Books

I've been reading again. Selfishly taking time (during the Bear's naps) I could be using to fold laundry or put dishes away or I don't know, maybe crochet. But I've been reading instead, ... and I guess I can claim the excuse of my husband saying I needed to take some time to just chill and stop DOING so much. ...

Hope reading counts as not much! :)

I'm on the third book in the Divergent series; I got Divergent free from Redbox a week ago, and basically it did not really compare to the book. it seemed very... stale. But that's okay, here's to another free movie soon to check out Insurgent.  :)   The books are a relatively fast read, along the lines of the Hunger Games, but in Chicago-ish. Give 'em a try if you need some down time. ...but maybe not before bed if Things Keep You Up.

Baby-friendly Ham Casserole

Little Ham Casserole - yields one generous serving

Ingredients:
1/3 c. pasta, such as tubettini or pastina  (you will only need half of the noodles, but if you cook them all you will have enough for another meal.
1 jar ham baby food puree
leftover cooked green peas
coconut oil or butter
dash onion powder
dash pepper

Prepare noodles as directed on package. Drain, return to pan and turn to medium-low.
Add a little oil / butter to the noodles and stir in canned ham.
Add dash of onion powder and pepper to mixture.
Add peas, and heat through.

Serve after cooled safely.


This was a hit for both my little Bear and my doxie...

Tiny Tot School: string!

I was on the hunt for more things to explore with little Bear, and 1+1+1=1 had an idea for littles: string!
So I put some yarn in a box and let Cora go to town.

...I think it's safe to say she enjoyed herself!

American "I Spy" Box

Nothing is more American than ....

What is your favorite baby toy?

Baby problems

What do you do if the book you want to read just happens to be unavailable because you're sitting on it??

Tummy time

Vegan Black Bean Brownie Recipe

I've been trying hard to cut back on sugar, and adding more of the things we get with WIC and our local food pantry into our diets. I tried to make this recipe by substituting applesauce in place of the sugar, but it tasted like straight-up cocoa powder... So instead, I reduced the sugar by 3/4 cup, and it tasted much better. My husband ate his in approximately 30 seconds, so extra fiber, protein, and antioxidants for the win! :) 

I look forward to "tweaking" more recipes and sharing them here on the ole blog. Stay tuned for who know what I'll post next! :) 

Vegan Black Bean Brownies
adapted from No Meat Athlete's Recipe

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 ½ cup sugar

1 1/4 cup cocoa

1 15 oz can black beans

1 tsp vanilla

2 ¼ c. applesauce
½ c. + 1 T. cold water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and cocoa, making sure to break apart any clumps from the baking powder.

Rinse beans well and return to can. Fill the rest of the can with cold water. Puree beans and water in blender or food processor. (I used our Ninja Kitchen System).

Add bean puree, vanilla, applesauce, and the cold water to dry ingredients. Stir until combined.

Pour into a greased 9×13 pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.  [Mine were closer to 40 minutes]. When the brownies are finished they should be firm in the center and the edges will be slightly puffy and starting to pull away from the sides.  It’s important not to overbake in the oven because they will keep baking once you take them out.

Let brownies cool completely before cutting.

(Or cut off a piece and make sure that they taste good, like we did!) 

click here to PRINT this recipe :) 

Cottage cheese at home, no carrageenan!

Found out tonight just how easy it is to make cottage cheese at home. . . Which is a great usage of all the milk Cora gets us :)

Take a gallon of your favorite percentage of milk and heat it to 180 degrees fahrenheit, stirring most of the time to prevent scalding. Once at that temperature, add 3/4 cup of vinegar -white or apple cider, again, your choice.
Stir in the vinegar and remove from heat. Let rest (i.e. Walk Away from it, go fold clothes or let the dog out or make a sandwich) for ten (10) minutes.

Pour into strainer lined with cheesecloth.
(You can put the strainer over a pan or bowl to catch the whey for drinking, watering plants, or other things I'm still leaning about)

Rinse with cold water, after removing the bowl slash pan that was under the strainer.
Let drain, add salt or seasonings if you desire, and eat.

You can add a little milk or cream to the curds, too.

This cottage cheese doesn't come out in neat little squares, but it tastes just as good - or better -because the only ingredients are milk and vinegar! :)

It's a great way to put your extra milk (if you get free milk with WIC or a food pantry) to good use.

Thumps in the Night

Something in the corner is making strange thumping noises. . . again.

I think we have dubbed her "Bear" quite appropriately. ... Paddington Bear - albeit a fictional bear from Darkest Peru - pops into my head every time I hear her thumps and bumps in the crib,

if you've ever been fortunate enough to read the Paddington books, you'll know what I mean.  It's a lot like the "quietness" that means trouble with little kids. . .

and it is all I can do to sit quietly and let her "rest."

... Rest, of course, being completely a summation of all the things she is most likely not doing.

She went to bed at 6:30, woke up around 9:45, ate a bit more, and went back to ... thumping, for the past hour or so. Perfect time to catch up on my meal planning and such, right?  ... A little hard to do, though, when one shares a living room and a bedroom with a crib-dwelling wee one.

Early Pi Day

Bear just took a nap that lasted 3.14 hours :)