emerge:

After storytime at the library, we took the butterfly outside to be free. Sadly, this is the one that I carefully tied up with dental floss because the chrysalis fell - and she came out with a hole in her wing. I love the top right picture where Abby looks so concerned as she's telling Elise that the monarch may not be able to fly.

And, as I mentioned above, our visit to the Monarch Watch this morning was grand. Butterflies everywhere! I think Abby would have spent hours in the butterfly house, talking to, kissing, and holding the butterflies. Elise fell in love with a little swallowtail caterpillar. As with many things, I want to kiss their little faces every time they say "monarch" and "chrysalis".

Monarchs and Marshmallows

The butterflies met the world today! This morning, we could see the orange peeking through the darkening chrysalis and, by the time naps were done, there were two lovely monarchs clinging to the mesh. We went outside and let them go. So very, very cool. Their release would not have been complete without a kiss from Abby and an "I love you, my little monarch butterfly." We then loaded up 3 more caterpillars and drove them to Gran and Grandpa's. There is not a single leaf left on our milkweed.

The butterflies, along with the cooler temperatures, seem to be telling us that fall is near. And there is no better way to welcome this season than with a campfire and s'mores.

The lovely ladies tried their hands at photography and they get full credit for the following pictures. I'm quite impressed with their mad skills and I'm grateful to finally have someone else shutter-bugging for me. Fall, we welcome you and look forward to many jeans-wearing, marshmallow-eating, star-gazing nights.

From caterpillar to chyrsalis to...

The butterfly garden has been bountiful! We have three chrysalises hanging in the living room - one of which we sat and watched form. Talk. About. Amazing. It literally took less than 3 minutes. The caterpillar squirmed and wiggled and twisted... and out of nowhere the chrysalis appeared, enveloping the caterpillar, until it sealed up at the top. I'm baffled by things like that. And we have transported 5 caterpillars to Gran's garden, because our milkweed has been decimated, and I couldn't stand the thought of hungry caterpillars. 

Today... we had butterflies. Two beautiful, healthy, animated butterflies. They flew about the living room... and down the hall... and when we released them out on the deck, they didn't want to leave us. They fluttered near the edge, thought about venturing out into the world, but danced their way right back into our house....

The monarchs aren't out yet, but Abby and Elise are damn cute, aren't they? We were at happy hour on Friday - teaching them early to appreciate social outings - and Lana, one of their favorites, mentioned her "sweet tooth". Elise said "Lana, may I see it?" and Abby turned to me and said "Momma, which one is my sweet tooth?". Adorable. I'm excited for the monarchs, but I'll take my butterfly babies anyday.