Kale & Potato Soup

Kale & Potato Soup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion
2-3 cloves garlic
Salt & Pepper
4-6 potatoes cut into cubes
6 cups vegetable broth (Rapunzel brand vegetable bouillon cubes are my favorite - no salt added)
¼- ½ cup almond milk
half a bunch of Lacinato kale washed & cut into ribbons

Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat. 
Add onion and cook until soft and translucent. 
Add garlic and cook for a minute more.
Season with salt & pepper.
Add potatoes and broth. Turn up heat and bring to a boil.
Turn heat to low/med. And simmer until potatoes are tender.
Add almond milk and simmer a bit.
Add Lacinato kale and cook until just wilted.
Serve garnished with extra coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper.

Printable PDF HERE

// Flashback Friday // Spring 2010 - Backyard Picnic

Can't wait to be able to do this again...the grass is turning green again...soon!
Follow my blog with bloglovin

::weekend road-trip::

Last weekend we headed south to spend the time with family. We always enjoy these mini road-trips. We love to explore together as a family. Baby Boy doesn't do so well after two hours or so. These mini road-trips are perfect. It was also nice to be with family. We always enjoy getting together when we can. This trip was a little clouded by medical issues and concerns, so we weren't able to see some family. My Girl got a stomach virus the day we were supposed to leave, so we ended up staying an extra day.
Baby Boy went right to Pop Pop when he saw him.
It's become somewhat of a "tradition" for David and I to make breakfast one morning while we visit. Love family meals!
The kids had fun with a cheap bubble toy we picked up at the grocery store.
 A long-standing tradition with Pop Pop... Checking the mail.
The mailbox is around the corner from his house and they enjoy the short walk.
They have since toddler-hood. :)
I just love these images of Baby Boy on Pop Pop's patio that I snapped with my iPhone.
He is such a sweetie! Be-Be says she supposes he should never wear any other color but blue.
Be-Be and I stole away for a bit and explored Restoration Hardware. Such beautiful stuff that's way out of my league!
And a trip would not be complete without a meal at the Whole Foods salad bar!

//Flashback Friday// - Three Days Ago :)

Only flashing back three days ago. :)
Just some cute shots of Baby Boy and I enjoying our green smoothies!
Aren't his eyes the best?! *sigh*
Love the light in this room!

neglecting my chores

Today when I should have been doing laundry and dishes...I made a skirt instead!
I've wanted to try recon sewing for a while now and I thought a reconstructed jean skirt was a good entry into this realm. :)
A pair of not-so-great-fitting jeans+a-pretty-scarf-that-never-looked-right-on-me=A funky skirt!
I like it!
I combined THIS tutorial with THIS one... and was totally inspired by Alicia's tweets about recon sewing and her own skirt! :)
AND by my dear friend Dorina's newest post on her blog...
I'm trying patchy jeans next! :) or maybe a patchy skirt! ;)

artsy fartsy

I take an exorbitant amount of pictures of food...
Just sharing one...
Broccolini...such a delicious treat (at $2.50 a bundle they are rare treats!)

Luxurious Foamy Castile Soap

I LOVE foam hand soap! (so do my kids!)
I also LOVE Dr. Bronner's soaps! I use it to make homemade laundry soap and as a floor cleaner in a handy spray bottle. There are a million uses for this wonderful soap!
I was so excited when I figured out how to transform this lovely soap into a luxurious foaming hand soap.
Here's my "trick"...

You will need:
-1 empty Dial Complete Foaming Antibacterial Hand Wash dispenser
- Your favorite scented Dr. Bronner's Magic Pure Castile Classic Liquid Soap (my favorite is Lavender, but I can't wait to try the new citrus scent!)

Fill the empty dispenser about a 1/2-inch to 1-inch with Dr. Bronner's liquid.
Fill the rest of the way with water *slowly so you don't create too many bubbles* making sure to leave enough empty space to accommodate the pump mechanism inside the bottle.
Viola! You have an amazing smelling Fair Trade, Organic foaming hand soap! :) 

mini date with My Girl

My Girl has grown and matured so much in the last year.
She is blooming, entering those years where I will have to let loose the apron strings a bit and watch her blossom into the girl she dreams of being.
Knowing deep down that she is amazing, and will be alright.
But nevertheless, I get weepy thinking of her growing up...
We have rough days where I expect too much of her...
Days when this sleep-deprived Mama depends on her too much...
She is wounded more easily when I show the slightest disappointment in something she may have done (or not done.)
We also have good days... Days when we really connect. Usually over something we do together such as color a huge poster after BB has gone to bed, look at birthday party themes in magazines, have picnics in the backyard, make cookies together...
I am making a focused effort to devote a little time just for her and I, each week.
This weekend was the first of what I hope to be many Mama-Daughter dates.
We only had a little bit of time. She tagged along with me to the grocery store to pick up a couple items, and then we headed to Starbucks for a treat.
Her drink: Tall Soy Strawberries & Creme Frappuccino
My Drink: Double Tall 1-Pump Vanilla Soy No Foam Caramel Macchiato
(I sound like Meg Ryan in "You've Got Mail ;)
We even ordered the cute mini donuts and both marveled at how much they tasted like packaged donuts. ha! (won't be getting those again!)
It was nice to sit with my girl and drink in her energy...her beauty...her smile. :)

Curried Red Lentil Soup

Curried Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 - 14 1/2 oz. can fire-roasted petite diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups red lentils
1 1/2 cups diced onion
1 Tbsp. crushed garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients into a large soup pot.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and cover.
Simmer 25 minutes, or until lentils have disintegrated.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with any or all of the following items:
cooked rice
baby spinach leaves
toasted sliced almonds
Greek yogurt

Serve with Naan and lemon wedges. (I'll be trying the Naan recipe I linked soon!)
So simple, yet full of so much flavor! 
You can combine all the above ingredients in your Crock Pot and let it cook all day on low as well! 

Printable PDF HERE

//Flashback Friday// - 2006 My Girl wrote a song about me! *swoon*

 ---photo from 2007 look at that little 6 year old?! time sure does fly!
When My Girl was about 5 or 6 years old, she had a cool little cassette tape player/recorder, a gift from Nana,  that she toted everywhere.
I gave her a blank cassette tape and she went to town recording all sorts of things. One day she presented me with a little surprise...

I Love You Mom Forever and Ever
(click the above song title to hear it for yourself!)

“Hello this is me **yne**.(disguised her name on purpose)
I want to sing a song.
It’s really pretty.
It’s about my Mom.
So you probably want to hear about my Mom…Well here it goes!

‘Thank you for coming today!
Presenting:
I Love You Mom Forever & Ever.
Mom there’s a thing that I have to tell you,
It’s a song that I always love.
That I sing when I’m ever mad.
It makes me happy every time.
It’s really cute.
I love you Mom forever and ever, always when I’m mad, I still love you, mmhhhmmmm…
Every time I’m blue or mad or sad I still love you, you are my favorite Mom in the world.
I love you, I love you. I love you forever and ever.
Things are beautiful, things are sweet, things are beautiful, I love you.
Very, very much, I love you. Looooove you!
Every time it’s raining outside I am bluuuue.
But every time I’m blue you cheer me up, you cheer me up always.
‘Cause you are the best Mom I ever had!
The End’”

--Isn't that the sweetest?!
Today the tape recorder is used mostly by Baby Boy. The tape player part is broken, but that doesn't deter him from singing in the microphone...sissy joins in now and again! ;)

coffee love

I've been a coffee drinker for about 6 or 7 years now...but my obsession was nurtured in Alaska.
There were "coffee huts" on just about every corner in Fairbanks and it is there that I had my first latte.
First GOOD latte.
12 oz. / double shot / creamy goodness
I was visiting the above mentioned "coffee huts" with ridiculous frequency...
My habit was getting pricey, and a friend had just purchased a home machine...
After having a few lattes prepared by him I HAD to have my own!
And the love affair began...ahhh...
It's silly...but I LOVE a good latte! They are hard to come by now that we have moved away from Alaska.
I get a good one every now and then when we travel through Austin, TX.
I admit I get a bit crazed about coffee.... ha! ha! :) 
Even as much as I love it, I know I need to cut back a little...so I'll end with a question:
What is your favorite beverage to indulge in?

errand day


Despite the arctic cold front that has moved into our area, we had to run a few errands today.
We all bundled up and I jumped at the chance to wear as many of my knitted goodies as I could!
My Girl wore a hat I knit for her, and BB was wearing his gnomey hat I knit that is a bit small but fits just enough to keep the right areas warm! tee! hee!
My Girl and I snapped the photos in the first image with my iPhone as BB slept in the parking lot of the thrift store.
Unfortunately we had to be out and about around his nap time, so he took a short one in his carseat as My Girl and I played with my camera.
The bottom image shows our thrifting treasures. A beautiful robin's egg blue Pyrex bowl, and a framed embroidery. I have determined that if I ever find these robin's egg blue Pyrex bowls at thrift stores and yard sales I WILL buy them, as long as I don't already have them. ;) I have my Mother-In-Law's pea green set that I love, but there is just something about this robin's egg blue...ahhh...
I plan to paint the frame of the embroidery piece, and hope to share the results after it's had it's "facelift." :)

p.s. I processed the images in the 1st photo using the PS Express and instagr.am apps for the iPhone and then made the collage with the Diptic app. The yellow stripy photo was snapped of the lining of my "purse" and the blue-ish image is of my new Pyrex bowl. ;)
Powered by Blogger.