More on that food thing...

As it turns out life just isn't the same without bread and things made with gluten. I like to eat bread type things. However, the gluten does play me a bit. This means I'm searching for ways to satisfy that craving in a manner less harmful to my body. Here is my latest baking using gluten free flour. I used the first one I grabbed, really, and can taste (very much, as it turns out) the garbanzo bean flour they added to it. Next time I will try a different flour. Still...it's hard to not like these!

Peanut Butter Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies.



BTW, if you want any next time - get there before Kai.

Inspired

Yes.

Inspired by Ronnie to eat more of those fabulous greens...here is my counter


Here was last nights dinner.


Included : Romaine, green onion, red bell pepper, snow peas, parsley, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes and


this great dressing that Jeff selected...



from this book.



Breakfast yesterday morning was a smoothie of strawberries, bananas, almond milk and romaine. I think I like kale better in smoothies. Can't wait to try this one!

Yumm!

Well, we were at Mandy's last week and we came home with some great peaches! This is what we did with ours - after seeing THIS! Great idea, friends!




Here is a short slideshow of our time at Mandy's as we helped her can some of those divine peaches.

Peaches and fun from Beachbum on Vimeo.

Somehow the picture of Juliet didn't get in the slideshow...so here it is. Juliet with her butterfly face :

Where to start?

Well, I think I will start with today and work backwards...



Mardi Gras. Well, for us, it hasn't been a part of our lives so far. However, we have friends who enjoy this celebration. So, off to the internet to do some researching about it and talking about what we are going to dress up as. Well, to the boys, they just love being what they love to be. Kai was a ninja and Kade was Luke Skywalker ***correction: BlackOut Skywalker***. I was, well, me - but a bit on the 'out there' side of me. I did enlist Annie's help. She had a nice couple of shirts that I wore. I had some striped tights (blue and green) (don't ask why) that worked for the funk factor. I also used Kade's face paints to set myself up with a painted design. As an aside: when at park day someone says the pink does stain the face, not only believe them, but remember! So, this is what we looked like on our way to the party.







We had a wonderful time! The boys love playing with their friends. I didn't realize it until we got home and I was taking our things out of the car that Kade had made his own mask. I was happily surprised by this. He is so creative, but when there are friends to play with it can be tough to stay still long enough to design things. What made this one even more special for me is he says I can keep it! ****Kade has now decided Jeff can have the mask. At least I know it's going to a good home!****

Forgot to mention. The party had several homeschoolers there. One woman asked me questions about what we do, how we do it, and how we make it work. I answered the best I could. It's a tough thing to describe to someone who doesn't really want to trust themselves or their kids *that* much. She mentioned she has a hard time getting her and her daughter enough physical activity. I don't know what to say to people when this comes up. First, I haven't been physically active for a long time, but hope to get back to that now that my foot is again pain free. Second, I couldn't force my kids to be still if I tried. Now, they don't really do anything that I can always categorize...except for Kai's karate. Sometimes we go swimming or something like that. However, I find we just end up doing things. For example, today Kade found the flashlight and started playing with it. There are so many options for these. The other day we played flashlight tag (note: it's better outside than in...and probably better for the neighbors if you start playing before 9:30pm). Today, however, he brought it to me and asked that I move it around and not let him 'catch' it. We used to play with our puppy this way. Cats love to do it. It's been seen on Family Guy. Chasing a light can, at least to Kade, be incredibly fun. So fun that you spend thirty minutes playing it. Yes. 30. How can I explain this to someone who thinks things need to be planned, coordinated and or committed (P, C and C) to? Granted, there may be times when my kids will want things that are P, C and or C'd, but they seem to be creative enough to find ways to be active, without me having to ever pressure them.

It was pretty funny watching Kade.

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Food. Well, you may know I have been trying to celebrate food. For many this is an easy task. I have one friend in particular of whom I just love to watch interact with what she eats. I normally don't enjoy watching people eat. And, I really don't like watching her, either. What I do like is how much she expresses her joy of the food. You can see it in her eyes. She dabbles in everything individually first. Then starts mixing an matching. She savors the tastes and simply enjoys food.

This is such a paradox to me. My body needs food just like every other being. Yet I do struggle to enjoy it. So, watching my friend really helps me. It proves that I can love food and the flavors it brings. I can enjoy the smell, texture and flavors. It is possible. Yet, I don't always. I am sensitive to textures. I love flavor, but it has to be a certain flavor at a certain time. I have no delusion that I'll ever enjoy food the way she does. I do hope I can at least gain an appreciation for the sustenance I do intake. See? I even write about it clinically! What I truly want is to appreciate food so that I get full nourishment from it and actually get to the point where I remember to eat and look forward to it. To help get me there, I have been taking pictures of food that I like. My tastes are crazy, but I'm willing to work from where I am!


Kai picked up a sweet potato and asked for us to buy it so he could taste it. OK, no problem. We brought it home and I cooked it. He didn't like the taste, but I do. I worked at a restaurant a long time ago that had a sweet potato pancake that was so tasty. I looked on the internet and found a recipe that I thought would make something similar to what I remember. It did! Yum is what it is! Here is a picture (just to be true to my word).


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Cool creations is what I think of when I see this:





Now, they boys immediately thought of getting the fan out and seeing if it would actually move...so there is a video coming.

Well, that's it for now. I'm going to go dye some clothes and play with my family.

I lied, I have more to post. Just not this second.

Party time!

We had a bunch of friends over to make some delicious food and play. Mandy took some great pictures for us. You can see them here.

We made some yummy raw desserts - to tempt us with a healthy alternative to all the other stuff we have in our house. It was hosted by me to help me remember I can eat yummy sweets without filling my body with stuff it doesn't respond well to.

We made: apple pie, almond halvah, cinnamon girls (cinnamon tortes), apple cookies, sweet pecan pie, pineapple heart pie (pineapple, mango and coconut), pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate freezer fudge, blonde and chocolate macaroons, pecan tortes, and dark chocolate ganache tart.

Even sharing between the seven families, we ended up with tons! Thankfully most of the desserts can be frozen for later! Yum!

Anyway, there were something like 20 kids here! They had a great time playing and making up their own games. Some helped in the kitchen, too, but most just went and had fun!

Jeff came home and said something like - you should have more of these more often. The house looks better than when I left, the fridge is full of food, the kids are happy and worn out and you have had a good time!

Yeah!

We did have fun and my spirit is happy. How blessed we are to have all the community and good friendship.

"Again, with the food", you say?

Well, yes.

Here are the nori rolls Kai helped me put together. We grew the sprouts (alfalfa and radish(for spice)) just for this. Add some rice, avocado, celery (we were out of cucumber. It is Friday after all...the end of our food week), and carrot. Wrap that in a nori roll and you get this:

Snickerdoodles - the Sabo way

Well, the kids love these...and it's pretty clear why. The Sabo twist is to use 1/2 a cup of almond meal instead of white flour and then half wheat and half white for the rest.


Then, instead of rolling them in sugar before cooking, sprinkle a touch of powdered sugar on while they are still hot coming out of the oven. Yum.

Care to join me?

Here is some fresh almond milk...



It looks delicious with the froth on top.



Made into this yummy banana, cranberry, strawberry, chocolate, almond milk smoothie. I've put one cup in the freezer...it's waiting for you.

food

We made dinner for one of Jeff's co-workers as they are in their baby moon. Kai and Jeff made dinner for them last night and we finished making this awesome crisp today. Kai and Jeff delivered it this evening. I had made 2 crisps, so we have one here...for a while, that is! It is apple, blackberry, raspberry and blueberry. The topping has oats and walnuts. Really tasty! Hope Jacob's family enjoys it as much as I am...

food...once again.

Here is a great soup. Made with black beans, veggies, barley, cumin and love...

Yum...

Again with the food, you say? Well, in truth this is part of my learning to savor and enjoy the food I choose to put in my body. So, if you read here, you'll just have to wade through it!

It is autumn. I love cranberries, so this smoothie-to-be is perfect. It has bananas, cranberries, freshly made almond milk and sometimes a touch of chocolate. It is sweet and tart all at the same time...and incredibly delicious.