New Blendtec and I Love Seaweed

Here is my new blender. I have wanted one for a long time. I really wanted a Vitamix, but they are so expensive. We finally decided we really do need one. We have a nice, expensive Kitchen Aid mixer; it just makes more sense for our eating habits to spend more on a emulsifying whole foods blender. It was between the Vitamix, Blendtec, and HealthMaster. We went with the Blendtec, based on price and blog reviews. (2-Life.com seemed to be the best deal at the time; they offer specials and discounts, and, so far, they have had excellent customer service.)

The kids (and I) love that you can see through the (BPA-free) containers (and I got 2, which is so great). They also love the digital screen that counts down the time remaining and shuts off when it is finished. I ran into one of my friends at Whole Foods this week, and I was telling her about my blender. Dash whispered to me, "Tell her it turns off by itself." Here is our first smoothie we made - grapes, carrots, oranges, swiss chard, purple kale, apples, frozen cherries, and water.

Honestly, I had started getting a little nervous after I ordered it, wondering if it was a silly purchase and whether it would be any better than my other blender. But it's AMAZING how quickly and easily it grounds up everything. It came with a fat recipe book, too.

These drinks make me really full, which is great because then I don't want to eat anything else. I lost half of a pound this week. Which isn't amazing, but it made me happy. Now I'm just a pound away from another tens place - I'm 1_1 lbs.

Lately I've also been loving...wait for it...seaweed. Sea vegetables are really good for you. (But I think it's important to try to stick with organic not only because of pesticides but heavy metals.) I think this one was Arame. It just has to be hydrated, and I thought it tasted great in my salad.

I put some in my tofu scrambler, which is on a bed of lettuce. I really liked it.

Seen and Eaten

This is what I saw last night... (Dash, sleeping on his top bunk)

And this is what I made last night...

Continuing our journey to become more raw...It was the first raw "cheesecake" I have prepared. I used Kristen's Oh My! It's Vanilla Cheesecake recipe from her Desserts ebook. I liked it. The boys liked it, but Sissy said she didn't. (I'll let her try it again today; I think she was a little tired last night and full from split peas and salad. UPDATE: Sissy heartily ate a piece after school.) Tornado asked sweetly if he could go back downstairs after his bath and have another piece. Of course, I said yes. We encourage him, the little skinny fella, to eat anything with healthy fats (this has lots of nuts, coconut, and coconut oil) as much as possible.

Speaking of split peas and salad, the 2 little kids cleaned their plates last night. (Of course, Tornado did, too; that goes without saying.) We have gotten more serious about making Dash try foods that he doesn't want to eat. We've had to sort of spoon it into his mouth (leading us to believe the kid is just being lazy), after everyone is already finished, promising him dessert if he finishes. Some might not agree to this questionable practice, but last night he ate everything on his green-filled plate, without complaining. He was popping that lettuce into his mouth, without being prompted. He's getting used to the taste - if that is any consolation or encouragement to anyone with a picky kid like mine.

Back to dessert...It doesn't taste just like cheesecake - it's something altogether different but tasty in its own right (and much healthier so that's what counts). Having said that, there was an ingredient she recommends to use instead of water (Rejuvelac, made from sprouted wheat berries, and I didn't have this made ahead of time; she says it gives it a cheesy taste and is very healthy/good for digestion.) The texture is sort of amazing, and it has a very cashew-y/coconut-y flavor. There's no baking involved, just food processing, pouring it into the pan, and chilling in the freezer then fridge. I really love the crust - it's basically nuts, dates, coconut, and cacao nibs - and I think I'll use it next time I make a regular cheescake, as well.

That's all I've got for now. We haven't been doing much at all lately. I don't have any new pictures. It seems like when we make it a priority to eat even healthier, that is all that gets done. Plus, I have even more dirty dishes. Oh, yeah, we had to take Dash to the ER this weekend because he was being wild and fell off the bed, landing on his head. Okay...so what else is new? BUT...he started saying he was nauseous, was laying his head on the toilet, looking totally out of it, and then he threw up.

Apparently, he is just fine, though. I guess throwing up may or may not be indicative of a serious problem. He is the same kid who had to be taken to the ER years ago when he knocked his wooden highchair over and hit his head. He repeatedly threw up that time, too. This whole experience did not bode well in my quest to win Ryan's support for child number 4.

Vegan Brunch

During the weekend of New Year's Eve, we did a little Missouri-Illinois tour to visit with a lot of family and friends. We headed up to St. Louis to spend New Year's Eve night with my sister and her family. For some strange reason, I didn't end up with any pictures of them. I'll have to make up for it with photos of the luxurious vegan brunch she served us - which included fruit and berries, yogurt, Chicago Diner muffins,

yummy smoothies,

and breakfast casserole, which we have renamed Cary Casserole.

Here is the recipe; it was delicious. I've never had anything like it; it's definitely a repeat-er.

Merry Christmas!

This is one of those moments in time when I have so much information, so many thoughts, and so many pictures that I don't even know where to start...I just woke up from an amazing Christmas Day nap. I fell into such a deep sleep, and it was wonderful and helpful...and everyone else remains sleeping except Dash. I came downstairs to find him very quietly plinking away at his perfect-for-him dinosaur dig kit (more on that another day).

So...for now...Merry Christmas...love to you all...here is what we enjoyed for our snack earlier today...I made it last year, also (this year using almonds instead of pretzels to make it even healthier), original credit goes to a Pillsbury holiday magazine. I made this vegan ranch recipe to go with it...and I got to utilize a couple of my new white dishes from my parents.

Yesterday, I heard Dash saying this very honest and sincere prayer,

"Don't let the tigers eat me, and don't let the lions eat me, and don't let the leopards eat me. And help the people who don't have money to get money. Amen."

Amen.

This Is My Thanksgiving Post

NOTE: THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR MY HOMESCHOOLING BLOG TO A NON-VEGAN AUDIENCE.

For Thanksgiving, we did what we always do (since Tornado was about 2, I think) - honorarily adopt a turkey from Farm Sanctuary. This year, our turkey's name is Mello. $25, which gets us this photograph and certificate, plus membership to Farm Sanctuary.

Thanksgiving is...not really my favorite holiday. Don't get me wrong; I'm all about celebrating anything when the time comes. But I just hate that it's all about the poor little turkeys (and it makes me think of the Native Americans getting their land taken away and everyone who got killed on both sides back then...). I don't really understand why we have a holiday based primarily on eating an animal that suffered. A very smart animal with a good personality. Am I the Grinch who stole Thanksgiving?

Okay, but it's really about getting together with family and having a day set aside to feel thankful for everything, right? I'll try to play along. I really do like the "feeling thankful" aspect. We should really do that more often. And I won't even post the "videos" because I already did that on facebook, but if you want to see how most commercial turkeys are treated, you can see it here. Other than that, please understand my negativity (like I said, it's just not the best for me personally; some people don't believe in celebrating Halloween, Valentine's Day stinks for single people...you know, it's kind of like that for me), and I really do hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving Day.

I did, in fact, have one pretty, little pilgrim at her preschool Thanksgiving program. She very sweetly smiled on stage and every once in awhile she would sing a few words of the song - just when she would look at me, and I would mouth the words animatedly so she would sing, too. She and I ate lunch together after the program with the other kids and parents.

And one brave Indian boy. He did fabulous at his school's program. Papaw, Sissy, and I got to watch him and eat with him afterward. Googie came at the end and about started crying because she missed it.

We stayed put for Thanksgiving dinner this year, and it was just the five of us.

Tofurky is a joke of sorts that gets tossed around at Thanksgiving time. Well, we are one of those families that eats it and loves it. You know what I love as much, maybe even more than the Tofurky itself? The Cranberry-Apple Potato Dumplings that come with it. So good (but there are only 8 of them in the box). I did a lot of prep work for our meal the night before, and at one point I said to Ryan, "...I accidentally ate one of the dumplings." The box even comes with "Jurky Wishsticks" in case you just can't live without that tradition.

You know what I am most thankful for? No, not pumpkin pie, although I seriously LOVE pumpkin pie (I was in PANIC mode when I realized I only had one organic 365 brand crust in the freezer, and I had to MAKE another pie crust from scratch.). I love it so very much. I don't know why I don't make it all year round.

Like every night.

I am thankful for God's mercy and love. I am thankful for all of the many blessings He has given me (and really, there are so many...I don't deserve, and most of the time I feel whiny inside about what I don't have). I don't write that very often. I mostly always think it goes without saying how I feel about my relationship with the Lord. I don't speak enough about it, I think, because I don't want to sound trite or phony. I err by not saying it enough.

What is Tornado thankful for this Thanksgiving? "Googie" was his automatic reply. (That's my Mom.) Don't feel bad if he left you out; he didn't say my name either.

Oh! I'm also very thankful for my warming drawer. Such a non-necessity, but it's such a nice thing to have when I'm making big meals. I love it.

I loved, loved having the kids at home all week from school. I loved, loved that I didn't have to get up every morning in our panicked rush. (I can't wait for a snow day!) We got to snuggle in bed and do little projects together. We made crayons one day in preparation of making leaf rubbings. I have made these before, years ago as gifts. Lots easier when you have 3 eager kids helping. They really participated with this, and I guess it's a good fine motor activity, eh? (And uses up all our nubby and broken crayons.) Sissy loved it most of all, I'd say. Look how serious she was about it. I told her I was proud of what a great job she was doing and pointed out that she was making such a neat pile with her wrappers.

And then Dash asked, "Do you like my crazy pile?"

It just looks pretty.

One of our crayons has a big finger print in it because after I took them out of the oven, and they had cooled for a bit, Dash wanted desperately to touch them. I said, "You can touch it VERY lightly, but it's not completely hard yet. Don't push down on it." Well, of course, he pressed his finger down into that crayon as far as it would go. Of course, he did.

On Thanksgiving Day, while I was busy cooking, Ryan took the kids outside to gather leaves, then they worked on their big leaf rubbing sign, using our new heart shaped crayons.

The kids enjoyed making the sign so much, they made another one. This time they watercolored over the crayon rubbings like they did over at Filth Wizardry (fun blog, by the way).

Sissy, posing with their sign

Our noon meal consisting of rolls, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans almondine, Lemony Roasted Brussel Sprouts with garlic, Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing, Asparagus, Sweet Potatoes with cranberries, apples, and walnuts, and Holiday Rice (Thanks Tofu Mom, for the brussel sprouts and rice recipes!). And of course, the Tofurky roast surrounded in roasted potatoes, turnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, and onions.

I took a picture of Ryan's plate...because I was so impressed at the sheer volume. My plate wasn't that full.

He even went back for seconds.

He's going to LOVE that I documented this. :) Then he had a big piece of pie. Ryan always likes to have dessert or something sweet immediately after a meal. I like to save a little something for later.

The bad thing about consuming all of this food is that we immediately had to clean up and drive 3 hours to see my brother and all of the rest of my family. Ryan said he needed 5 minutes to lie down. I gave him 5 minutes, then it was rush, rush, rush. That's okay, though. Spending time with my family is much better than a nap any day.

Favorite Smoothie and Playing in the Leaves

We drink a lot of smoothies around here. The kids like some of them more than others. The favorite lately is banana (we use several for one batch), So Delicious Coconut Milk beverage, coconut oil (read about health benefits), and frozen pineapple. They drink it faster than any smoothie. If there are leftovers, I make popsicles, which are eaten up quickly, too.
When we were looking to build a house, we went into it thinking, "How can we make life easier for ourselves?" One of our biggest requirements was NO YARD. This is against what most people want, but we did not want to spend our weekends mowing or with the added pressure of watering and keeping out weeds. Plus, fire ants are horrible in Arkansas, and they seem to be worse in grass. At least, we don't seem to have a fire ant problem at our new house like we did at our old house. Our 1.25 acres is wooded, and although Ryan does weed-eat a little bit during the summer (including weed whacking 4 wheeler trails through the woods for the boys), it's pretty low maintenance. So...when the leaves fall, we don't even have to worry about raking. In fact, we LOVE the extra ground cover. There are still some areas that are a little too exposed to mud from the building process. I think I might ask my neighbor for all of his pine needles next time I see him raking them up.

Ryan surprised the kids by raking up a huge pile of leaves for them to play in the other day. They were THRILLED. The pile is still sort of there, and I think they keep adding to it because every day they play in it at some point.

Miss Prissiness loved the idea of the leaf pile. She kept running full speed toward the pile, yell, "Cannonball!" just like the boys do, then would very gently lower herself into the edge of the pile. She just couldn't bring herself to fully embrace it.

Lots of Raw

Ever since I saw this "Trix" cereal that shannonmarie from Rawdorable made, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I decided to make it last week, even though I didn't have all of the ingredients I needed. (It stinks not having a Whole Foods in my town.) I did my best to make as many colors as I could. I was missing golden raisins (which I think would have been key here), rose water, and dragon fruit, and I was also making them in kind of a hurry because it was getting late. I could have ground up the nuts a little better. I dehydrated them for a little bit. I made a tiny bowl for my supper (that's all I needed - it was very tasty but filling), adding a little...

homemade almond milk. I had high hopes for doing away with so many Silk cartons, etc. in our lives...but the kids weren't big fans. I will keep trying to get them used to it. I could definitely see using only homemade almond milk with cereal, cooking, and in smoothies, etc. Would make a great shake with some bananas, etc. It was SO easy to make. Just soaked my almonds overnight, blended them with water, strained the pulp, then blended it again with some vanilla and agave nectar. I tried blending some also with soaked dates to see if that made it any tastier for the kids. Sissy did drink a cup, saying, "Yummy!"

The next day, I made pancakes using the leftover almond pulp. I added Bob's Red Mill garbanzo and fava blean flour (bean pancakes, anyone?), flaxseed meal, and a little whole wheat flour because I didn't know how it would turn out without any...baking powder, dash of salt, almond milk, dried cranberries, pineapple chunks, and blueberries. Obviously, they aren't as fluffy as "normal pancakes," but the kids and I didn't hesitate in chowing down a couple apiece.

Our new favorite thing...homemade vegan parmesan cheese. I used to buy yummy Parma whenever I was somewhere that had it...but the ingredients are simply walnuts, nutritional yeast, and salt, and that's what we used in ours. Just ground it all up in my mini-food processor.

We used liberal amounts with our brown rice pasta, sauce, and broccoli. This is what Dash said,

"It's so good an elephant would eat it!"