Mirror Image

Have you ever used Face Time?  Although I have never personally used Skype, I imagine that Face Time is the Apple equivalent of Skype. (If I am wrong on this I am truly sorry and beg your forgiveness.  It's not my fault that I am technologically challenged.  Don't hold this against me.)

My description of Face Time? Basically, you hit the little "Face Time Icon" on your computer and a screen pops up allowing you immediately see your own image standing there.  If you are like me, you instantly forget who you were going to call.  Once your brain begins working again, and before "calling" your desired contact, you can fix your hair, check your teeth and throw any of the mess you can see behind you off to one side giving your "contact" the notion that you and your home always look fab-u-lous, darling.  Then you select the contact you want to..well...contact, and then you wait for the person(s) to hear you "calling" at their end, check their hair, teeth and background view and eventually accept your call.  The screen image of yourself now minimizes and you are looking straight into the beady loving eyes of your friend/family member.

I have mentioned before that my sister lives many many miles away in a far off land.  (Not really, just the good ole' US of A)  So, since we both have made the switch to Apple we make very good use of the Face Time app available to us and it's just grand.  My sister is younger and thinner and cuter than me but in the right light people say we look a lot alike.  Which leads me into my story.

I hear the "Face Time" alert and go skipping with joy to the computer because I know that somebody loves me today.  I smooth back a few stray hairs from my pony tail, check my teeth and see it's my beloved sister calling for a chat, and realizing I have no time to clean up the view of colouring books and crayons behind me, I angle my computer so I have a plain wall behind.  Then I hit the "accept call" button and wait.  And wait, and wait.  Some thing's not right.  I look to see if I hit the wrong button - no.  The girl staring back at me looks lovely...it HAS to be me, right?  Then I see that darned stray hair and go to smooth it back, but now I really start to freak out because the "me" on the screen is not doing what the "me" in real life is doing.  So after the Twilight Zone music (think TV program from the 60's, not Vampire vs Werewolf) subsides, I realize that I am in fact looking at my sister, who is, in fact, looking at me and we are basically both idiots who obviously maintain on too little sleep.

The End.

PS - as I have been fighting a terrible cold for going on 3 weeks, I will admit that my cooking has taken a bit of a backseat, and my poor beloved family have been eating a steady, and somewhat unimaginative diet of noodles, soup, sandwiches and cereal.  Thank the good Lord for Thanksgiving and the care packages sent home to fill in where I, the supreme ruler of my family's kitchen have been terribly neglectful.  Here's hoping to a weekend of recovery and a fresh start in the kitchen next week....I hope I remember where my frying pan is.

xo

Jen

Sour Cream Banana Bread

My baby boy loves banana bread....but only if it's in the shape of a loaf (or so I thought).  Apparently a regular loaf pan-made banana bread is COMPLETELY different than the same banana bread recipe in a muffin tin.  It also does not make the grade in these cute mini-loaf pans.  So sorry.  What was I thinking?  No need to cry, now.... So for now, three of our happy family are, well, happy.  And one is longing for the days when banana bread came in it's originally presented format.  

Mashed banana, anyone?

Swirly batter.....

The key to this super moist, yummy recipe is sour cream...oooohhhh, aahhhhhh!

Cute mini pans, right?

They look "loafy" to me...

Loafly....I mean..lovely!

I loave taking pics of my loaves....

Yum.

Double yum! 

One of my cousins was staying with us for a few days and I thought I'd get up early and make a delicious banana loaf - hopefully drawing everyone out of bed to the wonderful scent coming from the kitchen.  My recipe box was hidden somewhere in the back of the pantry way behind all kinds of things that would have made a racket if touched, and that wasn't exactly the kind of wake up call I was going for so I desperately leafed through a couple of handy cook books I had access to and found this one.  We've never gone back.  It's from the "Breast Wishes from Breast Friends - Women working together for a cure" cook book and is now my new favourite one to make.

Sour Cream Banana Bread

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar (I use organic coconut palm sugar, and about 3/4 cup instead of a full cup)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp Real Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 cup flour (I use Organic Whole Wheat flour)
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 cup Bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup Nuts, chopped (I don't add these as my family prefers it without plus the nut-free version can be taken to our nut-free school)
• 1/2 Sour Cream (I have sometimes used Plain Yogurt)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cream butter with sugar
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla
4. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt
5. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and mix 
6. Mix in bananas, nuts (if you are using them), and sour cream, 
7. Pour into a greased loaf pan
8. Bake for 1 hour
9. Enjoy!

xo

Jen

Easy Peasy Pasta Sauce - Two Ways

Please put up your hand if you have heard the following around your dinner table:

"What's the green stuff?"

"Why is it lumpy?"

"What's in this?"

"What is THAT?"

"Is this all there is for dinner?"

"It looks weird!"

"It smells weird!"

"It tastes weird!"

"I don't like it" (before they've even tried it)

....shall I go on?

"What are the black specks?"

"Why is it touching my meat"

"I don't like tomato sauce, don't we have any ketchup?"

"I'm not hungry anymore....what are we having for dessert?"

"EWWWWW!"

I've got the sweats just thinking about it.  We've all been there.  You find a recipe you know your family will like, you make a trip to the market to lovingly hand pick all the ingredients, sweep your hair into a pony-tail, put on an apron and get cracking in the kitchen until your back is sore and you've burned your hand twice...BUT...you call your be-loveds to the table in a sing-song-y voice and as you are gracefully carrying out your masterpiece with an excited and anticipatory smile you hear it...."I am NOT eating that!!!"  When this happens I imagine myself as a balloon that is flying around the room as the air is rushing out and making that noise...you know the one.

It's tough to take.  I would say that we eat pretty simply....I don't prepare exotic, gourmet meals that only someone with a truly refined palate could appreciate.  I believe fresh is best and a well balanced diet are pretty key in keeping us healthy and energized but that's about it.  However, there are times I have to take my cook hat off and slip into my salesman role, and failing that, I sometimes break out the fake nose and moustache disguise, put on a black body suit and dark glasses (not literally of course, that would be weird) and go into sneaky mode.... my sister calls this being "Sneaky-McSneakerson".  I'd have a T-shirt made but then I suppose that would defeat the point.  Oh well.  The following is a quick pasta sauce that I made but ate two ways.  One - the straight up way served with whole wheat, cheese filled tortellini, and two - pureed in my Vitamix blender and tossed with a whole wheat fusili pasta.  Same exact ingredients, but my boys seem to prefer it "blended", if you will - after all, they "don't like zucchini, onion and garlic".  (Cue music from Mission Impossible)  Sneaky-McSneakerson strikes again!

Straight Up!

Blended...

For me and Ryan...

For the boys...

Easy-Peasy Pasta Sauce

• 10 - 12 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
• 1-28oz Can Whole Tomatoes 
• 1 Large Onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 ribs Celery, chopped
• 1-2 Yellow Zucchini, chopped
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 Handful fresh Basil Leaves, chopped
• Sea Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Butter

1. In a large sauce pan, melt butter over med heat
2. Add chopped onion and celery, cook until the onions soften and begin to look translucent in colour, approx 6 - 7 min
3. Add sliced garlic and cook for additional minute
4. Stir in chopped tomatoes, can of whole tomatoes in their juice, zucchini, bell pepper, chopped basil leaves and a sprinkle of salt and pepper
5. Bring mixture to a boil and turn heat down to a simmer
6. Simmer, stirring and tasting often until sauce begins to thicken a bit and flavours are well blended
7. Season with salt and pepper
8. Serve over your favourite pasta straight up, or puree in a blender first and then toss with pasta

*the pureed sauce freezes well in ice cube trays for an easy individual portion - this is great to have on hand when sending noodles in a thermos for lunch

Enjoy!

xo

Jen

Yogurt Tubey-Things...

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been challenging myself to replace many of the store-bought lunch box goodies with treats that I can make at home and therefore control what my precious young'uns are eating.   My boys love frozen yogurt so in place of buying the pre-packed ones I discovered these amazing "Ice pop Makers" by Norpro.  (You can find them on Amazon)  We filled them this summer with yogurt, pureed summer fruits and even iced tea!  They are great for using up the last amount of smoothie in the bottom of my handy dandy Vitamix (providing everyone is smoothied-out and there is still some left, of course).  My oldest loves when I mix some of my home-made jam into plain or vanilla yogurt so this is an ideal way he can have this treat at school.  My baby (who is 6 and is not really a baby but I will likely call him my baby until he is 96 and maybe even after) is trickier to please - I find that once you freeze yogurt or smoothie or juice it tastes less sweet so I sometimes have to add a little honey to whatever I'm making for him so it appeals to his sweet tooth and I don't find a half eaten mess laying limply on the counter.  Not that he would ever forget to place the finished "tube" into the sink....no, no, no... my house is always immaculate and well organized....ahem.  

Empty tube.  Pretty colour.

That's some mighty fine yogurt you got there!

Colourful and fun and thankfully my boy's favourite colours are not the ones the other likes...that's the stuff wars are made from.

Now it's frozen, and looks kind of lonely......

I suppose in the name of photography I should open this one and "test it out".....YUM!

xo

Jen

Breakfast Smoothie

"Mom"..

"Mom"...

"Mom"...

"Yes?"

"Can we have a smoothie?"

Everyday it's the same question...and I am eternally grateful.  How else would I get a 6 and 8 year old to eat spinach before 8am?  (or 12pm..or 4pm..or 5:54pm).

So simple, so delicious, so healthy....this makes a momma happy!

My beloved Vitamix!  You have given me so much....  xoxoxoxoxo

Notice the loooonnnngg shadow of the early morning?  It's way too early for me but someone forgot to tell my little darlings...like...everyday for the last 8 years...   PS.  Shortly after taking this photo I walked into a chair and stepped on the cat.  Did I mention it was early?

Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie

• 2 cups frozen organic blueberries
• 1-2 ripe organic bananas (the more ripe, the sweeter and therefore you won't need additional sweeteners)
• 1 handful of organic spinach (sneak this in if you think anyone is looking - once it's blended, they'll never know...ha ha ha!)
• 3 TBSP organic plain or vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 cup water 

1. Throw everything in your blender, and blend until smooth.
2. Enjoy!

xo

Jen

Banana Oat Muffins

Sun-shiny muffin!  Yum!!

When I was pregnant with my first son, I bought something like 100 books....because I was a little excited.  Oh.  And a little crazy, too.  What?  You know - baby brain!  That's a 'thing', right?  Right? RIGHT?? Any-who, of the 100 books, I only found 2 to be remotely useful and one was the "Hospital for Sick Children's Better Baby Food" book.  And although both my boys no longer need all the purees and can successfully eat their "solids", I often refer to this book for some great recipes the whole family can still enjoy.  These muffins are one that I make and are both simple and tasty!  They can easily serve triple duty - as breakfast, as a great lunch-box addition or as a yummy after school snack!

Banana Oat Muffins

• 1 cup All purpose Flour (I use organic unbleached)
• 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour 
• 1/2 cup Rolled Oats
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 3/4 cup Buttermilk*
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil (I use Coconut Oil)
• 1 fresh Egg
• 1/3 cup liquid Honey
• 1 medium banana, mashed
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips (this isn't in the original recipe but it "encourages" my youngest to eat these muffins...sigh)

*if you don't have buttermilk on hand, add 1.5 tsp of white vinegar to a measuring cup and add enough milk to measure 3/4 cup, let stand 5 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Lightly grease or add paper liners to a 12 cup muffin tin
3. Combine the flours, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl
4. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, egg, honey and banana
5. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just moistened
6. Stir in chocolate chips if using
7. Fill each muffin cup with enough batter to fill about 3/4 full
8. Bake for 18 min or until firm to the touch

Enjoy!

Oh.  As for the other 98 baby books, my doctor told me that I wasted my money and that women were having babies at the sides of fields for thousands of years without books and were able to immediately go back to work...in the field...so I immediately wondered what women, in what field and how can I send them my books?....and then I asked to be referred to an OB/GYN.  The End.

xo

Jen

Freeze Corn!

Hurry!  Only a couple more weeks until the sweet corn is gone!  So easy to freeze!  Just do it!!  You'll be glad you did!

No fancy "freezing recipe" here, simply cut it off the cobs. 

Lay it on a tray, and pop it into the freezer....

Portion into baggies or freezer-safe containers and you've got corn, baby!

xo

Me