Why do we decide to make changes when the year ends? Is it an end to the year and an end to "a bad habit?" Or, New year, new beginning? I feel like we should be able to make changes to our life at any time during the year. Not just in January. Why continue doing something (or not doing something) because it's not January? I say, if you don't like how something is going in your life, change it. If you want to exercise more, than do it! Don't wait another 12 months to start a new exercise program.
Yea, yea, yea. I'll get off my soap box now.
So, one thing I'm ready to let go of (this year? ha ha) is stuff. I'm sick of stuff.
I'm tired of stuff we don't need.
I'm tired of stuff we have no where to store.
I'm tired of stuff we have and have no idea where it originated (came from).
I'm tired of stuff that is left around the house.
I'm tired of stuff that was given to us and we never used (and never plan on using)
So, I'm saying, Good Bye, Stuff!
Sayonara!
Adios!
See you later, Alligator!
Don't let the door hit you on the way out!
This will be a small process for me to achieve the "less stuff" status, but, it will be worth it.
And, with less stuff, there will be space for the items I really want and need in my life.
What are you ready to let go of this year / month / in your life?
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
All this talk about dental floss yesterday and today I forgot to brush my teeth this morning before I went to work. I don't think dental floss would help me out of this one.
Luckily, I had some breath mints and my co-worker provided me with a couple of sticks of gum.
Moral of the story: Make sure you brush your teeth.
Luckily, I had some breath mints and my co-worker provided me with a couple of sticks of gum.
Moral of the story: Make sure you brush your teeth.
Monday, January 29, 2018
Dental Floss
It all started with the recommended, "Floss 3 times a day."
I have to admit, I'm lucky if I floss once a day.
I have dental floss for myself and RT. When the kids were at an age where they could floss by themselves, I purchased some more floss. At the store, buying toothpaste or toothbrushes, I might pick up a box of floss. Even though I only floss 1 1/2 times a day, I was (eventually) using up a box of dental floss. (By the way, how many millions of yards of floss can they put in one of those boxes?)
Then, one day, I looked into the drawer where I keep the extra toothpaste, brushes and floss and noticed the abundance of dental floss supply.
I did a little investigation. Turns out the kids weren't doing a lot of flossing. (I don't think any flossing went on) I also found out that RT wasn't flossing.
Recently, I inherited (unopened) boxes of dental floss from my mom. Which means, that I now have several life time supplies of dental floss.
A positive note is that I never have to worry about running out of dental floss for the rest of my life.
Does anyone know of any fun things to do with dental floss?
I have to admit, I'm lucky if I floss once a day.
I have dental floss for myself and RT. When the kids were at an age where they could floss by themselves, I purchased some more floss. At the store, buying toothpaste or toothbrushes, I might pick up a box of floss. Even though I only floss 1 1/2 times a day, I was (eventually) using up a box of dental floss. (By the way, how many millions of yards of floss can they put in one of those boxes?)
Then, one day, I looked into the drawer where I keep the extra toothpaste, brushes and floss and noticed the abundance of dental floss supply.
I did a little investigation. Turns out the kids weren't doing a lot of flossing. (I don't think any flossing went on) I also found out that RT wasn't flossing.
Recently, I inherited (unopened) boxes of dental floss from my mom. Which means, that I now have several life time supplies of dental floss.
A positive note is that I never have to worry about running out of dental floss for the rest of my life.
Does anyone know of any fun things to do with dental floss?
Friday, January 26, 2018
The Black Hole
I believe I have briefly mentioned the black hole Alex's room.
Alex is not very good at keeping his room neat and tidy. In fact, if he takes anything up into his room, there is no guarantee you will ever see that item again.
I did ask Alex to clean up a little last week. He put some garbage into a container. Of course, it barely scratched the surface. I took out a bunch of recycling and dirty dishes and it still looks like a bomb went off in the room.
I am accepting all suggestions on trying to get him to clean his room (and keep it clean). Of course, if you have a secret plan and it works, you could make millions. I'm sure there are other parents out there willing to buy your idea.
Alex is not very good at keeping his room neat and tidy. In fact, if he takes anything up into his room, there is no guarantee you will ever see that item again.
I did ask Alex to clean up a little last week. He put some garbage into a container. Of course, it barely scratched the surface. I took out a bunch of recycling and dirty dishes and it still looks like a bomb went off in the room.
I am accepting all suggestions on trying to get him to clean his room (and keep it clean). Of course, if you have a secret plan and it works, you could make millions. I'm sure there are other parents out there willing to buy your idea.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Vegan Diaries - Chick Peas and Dumplings
I think this whole Vegan thing has been quite fun. I'm discovering new recipes and new ways to make meals that I had when I was eating meat.
I found this Chick Peas and Dumplings recipe and thought I would give it a try. I have to admit, that I was worried that it was going to be awful and that we would be dining on peanut butter sandwiches. So, I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious this meal tasted and plan on adding this to one of my favorite meals. Nick gave it a thumbs up and a "next time add more mushrooms."
Here's the recipe:
ingredients:
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 small onion, diced
4 celery stalks, sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
8oz mushrooms sliced
3 bay leaves
2 1/2 tsp thyme
2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup oat flour *
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 15oz cans, rinsed and drained)
1 quart vegetable broth
2 1/2 TBSP Vegan Butter
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
2 TBSP fresh parsley
Heat oil in large pot. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, parsley and cumin and cook for one minute. Add oat flour and stir until flour is no longer visible. Add chickpeas and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.
In large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and garlic powder. Add softened butter and mix with a fork until you have a coarse texture. In small bowl, combine the milk and parsley. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until you have a thick dough.
Uncover pot and remove bay leaves. Drop dough into soup. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until dumplings are solid.
Serve and enjoy.
*I learned that you can finely grind up oats and, voila! you have oat flour.
**I would add a little more garlic seasoning to the dumplings for more flavor.
Oh, and Nick would suggest that you add more mushrooms.
I found this Chick Peas and Dumplings recipe and thought I would give it a try. I have to admit, that I was worried that it was going to be awful and that we would be dining on peanut butter sandwiches. So, I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious this meal tasted and plan on adding this to one of my favorite meals. Nick gave it a thumbs up and a "next time add more mushrooms."
Here's the recipe:
Chickpea & Dumpling Soup
taken from: But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan, by Kristy Turner
ingredients:
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 small onion, diced
4 celery stalks, sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
8oz mushrooms sliced
3 bay leaves
2 1/2 tsp thyme
2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup oat flour *
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 15oz cans, rinsed and drained)
1 quart vegetable broth
2 1/2 TBSP Vegan Butter
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
2 TBSP fresh parsley
Heat oil in large pot. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, parsley and cumin and cook for one minute. Add oat flour and stir until flour is no longer visible. Add chickpeas and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.
In large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and garlic powder. Add softened butter and mix with a fork until you have a coarse texture. In small bowl, combine the milk and parsley. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until you have a thick dough.
Uncover pot and remove bay leaves. Drop dough into soup. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until dumplings are solid.
Serve and enjoy.
*I learned that you can finely grind up oats and, voila! you have oat flour.
**I would add a little more garlic seasoning to the dumplings for more flavor.
Oh, and Nick would suggest that you add more mushrooms.
Enjoy!
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Waffle Recipe
I finally got a new waffle maker! Our last waffle maker kicked the bucket gave up after 15 years of use (may it rest in peace). It got quite a bit of use over those fifteen years. Lots and lots of waffles are consumed in this house. And, not jut for breakfast!
My kids love having waffles for breakfast. It's their number one choice when asked. They are so easy to make and you can even make them "somewhat" healthy. I make my waffles from scratch and have substituted flax eggs in place of the regular eggs and they still come out wonderfully. I also use flax, fresh fruit and even peanut butter as toppings instead of syrup.
Any extra waffles? Freeze them for another day. My kids will pop them into the toaster oven and have waffles for breakfast. Sometimes they come home and have one for a snack. Having the frozen waffles is great for those days that you just don't have the extra time in the morning to make them.
It's the weekend, build in some extra time and whip up some waffles for the family. They
Here's the recipe:
Waffles
2 eggs*
2 cups flour
1 3/4 cup milk*
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Mix ingredients together. Do not over mix.
Pour small amount into waffle iron and wait until cooked.
Serve.
*You can substitute flax eggs. To make one flax egg mix one Tablespoon ground flax with 3 Tablespoons of cold water. Let sit for 10 minutes. (please note that this recipe calls for two eggs so you will have to make two flax eggs)
**I use almond milk
***I also add cinnamon and some ground flax seed. The ground flax seed gives it a nutty flavor.
My kids love having waffles for breakfast. It's their number one choice when asked. They are so easy to make and you can even make them "somewhat" healthy. I make my waffles from scratch and have substituted flax eggs in place of the regular eggs and they still come out wonderfully. I also use flax, fresh fruit and even peanut butter as toppings instead of syrup.
Any extra waffles? Freeze them for another day. My kids will pop them into the toaster oven and have waffles for breakfast. Sometimes they come home and have one for a snack. Having the frozen waffles is great for those days that you just don't have the extra time in the morning to make them.
It's the weekend, build in some extra time and whip up some waffles for the family. They
Here's the recipe:
Waffles
2 eggs*
2 cups flour
1 3/4 cup milk*
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Mix ingredients together. Do not over mix.
Pour small amount into waffle iron and wait until cooked.
Serve.
*You can substitute flax eggs. To make one flax egg mix one Tablespoon ground flax with 3 Tablespoons of cold water. Let sit for 10 minutes. (please note that this recipe calls for two eggs so you will have to make two flax eggs)
**I use almond milk
***I also add cinnamon and some ground flax seed. The ground flax seed gives it a nutty flavor.
Enjoy!
Friday, January 19, 2018
The Black Hole
I believe I have briefly mentioned the Black Hole Alex's room.
Alex is not very good at keeping his room neat and tidy. In fact, if he takes anything up into his room, there is no guarantee you will ever see that item again.
I did ask Alex to clean his room. He put some garbage into a container. Of course, it barely scratched the surface. We took out a bunch of recycling and dirty dishes and it still lookslike a bomb went off in the room messy.
I am accepting all suggestions on trying to get Alex to clean his room (and keep it clean). Of course, if you have a secret plan and it works you could make millions. I'm sure there are other parents out there willing to buy your idea.
Alex is not very good at keeping his room neat and tidy. In fact, if he takes anything up into his room, there is no guarantee you will ever see that item again.
I did ask Alex to clean his room. He put some garbage into a container. Of course, it barely scratched the surface. We took out a bunch of recycling and dirty dishes and it still looks
I am accepting all suggestions on trying to get Alex to clean his room (and keep it clean). Of course, if you have a secret plan and it works you could make millions. I'm sure there are other parents out there willing to buy your idea.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)