Easy Spinach and Hummus Pinwheels with Feta ~ Toddler Friendly

This week I learned a few new things about my toddler daughter:

1. At her 15 mo appointment (though she is almost 16 mos now), her head has grown into the 95th percentile while her height has plummeted to the 28th percentile (from 67th in February), and her weight remains in the high-60s percentile - so my assessment of this information is that my daughter is a small, walking rectangle with a large noggin'

2. Mirabelle only acknowledges what I'm saying when it doesn't conflict with what she wishes to do

3. Standing on her chair is only of interest when mommy isn't looking

4. Mirabelle and I are both similar in regards to our easily heightened temper with minimal external influence

5. Pigs sounds like "kuh-kuh", clocks sound like "tick tock, tick tock, tick tock *infinity*", dogs sounds like "urh, urh", cows sounds like "*very dramatic pursing of lips* MOOOOOOO", and cats sounds like "keh keh"

6. Mirabelle is never too full for coconut ice cream or fruit, she is only too full to finish her vegetables

7. 16 month old babies are very strong. It takes skill and strength to extract anything from their tightly wrapped little claws

8. When asked to show you her ears, she will first poke you in the eye and then happily point at her ears. This is because first and foremost she is rude.

9. On the other hand, Mirabelle is very loving and adores giving kisses...mainly to inanimate objects, but kisses nonetheless

10. Bugs amaze her, and I'm trying to not allow my distaste for the 6-10 legged creatures to influence her child wonderment, because that lasts so briefly

So! Now on to the easy peasy weeknight recipe that can be completed in less than 45 minutes with or without a whiny baby tugging at your leg, climbing on chairs, throwing books around the room, stepping on the cat's tail, and sliding your very nice decorative pillow across the floor (sorta like how a mop would clean said floor) ~ yes, that easy.

Recipe Deets

1 sheet thawed puff pastry
3 cups spinach
2 ounces feta cheese (half of the standard 4 ounce container you find anywhere)
1/2 cup hummus of choice (I used roasted garlic)
1/2 diced white onion
1 clove of minced garlic
salt to taste
Greased muffin tin

Preheat oven to 400°

- In a small pan sautee onion, garlic, and spinach (add a pinch of sea salt) until wilted - set aside when done
- Roll out one piece of puff pastry
- Spread hummus evenly (leave a bit of space on each side)
- Transfer spinach and place on top of hummus
- Sprinkle with feta (leave a bit extra for when we top of the pinwheels)
- Semi-tightly roll the pastry and brush with a bit of oil
- Cut into 8 pieces
- Sprinkle some feta on top
- On each pinwheel take the loose piece of pastry and fold it under one side of the pinwheel (this will be the bottom for when you place it in the muffin tin)
- Place the pinwheels in the muffin tin and bake for 25 minutes

Voila! A little Greek inspired, hassle-free, toddler-approved dinner!

Rainbow Spring Rolls and Soy Paper Sushi Rolls ~ Vegan

The husband and I lovelovelove sushi. But, unfortunately, it's a bit of an expensive habit :s We usually order it twice a month, and sometimes eat out - which can add anywhere from $100-$200 to our monthly budget (eesh!). So! We decided to whip up some unique sushi rolls with soy paper, accompanied by delish spring rolls!

Recipe Deets

Sushi
Soy paper (5 sheets)
Romaine (approximately 5-6 leaves)
1/2 avocado
1 Cucumber sliced thin
Butternut squash (approximately 8 baked finger length pieces)
1/2 Red Pepper (sliced thin)
1/4 cup diced strawberries
1 jalapeno pepper (sliced thin)
Wasabi sauce

- First lay your soy paper out on a clean surface
- Chose 3 pieces of paper and add: a drizzle of wasabi sauce width wise, cucumber, red peppers, avocado, and romaine
- Roll them and cut width wise, then top with diced strawberries
- Take the final 2 sheets of soy paper and lay them on a clean surface
- Add: wasabi sauce, cucumber, avocado, butternut squash, jalapeno, and romaine
- Roll width wise, cut, and top with extra jalapeno peps!

Yum. YUM.

Spring Rolls
4 pieces of rice paper
1/2 avocado
Red cabbage
1/2 Red Pepper
1 Carrot (sliced into small sticks)
Sweet chili sauce for dippinsssss!

- Follow this tutorial on how to use and assemble spring rolls with rice paper - because it's a tedious process and one that takes a bit of practice, but once you get it down, you will never pay for over-priced rolls again!
- Assemble your rolls using the ingredients above - slice in half
- Dip the heck outta them rolls and insert in your mouth!

Now sit down, pick out a fine ass movie, and relax!

Quick Rice and Bean Fritters ~ Toddler Friendly

It's Monday, it's 5pm, and you just arrived home to a *very* hungry toddler. She's following you with her slow, exaggerated, not-quite-steady gate and she...wants...food...now. Not in 5 minutes...N.O.W. As her little square head looks up at you, you think "Is this my life for the next few years? Attempting to navigate the insatiable hunger of a very small, but very hungry person? NO!" I refuse to be controlled by two tiny hands yanking on my leg, accompanied by a tiny mouth repeating "ra ra...ra ra...RA RA" (i.e., ma ma) over and over and over. So I lean down and calming say, "Mirabelle, we do not whine in this house" as I quickly give her some empty plastic containers and a couple pots and pans to keep her occupied for 10 minutes...ugh...10 minutes, what can I make in that amount of time??

YES! Leftovers...yet not. Tricky tricky mommy >:D

Recipe Deets
1 cup pre-cooked, leftover rice (I used sprouted brown rice)
1 can refried vegetarian beans
2 tbsp flour of choice
1 eggy (or flax eggy if vegan)
a handful of panko breading (optional)
ANY SEASONING YOU WAAANT! (I used sea salt, thyme, and parsley)
1 tbsp coconut oil for frying

-  In a large bowl combine all ingredients except the oil
- Mold into small patties about the size of your palm (if they don't hold, add more flour)
- Heat oil on medium/high in a large skillet
- Add patties and cook on each side for about 5 minutes until golden brown
- serve with homemade tahini sauce, ketchup, sriracha, anything!

Done and done! Now go get yourself that much deserved cocktail!

Vegan, Gluten Free Banana Protein Bars!

My step-daughter recently exclaimed, "I want to start eating more healthy! No more rice krispie treats or fruit snacks!" Ok...

The thing is, I have been trying for YEARS to get this child to want to eat more healthy, and all it took was watching Super Size Me in health class. I need to learn to be more tactful and creative when attempting to instill healthy habits on to a teenaged girl. Either way, I'm super glad she has decided, for the most part, to join me with a healthier eating style!

First up: homemade protein bars! Asa, the daughter from another motha', claims she's always tired. I'm thinky thinking it may have a lot to do with lack of a solid, protein-filled breakfast (waffles ain't cuttin' it lady), so why not create something easy peasy, healthy, yummeroo for your mouth buds??

Recipe Deets (makes 6-8 bars)

1 cup gluten free rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond mik (or milk of choice)
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
3 tbsp agave
1/2 cup mashed banana (about one reg banana)

Choco Drizzle

Handful of non-dairy chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life because they're free of gluten, dairy, and soy)
dab of coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

- Spay a small baking pan (like a bread/loaf pan)
- Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly
- Add to pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
- Set aside to cool
- Once cool, make chocolate drizzle
- Heat choco chips and coconut oil in a small pan, once melted drizzle on top of them thar bars!
- Cut once cool and store in an air tight container either in the fridge or in a cool spot in your winter wonderland home

Now go use that mouth of yours and eat those ba-nay-nay bars!

Super Simple, Super Cheap Christmas Garland!

I decided to get a head start on the Christmas season (shhhh, don't tell the Husband lest I want to have the entire house decorated, both Christmas trees up, and presents wrapped and ready all before Thanksgiving...no thanks). Essentially I wished to add a little pizzazz (channeling my inner 80s child here) to our mantel prior to the addition of stockings and our little village homes, which will adorn the shelf portion.

I thunky-thunk and sent little singles between synapses trying to figure out what to do. Should I sew something? Nah, I no good at that. Should I make a tissue garland? No, the fireplace may prove to be a dangerous place for that. Hrrrrrmmm. Ah ha! Tiny felt hats and mittens with ribbons and dangly thinga-muh-gigs!! Doh!

Material Deets
Hot glue gun
Felt (1 green, 1 red, and 1 white)
Cardboard
2 different ribbons of choice
3 dangly things (go in your wreath section of any craft store and you'll find items you can attach and twist on to wreaths...these work perfectly)
5 feet of twine

1. Trace 2 mittens onto the cardboard (I used my daughter's tiny mitten where her tiny hand is kept to keep it warm), but if you don't have a tiny mitten that houses tiny hands, you can just draw one. Cut out said tiny mittens and use that as a guideline to trace/cut out 1 red and 1 green felt mitten. Attach the felt to the cardboard mitten with hot glue.

2. Draw a tiny hat with a pom pom on top. I used the Husband for this part...just because. Do the same as you did with the tiny mittens, 1 green and 1 red.

3. With the white felt decorate your green hat and mitten (see photos above)

4. With extra green felt decorate your red hat and mitten.

5. On the back of each mitten and hat glue a tiny loop made out of felt to the upper portion of the object. This is so you can run your twine through the backs without it being seen.

6. Run the twine through and hang on mantel in loops. On each loop add a bow (every other color of choice of ribbon). On every other loop add a dangly thing - this is so you can place your stockings within the loop openings without dangly things getting all messy with the cool stuff your parents (or Husband) will be stuffing into them!

I'm sure my directions are super unclear, so take your little eyeballs and look at the photos above!

This project cost me less than $6 (unless you don't own a glue gun, so it may cost ya another $7-8). It's fun to do with school age kiddies and 30-something year old Husbands alike...so have at it and make some tiny Christmas decor!

Sriracha Baked Cauliflower With a Balsamic Reduction

This super cheap, super simple dinner (or side dish) is low in carbohydrates, fat, and sugar; plus it's vegan and gluten free! Daaaaang, right? RIGHT?

So here you have it, a mid-weeknight-I-don't-feel-like-cooking-meal.

Recipe Deets

1 head of cauliflower (diced into small florets)
sriracha sauce
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chopped scallions (green onion)

Pre-heat oven to 450°

- Pour vinegar into a small sauce pan on medium/high heat and let sit (for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occassionally)
- Line a baking pan with tin foil and spray with oil
- Toss cauliflower florets in as much sriracha as you like! Don't drown it, but cover the stuff
- Put the covered florets on the baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes
- As they're cooking, check vinegar and stir
- After 10 minutes, move the cauliflower around and bake for another 10 minutes
- Remove your vinegar from heat and it should start to thicken, stir
- Remove cauliflower from oven, place in an open dish, and drizzle with vinegar
- Add scallions and serve immediately

Voila! Yummo!

Chewy Gluten Free, Vegan Sweet Potato Choco Chip Cookies

With all the pumpkin this and pumpkin that talky-talk, I thought I'd bring you another fall favorite (well, year 'round fav, no lie) of mine ~ sweet potato! I know what you're thinkin' "day-um girl, how you do that?" Well, aren't you in luck, because I'm-a gonna tell ya! (Also, we all know my next recipe will probably have a lil pumpkin in it haha)

Recipe Deets

1 sweet potato (cooked and pureed - equals about a cup)
1/2 cup gluten free oats
1/4 cup of organic peanut butter
lil dab of agave (about, ummm, 1-2 tbsp)
1 flax egg (or real eggy if not vegan)
1/2 cup vegan (or reg) choco chips
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
cinnamon to taste
tiny bit of ground ginger
lil bit of ground sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Pre-heat oven to 350

- Combine your cooked and cooled sweet potato with the oats, peanut butter, agave, and flax egg - blend until smooth-ish
- Slap in everything else (other than the chocolate chips) and combine
- Gently fold in chocolate chips
- Measure about a tablespoon size of dough onto a greased baking sheet
- Bake about 15-20 minutes according to your oven

Done and done! Now go carve some pumpkins or something!

~ A Vegan Picnic ~

There are those moments at the end of summer where you try and get in as many warm weather activities as possible because perhaps, or likely, you and your spouse neglected to take advantage due to moving into a new home, work, the wife (me me me) starting a new job, making our home a home, and other life matters that push days into weeks, weeks into months. So! I thought, let's make a picnic and take the infant to the zoo! She may not care about the zoo and it's many occupants, but it will get her outside and into the fresh air, plus give me an excuse to come up with some awesome fun food items :>

Let's take a look at this menu!

~ sliced apples with a homemade raspberry fruit dip
~ gluten free, vegan (minus jimmies) banana spiced donuts
~ seared tempeh burg with homemade cashew "cheese"
~ gluten free, vegan Thin Mints (one of the spouse's favorite!)

Everything tasted perfectly! Due to my insanity - I ate a tempeh salad (no bread fo' meh) and tasted the desserts (boooo), but the husband inhaled the food! Don't worry, Mirabelle had her fill of Plum Organics puree ;>

Next, we traveled the paths throughout the zoo, pointing at the various creatures that reside there and feigning extreme excitement for the benefit of our little lady.

All in all, a perfect afternoon of fun, food, and affordability!

First Foods: Banana Whip

This one is super easy!

I usually buy about 3 pounds of bananas at a local fruit and vegetable market for about $1.25. I store them by peeling the bananas and putting them in the freezer (in a freezer safe zip lock) for future use.

Recipe Deets

3 frozen bananas (some for yourself also haha)

- Use either a homogenizer, high powered blender, or food processor
- Process the bananas until they are a custard
- Serve cold!

such the lady

Easy peasy!

It's All About Squash! Squash! Squash!

I believe we all know what happens when you're a family of three, soon to be a family of four - the need to cut back on costs all ova' the place! While this doesn't seem like a bad idea, family of four or not, it isn't the most enjoyable thing to do, especially when it involves one of my favorite things: food.

About a month ago, the husband and I decided that making a weekly menu would really aid me when compiling my grocery list, because I tend to get carried away with ingredients with the hopes to create new, fun vegetarian meals for the spouse and I. But with all this boring ol budget talk, I have to arrange breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 3 individuals, one of whom that is not vegetarian. Essentially this means my husband and I make two dinners per night: one for he and I, and one for his meat-eating daughter. This places some strain on the food-budget, so how do we continue to make at least one new, never consumed meal a week? Eating items in season, meaning: SQUASH!!

Baked Acorn Squash with a Quinoa Apple Stir Fry

Looking for a low carb, low fat, low sodium, low low low yet filling meal? Acorn squash has your back!

Recipe Deets

1 acorn squash
1/2 cup of quinoa (prepared)
1 apple (chopped - I used gala)
2 scallions (thinly sliced)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
olive oil for drizzlin'
coriander
sea salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

- cut squash in half, place in baking dish, scoop out seeds, drizzle with olive oil, and salt/pepper the 'thangs
- place in oven for 35 minutes (flesh side down)
- in a frying pan, heat with some fat free olive oil spray
- add scallions and apple and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat
- add quinoa and garlic, season with coriander (to taste)
- fry for approximately 5 more minutes and set aside
- once the squash is done, take it out of the oven, stuff your quinoa mixture on top (see photo above)
- place everything back in the oven for another 10 minutes - feel free to add some shredded cheese!

Voila! Yum-time!

Baked Zero-Sugar Cinnamon and Sugar Butternut Squash w/ an Eggy

This is a classic recipe that I've taken the *ahem* liberty to make "Paula Friendly". Apparently my mother used to make my sister and I brown sugar and cinnamon squash frequently, though I have no recollection of this. Kid-brain-bad :D

Recipe Deets

1 butternut squash
vegan butter (or regular) to taste ! You do not need a lot, about 1/2 tbsp each half
xylitol, stevia, or truvia - any of these plant-based sweeteners will work
cinnamon
eggy

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- cut squash in half and remove insides
- spread the buttuh around
- sprinkle as much cinnamon and sugar as you'd like!
- bake covered for 30 minutes
- bake uncovered for another 20, or until super soft
- fry an egg

BAM! And I promise your home is going to smell amazing. And why the step-daughter didn't wish to try this, I will never know...

Spaghetti Squash with Vegan Meatballs and a Poached Egg 

1 spaghetti squash
2 eggies
1/2 log of Gimmie Lean vegan sausage
1 red bell pepper chopped
cherry tomatoes (halved)
2 cloves garlic
fresh basil
shredded chedda'

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (surprise, surprise)
- cut squash in half, clean the puppy out, and place face down in the baking pan
- bake for 45-50 minutes (the back of the squash may brown, but you need the flesh to be soft)
- as the squash is cooking, take half of your Gimmie Lean log and roll up some mini-meatballs
- put a dab of oil in a frying pan and brown the meatballs
- add peppers, tomatoes, and garlic - cook on medium heat until the tomatoes are super wrinkled and soft
- turn heat on low/warm, add basil and cover
- once the squash is done, pull for oven and get ready to poach your eggs!
- add enough water in sauce pan for an egg to have room to float around, for every cup of water add a tsp of vinegar
- bring the water to a boil (not a super crazy boil, but a happy lalala bubbly boil)
- take a slotted spoon and make a "whirlpool" in the pan
- carefully break an egg into the whirlpool and set your timer to 3 minutes
- as the egg is cooking, take a fork and scrape out the inside of the squash onto the plates - it should look like...well...spaghetti (not too much crunch, but a bit al dente)
- top your squash with the vegan meatball mixture, some shredded cheese, and your poached egg!
- if you're doing two plates, create another whirlpool and repeat the eggy process

If my poached egg description was confusing, I'm sure the Internet has a million YouTube pages dedicated to teaching individuals how to poach that perfect egg :>

Enjoy your low carb, low calorie, low fat, high fiber, high nutrient-based dinners, because the husband and I sure do!

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Oat Muffins *phew*

Ever go grocery shopping, exceed your budget by $17, realize that you didn't purchase enough school lunch/work snacks for two very metabolically inclined individuals, and then decide *blank* it I'm going to search the pantry and make an awesome, yet healthy, dessert snack from scratch! No? Well that was me Saturday - palm to face frustration at being forgetful, on an ever-revolving budget, and just overall wanting to enjoy the weekend without having to worry about the upcoming school/work week.

Now that I got that whining out of the way, on to the recipe!!

The ingredients are simple, you know, like how things used to be made prior to Big Box Companies swooping in with their food engineers and chemists.

If you bake, even rarely, you most likely have most of these ingredients on hand (minus the vegan choco chips, of course), which makes this recipe super budget friendly!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

1 1/2 cups Organic Flour
1 cup Rolled Oats
2 Bananas (mashed)

1/2 cup Sugar (I used xylitol, which is a plant-based sweetener) 1 tsp Baking powder 1 tsp Vanilla extract dash of Cinnamon 1/2 cup Organic Peanut Butter 2/3 cup Soy/Almond Milk 1/2 cup Vegan Chocolate Chips

Combine all dry ingredients in one bowl, then all wet in another bowl (minus the milk).

Mix it all together! Then, add milk and chocolate chips.

Place in 12 cup muffin tin and (i sprinkled some raw sugar on top for a bit of crisp), bake for 20-23 mins

Voila! easy peasy

Baby-Making Budget ~ autumn decor on the cheap!

With Halloween on the way, I'm beginning to see all sorts of Autumnal decor sprouting up all over the internets and in craft stores like Michaels, AC Moore, and JoAnn Fabrics. Last year I would've thought, "well I don't mind if I do!" and grabbed a piece-o-something here and there to decorate the house. But this year, with the step-child in 10th grade and a small human brewing in my belly, I thought more logically about the matter - "heck, I'll make something myself!"

yes, that is a carrot.

First, I thought about what I had already: an apothecary glass from being wed to the spouse, some LED battery lights, and nifty smelling pinecones leftover from the previous year's Christmas projects. With those pieces in mind, and a bit of inspiration from Pinterest, I took my 40% off coupon and darted to Michaels. The place always has all kinds of sales, so I grabbed 4 mini-bundles of autumn-esque faux-flowers and one bag of tiny-pumpkins, then I was on my way with having spent under ten buck-a-roos for the lot!

The entire process was a bit tedious, but with a little bit of patience (and I truly mean a little bit, for anyone who knows me) and an eye for aesthetics, I finished the centerpiece in about 20 minutes. It turned out quite well, and is super simple for anyone who wants to give it a go. So simple, I bringing leftover "ingredients" to my sister's abode next weekend so that she may have a pretty centerpiece too!