Chia Seed Pudding

Sometimes you just have to try something before you know if it will work or not.

Exhibit A: Miss Rae insisted on putting her pants on by herself. Thus, pants were not only backwards, but inside out. We went to the park anyway. NBD.

She tried it. It didn’t work.

Exhibit B: Hide & Seek behind a soccer net. Doesn’t necessarily give you the coverage you’re hoping for in the whole “hiding” aspect of the game.

They tried it. It didn’t work.

Exhibit C: Chia seed pudding. Basically, milk and chia seeds (and in this case, vanilla extract and maple syrup) are mixed the night before to “set” in the fridge.

It’s not you, chia. It’s me.

A) This breakfast did not keep me full. I even added some walnuts for some protein, but lunch couldn’t come soon enough today.

B) I like some chia seeds. I don’t like mouthfuls of chia seeds.

C) It seemed like all the chia seeds kinda globbed up at the bottom and were very…globby? These are scientific terms, of course.

If you’re already a chia pudding fan, definitely try Nicole’s recipe. The flavors are really good. But if chia pudding isn’t your thing, hide.

Just don’t hide behind a soccer goal. It won’t work.

They tried it. It didn’t work.

Advertisements

Roasted Citrus Brown Sugar Vegetables

I had a new PR at the WWU alumni 5k.

28.14

Yay! But that was not my proudest moment this weekend.

My proudest moment happened over dinner.

I noticed that J Man consistently eats his vegetables first. Always.

We don’t demand this behavior. Miss Rae predictably ignores the veggies on her plate, heading directly for the pasta. (Then, I might add, she eats one bite, proclaims “done” and then asks for dessert. Daddy’s girl.)

So I questioned my little veggie eating rabbit.

“J, do you eat your vegetables first because you like them the best, or do you eat them first because you think that’s the rule? (Note: J Man is one of the most compliant, rule following loving 5 year olds you’ll ever meet. I expected him to say that he thought he had to eat them first.)

He looked at me incredulously.

“Mommy. I eat my vegetables first because I want to grow big and strong!”

Swoon.

Proudest moment of my day.

Also, these roasted veggies are good.

Roasted Citrus Brown Sugar Vegetables

Marinade Ingredients
1/4 cup fresh oj
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 TBS olive oil
1 TBS Bragg’s liquid aminos (or soy sauce)

Instructions

Whisk all marinade ingredients together and mix into your choice of vegetables, about two cups worth, chopped approximately the same size.

I used broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and sweet potatoes. I imagine asparagus, Brussels Sprouts or mushrooms would be good too.

Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 for 30-45 minutes, depending on how soft you like your vegetables.

She & Him, 17/52

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014

She: My former tom-boy is now a lover of jewelry and hair bows.

Him: There’s a police officer in the house. Behave.

Thursday Thoughts, XII

1. You must read this article about vegan diets positively affecting prison inmates. Amazing.

2. I can’t even tell you how thrilled I am that J Man is planting a garden in preschool.

3. 75 thoughts every runner has while out for a run. Yes. This. Yet, I still found myself here…

4. Walla Walla Half Marathon. October 14, 2014. I don’t know, people. Do I have it in me?

5. I made Vegan Thin Mint cookies. I’m shocked to say this, but meh.

6. I bought coconut flour specifically to make these peanut butter bars, but upon further inspection, the recipe only calls for 1/4 cup and I have a lot more than that. Any good coconut flour recipes?

7. And finally, a selfie, because it just seems like the right thing to do…

What’s on your mind today?

Two Word Tuesday

Petite Vanilla Bean Scones

This is a story of resourcefulness and tenacity.

This is a story of anti-consumerism and thrift.

This is a story of desperation and lies.

Fact 1: Up until cake pops came into existence, my kids loved the petite vanilla bean scones from Starbucks.

Fact 2: I’m certain that there is probably just as much sugar in a Starbucks petite vanilla bean scone as there is in a cake pop, but for some reason I feel better about purchasing my children a scone than a cake pop.

Fact 3: I feel even better about making my children petite vanilla bean scones.

Fact 4: There are no vanilla beans for purchase in the entire Walla Walla valley.

I won’t go into the details of how this made me feel, but I will say that I was not only bound, but also determined to provide a Starbucks copycat.

Above, I mentioned lies. Yes, lies.

Lie 1: These scones aren’t petite.
Lie 2: These scones aren’t vanilla bean.

After having an internal meltdown (Are you kidding me? No vanilla beans? What kind of a civilization is this?), I got resourceful. Sometimes desperation leads to creativity, and I’m a better person because of it.

The magic ingredient? Dates.

I mean, I used vanilla extract for the vanilla flavor, but the dates (puréed with the flour in the food processor) not only gave a sweetness to these scones (requiring less sugar), but also left the delightful little brown flecks that I was craving from the (missing) vanilla beans.

This is a story of full tummies and Amazon online shopping.

I still want some vanilla beans…

Petite Vanilla Bean Scones

Ingredients

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 dates
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegan butter
1 TBS vanilla extract
1/2 cup almond milk

Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 TBS almond milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and dates in food processor. Pulse until dates are in very very small pieces.

Add butter, pulsing until sandy in texture.

Add milk and vanilla. Pulse just until dough comes together in a ball. Pat into a circle, cut into 8 wedges and bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

While baking, whisk glaze ingredients together. Drizzle over warm scones.

Almond Lemon Poppyseed Cake

It’s taken me awhile, but I’ve figured out my ultimate “best case scenario” running situation.

1. 90 minutes in advance: bagel with peanut butter and banana.
2. 60 minutes in advance: coffee and water

3. My lucky compression socks
4. Mostly sunny and 59 degrees

5. Imagine Dragons

6. The promise of the most epic Easter brunch ever!

I ran 7 miles this morning. By mile 5, all I could think about was Almond Lemon Poppyseed Cake and tofu Benedict.

Menu:
Fresh fruit (pineapple, watermelon, strawberries, grapes and oranges)
Almond Lemon Poppyseed Cake (cause I couldn’t choose between almond or lemon)
Tofu Benedict with chipotle crema
Home fries
Stripples (veggie bacon)
Coffee and OJ

The table was full (except for Aunt B…sigh…) and excitement was high!

Some of us were excited about Almond Lemon Poppyseed Cake

Some of us were excited about Easter eggs.

Obviously. Also. Please note the football Halloween costume. I need to burn that thing.

Funny story: my little bunnies know which eggs are the “good” ones. While hunting, Miss Rae came across a boiled, dyed egg. She picked it up, checked it out and put it back, in search of a candy egg. We’re going for quality not quantity. What would I expect from a child raised in a somewhat vegan household?

The sun was shining. Miss Rae was wearing her fairy wings. I had a cup of hot coffee in my hands.

Life doesn’t get much better than this…

Happy Easter!

Almond Lemon Poppyseed Cake

Ingredients

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 TBS baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 TBS poppyseeds
2 cups water
3/4 cup olive oil
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 tsp almond extract
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 TBS lemon zest

Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 TBS water, 2 TBS fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, poppyseeds and zest in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl combine water, vinegar, oil, extract and lemon juice. Mix into dry ingredients. It will foam and expand (thus, the large bowl).

Bake in a greased bundt pan at 350 for 40 minutes.

While baking, whisk glaze ingredients and drizzle over warm cake.