About to add to the party...

Sometime in the next month, we are adding more fun to the party around here. That's right, we are about to be a party of 5. Kids that is. I grew up in a large family (7 kids) and I thought it was a lot of fun, but after my first really difficult pregnancy I wasn't sure that I wanted so many kids anymore. My mantra became, "one at a time...one at a time". Well, after 4 kids and quite a few miscarriages I was done. I was giving away my maternity clothes and baby items. Four kids is quite a handful, especially when you have MS. But, surprise! We found ourselves with an unlikely pregnancy and it has taken clear up until now, my 9th month, to brace myself for it. 

A friend and I were talking about how family sizes have changed over the last generation. What was once a small family now seems large. Seven kids was large in my generation, but not that strange. Now it is newsworthy. We figure that if you double the amount of kids you have nowadays, it would equal what it would have looked like a generation or two ago. For example, a family with 3 kids now is quite large, being somewhat like what having 6 kids would have been not too long ago. So my 5 kids is like having 10 kids when our grandparents were doing it. Yeah. That feels about right. Slightly overwhelming. 

Luckily, we are trying to raise our kids more like our Grandparents raised theirs. So hopefully we will find success raising hard working, moral, contributing members of society. Just like Grandma. 

Money Management for Stress Relief

What are some of our biggest stresses in life? Family? Work? Schedules? Money? Those are definitely in the top 10. One of my obsessions for the past month has been Dave Ramsey. Oh, Dave! Where have you been all my life? No, seriously! Why haven't I discovered him until now? I'm 35 and I've been trying to figure out this money part of life all alone all these years. He's like the financial-guru uncle I never had!
I've heard of him before, and I've even heard of his classes, "Financial Peace University", but I didn't know much about it. A friend of ours lent us Dave's newest book that he co-wrote with his daughter, Rachel Cruze, called, "Smart Money Smart Kids". I don't think I've thought of much else or done anything else in my spare time than pour over this book. Talk about a stress reliever! No really!
Having a plan is half the battle, and that is what Dave has given me. Since I haven't learned these financial lessons yet myself, I've had to internalize the lessons taught in this book before I could make a plan for my kids. But now I have both! My husband and I have ben tight with our finances for a while. Pretty much our whole marriage. Adding another baby has put our stress about them into overdrive. Anyone relate? We have it all. Mortgage, car payments, student loans, and unfortunately up until we got our tax return, we even had a little credit card debt (I hate admitting that). We are like a good share of Americans who are just barely making it paycheck to paycheck. Something like a broken furnace puts us into a tailspin. We are big budgeters, but there's only so much you can do when your incoming just doesn't quite cover your outgoing. We've cut and cut and cut. My husband wears socks with holes in them and until I mended an old pair of slacks I found, he was wearing the same pair of pants to work every day. Our kids have never bought any new clothes, except socks and underwear and the occasional pair of shoes. Hand-me-downs have always been welcome in our house! We make our own laundry soap. I could go on and on. But making ends meet has just been difficult.
Then came Dave! We have a plan now. I love his baby steps. I like baby steps. I can do baby steps. And what a stress reliever it has been. Do you have money stresses? As part of your plan for simplifying your life, I would recommend checking out Dave Ramsey. He could help you get that one area of your life in order. One of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Content people may not have the best of everything, but they make the best of everything."

What do you think? Have you read any Dave Ramsey books? Have you attended any of his classes?

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa Salad (Original & Vegetarian)

I don't know about you, but I loved last week's Creamy Potato and Leek Soup. I added carrots for color  and sweetness (see updated post), and my kids gobbled it up. This week, my produce basket has all the ingredients for one of my all-time favorite comfort foods: Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa! Here is my original recipe that I love (see below for my updated healthier version):

Café Rio Salad/Burritos

Sweet Pork

3-4 lb. pork loin roast

1 c. brown sugar

1 bottle red taco sauce

1 Tbs. cumin

1 can coke or root beer

Cover roast halfway wit water and cook on low in crockpot for 6 hours. Discard the liquid and shred the pork with 2 forks. Mix brown sugar, red taco sauce, cumin, and can of coke or rootbeer and pour mixture over pork and put on low in the crockpot for 3 more hours.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

1 dry buttermilk ranch packet (like Hidden Valley)

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tomatillos (husk removed & diced)

½ bunch of cilantro

1 clove of garlic

Juice of 1 lime

1 Jalapeno (to taste for spiciness)

Blend all ingredients in blender and refrigerate for 1-2 hours

Rice

Cook according to directions except use chicken broth instead of water, and add a handful of cilantro and the juice from 1 lime.

Assemble

We cook our own black beans and use the uncooked tortillas (making them fresh makes a big different for taste). Then we just add the rice, pork tomatoes, dressing, romaine lettuce, and whatever else we feel like.

Yum! But, here is a healthier version that works great for a plant-based diet with minimal processed foods. Still yum, but with less guilt :)

Vegetarian Cafe Rio Salad

Sweet Beans "Barbacoa"

Cook black beans according to package directions. When done, or nearly done, drain. Add the following and allow to simmer in pot or crockpot on low for an extra 30 minutes or more:

2-3 cloves minced garlic

3 T. molasses or honey

1 T. cumin

1 T. oregano

1 t. salt

dash of chili powder
1 bottle of your favorite salsa, 1 can of diced tomatoes, or 2-3 fresh diced tomatoes

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

spice mix (replaces buttermilk ranch packet):

1/8 t. paprika

1/4 t. mustard powder

1/2 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

1 T. fresh parsley

1 t. fresh chives

1/4 t. dill

1 cup soy, nut, or hemp milk with 1 t. lemon juice

1 cup mayonaise, vegenaise, or nayonaise

2 tomatillos (husk removed & diced)

1/2 bunch cilantro

1 clove garlic

Juice of 1 lime

1 Jalapeno (to taste)

Blend the spice mix and the rest of the ingredients in a blender and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Rice

Cook according to directions, except use vegetarian broth instead of water, and add a handful of cilantro and the juice from 1 lime.

Assembly for Salad

Use flour or corn tortillas of choice as base. Pile high with mixed green lettuces, and add rice, tomatoes, black beans, and drizzle with Creamy Tomatillo Dressing.

Creamy Potato & Leek Soup

I've been busy over the last couple of months. Holidays ran into work on an English summer camp that my husband and I are hosting (more on that later). But, I've continued to work on my produce co-op and we had an ingredient this week that is a little unusual: leeks. These are great little veggies, related to onions and garlic so they have many of the same nutrients. They are good sources of manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, and iron. They can be used in place of green onions in many recipes. In fact, the Chinese family that I have living with me always uses them where we would usually use green onions (i.e. potstickers/dumplings, fried rice, egg drop soup, etc.).
(They are easy to use, but there are just a couple of things you need to know if you aren't used to preparing them.  First, you need to trim off the tough ends of the dark green leaves and also the roots. Then, be sure to wash carefully the leeks. Dirt loves to hide between their layers! Then they are recipe ready.)
We've been having some freezing cold temperatures, rare ice storms, thick fog, and snow that is high enough to hide my mailbox and garbage cans. So I'm craving soup. Here is a fantastic (vegetarian) soup that uses leeks that I love (and that my body loves when I eat it)! I'll post pictures after I get my produce basket and make it tomorrow!
*Update* After I posted this, my cousin Michelle who grew up next to my Grandma, let me know that Grandma Ardis used to have leeks in her garden. So I guess I AM my Grandmother's Granddaughter:)

Creamy Potato & Leek Soup

Serves 4

2 T butter or oil

1 small onion, peeled and chopped

3 or 4 leeks, white part and 1 inch of the green, halved lengthwise, carefully washed, and sliced crosswise

4 or 5 celery stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped

1 clove garlic

3 cups stock

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced –or- 1 turnip, trimmed, peeled and diced
2 carrots, diced

salt

tarragon or curry powder

1. In a soup pot, sauté onions, leeks, and celery in oil or butter, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue sautéing until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, potatoes (or turnips), carrots, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook until the potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, add either tarragon or curry (depending on which flavor you prefer), and then blend in a food processor, or blender, or use a handheld blender to get to your desired consistency.
3. Reheat, if needed, and serve.

Vegetarian Borscht

Growing up I hated beets. I'd push those dark red vegetables around on my plate, hoping that they would magically disappear, and take their pink juices that were running all over my plate with them. I'm still not a big fan of them in salads, but after spending some time in Russia I discovered what they were made for: borscht! Russians eat this delicious soup year round; hot in the winter and cold in the summer. They swirl in smetana, a sour cream-like dairy gem, and gulp it down with some dark russian rye bread on the side. Yum.
I haven't dug out my borscht recipe for a while that I procured from a native Russian neighbor years ago because I thought it wouldn't be the same without some beef and sour cream, both things I have cut out of my diet. But I have developed a recipe that is pretty delish a la vegetarian. And because beets are packed with iron, it is also a great energy boost. :)

Vegetarian Borscht
(serves 4)
1 onion, diced
4 to 5 cloves of garlic, diced
1 to 2 stalks of celery, diced
3 carrots, shredded
1 bell pepper, diced
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 to 3 raw beets, trimmed, peeled, and grated
1 t miso paste (or 1 t. vegetable bouillon)
1-2 bay leaves
3 medium potatoes or 1 large sweet potato, cut into bite-size pieces
1 head cabbage, chopped
1 T cider vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 T dill
greek yogurt (optional)

1. Fry onions in oil in a big soup pot until golden, add garlic, and celery and cook for another 2 minutes.
2. Add shredded carrots, bell pepper,  tomatoes, beets. Add 4 1/2 cups of water and miso paste (or vegetable bouillon), and bay leaves and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add potatoes, cabbage, and vinegar and continue to simmer for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
4. Season with salt and pepper and dill. Dallop with greek yogurt, if using, and serve!

*As with most soups, this is even more delicious on the second day as all the flavors have time to fully incorporate.
*Miso paste is available in Asian markets. It is a fermented soybean paste and is full of immune-supporting minerals and energy-boosting B vitamins. It also adds a meaty, hearty flavor to the soup.

I am going to make this this week with my fresh produce from the co-op that I am helping with, so look for pictures to come :).

What is beautiful to a four year-old?

E and Daddy on our "too full of turkey" walk

We don't watch very much TV in our house. It really isn't a conscious decision, but more of a low priority, both financially and for use of time.
Today my sometimes too crazy and rambunctious 4 year-old boy just saw a commercial of some supermodels advertising some shampoo and he said, "that isn't beautiful to me".
So I asked him what, or who, was beautiful to him? He answered, "M & S": the names of his two older sisters. I don't know if this is because of his low exposure to TV, and the tainted view of what "beautiful" is, or if he just really loves his sisters. I'd like to think that it is some of both. Either way, it warmed my heart. And I agree that his sisters are the REAL beautiful.
What are some benefits you've seen with low TV exposure, either for you or for your children?

Grandma's Raw Cranberry Relish (Sauce) Recipe

Grandma used to make this 'relish' for Thanksgiving dinner. This is one of the few recipes that I have handed down to me from my grandmother.

Raw Cranberry Relish
1 bag fresh cranberries, rinsed,
2 medium oranges (including the peel)
Juice from the cranberries and oranges
3/4 c. sugar

Grind up the cranberries and oranges in food processor or blender.
Stir together all the ingredients and refrigerate overnight.

I know you shouldn't mess with granny's recipes, but I think I am going to try a natural sweetener, like dates or agave, this Thanksgiving. Also, since I am one of the only people who eats this on their turkey, I will probably cut the ingredients in half. I'll let you know how it goes and post pictures.

**Update**
Ok, it was awesome! So I only messed with granny's recipe a little. I cut the sugar to under 1/2 cup and it was still PLENTY sweet (at least for me). I loved the tartness on my turkey! And since it was just a couple of us who opted for the relish rather than the gravy, I had some leftovers that I popped into my green smoothie yesterday. And it was seriously some yummy wake up juice.

Grandma's cranberry relish

Oh, and because of all the festivities, I forgot to get a picture of the sauce on the real turkey day. But here is a pic of some headed to my smoothie.