How sweet it is

 

Thank you Fadra for a kick in the butt to post on my blog! You felt badly about not posting for the past two weeks, while I have not posted in months.  Our roller coaster life continues on it's way.  This week we will close on our former house. What a relief to only own one house!  The new owners are really nice and we wish them luck in our home. We miss the amazing kitchen every single day.  But, on the bright side we love our new house and neighborhood. Each and every neighbor we meet is incredibly nice, it feels like home already.  

Anyone else struggling with a defiant 7 year old? Being the youngest of the family can be tough. And being the only girl in the family is also hard. But seriously, she is pushing our buttons, minute by minute.  I know this phase will pass but right now it is hard.  

The kitchen is still my happy place. I just wish I had more foods that the picky kid would enjoy.  My pickiest eater literally likes 4 foods plus fruits. It is so hard to feed him.  One day this will change, right??

I saw a shirt that someone posted on Facebook, I think I need one. It says, stop me before I volunteer again.  Anyone else need one of those?

Have a great Sunday everyone!

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Link your new posts to All Things Fadra (feel free to use her SOC Sunday graphic).

10 Grain Muffins for the Win!

A few years ago I was nominated to be a Hero of the Mill from the Bob's Red Mill company.  This honor really means a lot to me. I eat very healthy, and try to convince my kids that they also want to eat healthy.  But, with the kids, if it does not taste delicious, they will not give it a try.
As a Hero of the Mill, I get surprise packages in the mail a few times a year. The packages are always amazing and always include things I use IMMEDIATELY.  We just moved and a new package arrived.

This month's surprise include a Thermos, a bag of Turbinado Sugar and a bag of 10 grain hot cereal. Diane just started a new school and at her new school the kids bring thermos'. Diane immediately claimed this one and it keeps her lunch hot!! What a great item.  The turbinado sugar has huge crystals and it tastes awesome.  We have tried it in coffee, tea and muffins so far.

We eat Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats for breakfast everyday.  I think we have eaten those for at least 10 years now.  We have never tried a 10 grain hot cereal before and it was delicious.  A nice change of pace.  You can make it before you go to bed in a thermos, then grab it and go off on your day with a hot breakfast at your fingertips.  Ten different grains are included in this mix:
*Whole Grain Wheat
*Whole Grain Rye
*Corn Grits
*Whole Grain Triticale
*Whole Grain Oats
*Soy Beans
*Whole Grain Millet
*Barley
*Whole Grain Brown Rice
*Oat Bran
*Flaxseed Meal

If you want to make this 10 grain cereal that is really easy. Or, you can use the cereal in a filling 10 grain muffin.  We have made this recipe twice and the muffins are eaten in minutes.  Perfect for an on the go snack, lunchbox treat, or breakfast.

10 Grain Muffins, makes 14
1 cup of Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain cereal
1 and 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup turbinado sugar (or your favorite sweetener)
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 egg or egg substitute
1 cup Bob's Red Mill pastry whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 400.
In a small bowl combine 10 grain cereal and buttermilk. Stir it well and let sit 10 minutes.
In another bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder, chocolate chips and baking soda.
After 10 minutes, add 1 egg, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup appplesauce to the bowl with the cereal and buttermilk. Stir until combined.  Slowly add in the dry ingredients mixture.  Stir until just combined.
Spoon into 14 muffin holders.
Bake for 20 minutes. Should be light brown on top and a toothpick should come out dry.
Enjoy!

SheBuysCars, the 2016 VOLT and the new Spark EV

2015 has not been the easiest of months in our house. Moving, flooding basements, boxes and more boxes. That about sums it up.

But, there was a bright light in our month.  We were invited to media day at the Washington Auto Show as guests of Chevrolet and SheBuysCars.  It was so nice to get away from the day to day nonsense, and be around adults for a few hours, while learning about some amazing new automobile innovations.

See this beauty?This is the #NextGenVolt, also known as the 2016 Chevrolet Volt. This new car was shown for the first time in January, at a few Car Shows around the country.  She is a beauty, with tons of new features that current Volt owners, like myself, will love and future Volt owners will definitely enjoy.  During our panel discussion group with the Chevrolet executives, the ones who actually designed this car, we learned all about the car that has the most satisfied owners, the Volt!  As a two time Chevrolet Volt owner (2012 and 2014) we really agree.

Pamela Fletcher, the executive chief engineer, shared with us many upgrades coming to the 2016 model, and then showed us all of these upgrades on the car itself.  Pamela explained that ONSTAR sends Chevrolet data, and they use that data to create the recipe for the new and improved Volt.  The other important piece is the owner feedback that they also collect, which helped create improvements on the new model.

I won't keep these upgrades to myself any longer. Here are the ones that are most exciting to me:

*Cabin comfort is improving.  Heated steering wheels will be available as well as heat/cooling vents for the back row.  And, optional REAR heated seats! Woohoo! No more cold or hot kids in the back.  This is HUGE.
*Each charge will be a full 50 miles. Yes!  400 miles of total range per trip when you include both your charge and your gas.
*The new Volt will take Regular gas, no more premium. As if we aren't saving enough money by going electric already!!
*It will be 25% more efficient. The LED headlights are more efficient, and so are the daytime running lights.  The place were you charge the Volt has an illuminated area, so it's easier to plug in at night.  It has an all new battery which is 20% more energy efficient and 100 pounds lighter.  There will also be a small compartment in the side wall of the trunk where the charger will be stored.

*The front console, or control panel, looks like a big Ipad on the 2016 model.  It has been simplified and made more contemporary and intuitive.  Each area has an icon, which you touch to access the various things you might need, including: climate control (automatically sets your steering wheel, heated seats, etc...), and navigation which is integrated and much easier to use.  There is also a small slot in the center console area that fits your cell phone perfectly.

*There will be an optional third seat in the back row( so the Volt will seat 5 instead of 4).  Honestly, we saw this third seat and it would not look very comfortable for an older child or adult.  There is little to no foot space, and would probably cause fighting( at least between my bigger sized children).  But, having a middle seat for emergencies or last minute play date, would be great. The last row will also still fold flat, for a ton of storage space.  I am constantly amazed at how much can be packed into the Volt trunk.  It might look small, but it holds a ton.

If I have not sold you on the 2016 Volt, or you think it might be a bit out of your price range, then I have one more surprise for you.  The only caveat here, is that you must live in Maryland to buy this new car (or California or Oregon).  This little cutie is called the SPARK EV.

Maryland will be the first East Coast state to start selling the Spark EV.  What exactly is so exciting about it?

The best feature about this Electric Vehicle is that it is under $18,000 (when you factor in the federal and state tax incentives) and gives you up to 82 miles PER CHARGE while putting out zero emissions!  It is the most efficient US retail electric vehicle available.  Also, the motor and drive unit is manufactured right here in White Marsh MD.

GM is launching the Spark in Maryland as the first East coast state.  Maryland was seen as a strong commuter state which also has a good charging infrastructure.  Maryland also has useful HOV lanes, which this car will be able to use.
This 4 passenger and 5 door Spark EV will be available in a 1LT or 2LT trim levels.  7" touch screen control panel, Onstar with available Wifi hotspot, standard remote start, and a regenerative braking system which uses the braking energy and transfers it back to the battery system.  A great warranty will make this a perfect car for anyone who has an interest in an electric vehicle, and was scared away previously by the price tag.

Here is a picture of the inside of the Spark EV. I sat in it, and it was very comfortable.  I think this would make a great car to buy for a teen driver in Maryland or an elderly one too!  In 2014, the Spark EV was ranked first by a Car and Driver comparison of electric vehicles when compared to the Nissan Leaf, Honda Fit EV, Fiat 500E, Ford Focus Electric and Smart Fortwo ED Cabriolet.

But wait, there is more!

The Spark EV is also equipped with BringGo directions.  Be confident about where you need to go, with the turn by turn directions, an Eco driving profile, 3D maps with lane suggestions, remaining distance and fuel cost.  Now, if only I could get the car to do the driving for me.

If the light blue color is not for you, the Spark EV also comes in Black Granite, Electric Blue (as pictured), Lime, Salsa (red), Silver Ice and Summit White.  The interior options are electric blue cloth, as pictured, or dark pewter leatherette with silver trim.  I'd love to have one of these sitting in my garage and sharing my charging station with my Volt. 

Any questions about either of these cars, please email me.
Thank you again to ShebuysCars and Chevrolet for an awesome day of innovation.

Stream of Consciousness Sunday

Thank you Fadra, for inspiring me to write for 5 minutes, unedited, stream of conscious style. I have a lot on my mind, and it felt good to get it all down on paper, or write it on my blog.

So we have lived in Virginia for 4 weeks now, and I have noticed a few differences from all the other places we have lived in the past.

*People drive way too fast. Speed limits on most roads are 55. Everyone takes that to mean 70-80. I prefer going about 35 and I am needing to find my inner teenager, excited to drive with speed, and step on the gas. Seriously, these drivers scare me!

*So many enormous places of worship! Whatever religion you might be, there is a giant place for you to attend services. I am not joking. While driving to a birthday party last Sunday we past 4 different houses of worship. Each had more than 1,000 cars in the parking lots, with plenty of police escorts helping members enter or exit the parking lots. I think I pass 14 houses of worship on the way to the kid's school, maybe more?

*People are very friendly! Neighbors are often just stopping by to say hi. Ringing our doorbell with snacks and welcome gifts. Asking if the kids can come outside to play. Friendly neighborhood with wine club, dinner club, BUNCO nights, and more. Such a warm welcome.

*Alcohol is EVERYWHERE! I am not a drinker, but wow if I was, this is the place to live. Almost every aisle in Target has alcohol in it. So weird to see! Grocery store has 5 aisles of just alcohol. Trader joes has 4 aisles. If you don't like the strict alcohol buying laws in your state, come move here! I wonder if there are more members of AA here??

*Oops, I have been writing for 8 minutes, time flies when you are having fun? My last observation is that there are many more open spaces, parks, and places to enjoy nature here. Things are more spread out and encourages you to exercise.  Molly sure appreciates these surroundings very much! 

What a difference a fence makes!

We have lived here for 28 days and those 28 days have been, of course, quite challenging.  The worst part of this first month was that we did not have a fence.  Molly is used to having a fence and standing by the back door when she needs to go out. It is very easy to have a dog who knows when she needs to go outside.  But without a fence, that meant that Molly wanted to walk around, explore her neighborhood, and demanded to do this many times a day.  She also occasionally needed to go out at 5 am or midnight too.  This would not even be that terrible if the ground was not covered in ice and snow and the temperature was in the teens.
Lions Fence to our rescue! If you need a fence, give Richard a call.  You will thank me later.  His team built our fence in 7 hours. I thought it would take weeks. HA! 9am they started and they were done before 4 pm.  Plus, it was 15 degrees when they started in the morning. If it were warmer, I am sure it would have been done even quicker.
Here is a quick video of Molly's first run through the yard with no leash.  Such a happy girl.

Banana Chocolate Chip Chia Muffins

One of the first things we unpacked and got fairly organized was the kitchen.  We needed to eat and cook and of course make muffins right away.
These muffins are very healthy and super delicious.  The kids ate them all before the day was over.  We are making them again this morning, they are that good.
The key to a good muffin is good ingredients. The best ingredients I have found in my many years of baking are those from Bob's Red Mill. I used their new 100% stone ground whole wheat pastry flour in these muffins. I have never met a product from Bob's red Mill that was not delicious. We use a whole bag of steel cut oats and farro every week, sometimes in 3 or 4 days.  If you have never tried a Bob's Red Mill product, do yourself a favor and get some!

Yum

Hope you enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Chia Muffins
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes
Makes 12

1 cup Bobs Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/2-3/4 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you like it
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 TB chia seed combined with 1/2 cup water
6 oz of your favorite yogurt (I used fat free greek plain)
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 TB coconut oil
1/2-3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease your muffin pan or use papers. I like to use the silicone reusable muffin cups.  Combine the water and chia seeds in a small bowl. Let them rest so they will turn into a gel, takes about 15 minutes or so.
Add all the dry ingredients into a big bowl. Mix lightly.
Add all the wet ingredients into a bowl.  Stir in the chia gel. Combine all the ingredients together and gently mix together.  Stir in chocolate chips gently. 
Bake and enjoy!

Moving

The past two weeks are a blur.
Boxes
Huge Trucks
Cannot find what I need
Where is ______
Muscles hurting, yearning for sleep
Where do I begin??? Boxes calling from every room. Pick me! No, me. Start here.
So overwhelming!!
We moved to a new house and to say it has not been easy is really an understatement.
Moving sucks, no way around that.
But the number of things that went wrong are pretty unbelieveable.
Hopefully things will calm down soon. If not, we will continue to roll with the punches and we know the light is at the end of the tunnel, it just feels like a really looooooong tunnel right now

Here is a quick summary:
*Settlement was pushed 10 days later than we wanted it. Then it was scheduled, but a problem came up with the title, and it was pushed an additional three days.
*We wanted to be all moved in and settled before school began after winter break. Our beds and sheets were brought on a moving truck at 9:30pm on the Sunday night before school started on Monday. Close enough??
*Since our settlement was pushed, the moving company we had planned on using could not accomodate us.  So we took a recommendation from friends and the new company brought a small truck and could only fit in 1/4 of our furniture on moving day. Yay! Then a week later they brought two small trucks, got everything in, and we ended up paying 3 times more than we were quoted by our original moving company. Double YAY!
*School started Monday morning and since none of us slept well the first night in the new house, Diane burst into tears as she walked into her first grade class. What a way to make an entrance.
*Second night here, we wake up to wet carpet in the basement. The wet carpet that was 5 days old is now soaking wet.  The humdifier was leaking, well not really leaking, POURING water out of it.  Dan quickly unplugged it and fixed it, but not before it ruined most of the carpet.  Fun times!
*While washing the towels from the basement flooding, the washer stops working.  A pipe burst outside and that was the end of that appliance for that day.
*Ever seen a dishwasher without a place to put silverware? I have.  We quickly found creative ways to load the silverware. But seriously???
*What would be an awesome way to end a long day of moving? A hot shower, right? Well only one shower had any hot water.  The one in the basement.  Took a week to get all the showers going with hot water, but it was worth the wait.
*Since we were not on the school email list we had no idea that they did not follow the county for snow delays and we were late for school the third day.  But that does not seem so bad compared to the second day which included ice and snow and took us 2 hours and 35 minutes to get to school. A normal commute should take 10-15 minutes. The second day also included pushing the car up the street 8 times, and running down the highway in the storm.  Our street did not get plowed or sanded for 6 days.  But, on the bright side, a neighbor cleared our whole driveway while we were on our 2 plus hour drive to school. That was an awesome surprise!
*We are finishing our Homebound education with the MOCO teachers and then beginning to work with FCPS teachers. Let's hope that all begins on time and goes smoothly. 
*Alex has had a bloody nose and terrible headaches every single day since we moved in.  It has to get better from here right?
Are we having FUN YET?

Littlebits

My son Jake has always loved computers.  When he was two he would sit at my computer, open up the photo booth and take pictures of himself.  He then would open his gmail, attach a photo, and send it to his preschool teachers with the subject HI, the only word he knew how to type by himself.

Obviously Jake's skills have improved over the years.  Whoever has a computer or technology question immediately calls on Jake.  Jake's knowledge is enormous and he loves to learn new things each day.  Jake even gets phone calls for his tech help from far and wide.

Finding gifts for Jake is always a real challenge.  He does not want very many things.  A few years ago he got a Raspberry Pi.  This has nothing to do with a delicious dessert. It is a complicated engineering device that I could not possibly explain to you, simply because I do not understand how it works.

When I stumbled on Littlebits a few weeks ago I knew I had found an awesome gift for Jake.  As soon as it arrived in the mail, Jake tore it open and completed every single project in an hour.  The pieces were open ended enough that Jake had many future projects in mind to make the kit last much longer.  During the Black Friday sale, Littlebits had a sale.  Jake chose a new kit so that he can create more cool inventions.

Today Jake wants to share with you his door alarm.  Jake designed it himself, using the pieces in the Deluxe Kit.  As soon as his cloudbit arrives, Jake will be making many new projects including a sound trigger that will email me when my laundry is done.  I can't wait!

Where am I?

My poor neglected blog. I have given you no attention in what feels like forever.  In reality it has been only 2 months.  The past 2 months have been crazy.  Joey has a HS diploma and is working in the culinary field.  He makes amazing food for us and he will be a famous chef one day, I am sure of that.  Alex and Noah are both still suffering from their POTS symptoms.  This video is a good summary of what their daily issues are:

Both Alex and Noah are in the IIS(Interim Instructional Services) program through Montgomery county.  It is the only way for them both to keep up with their school work.
Jake is in 5th grade and having a very good year so far and Diane is in 1st grade and having a fabulous time.
Tons of cooking going on. Our weekly soup is a mushroom, potato farro stew and it is amazing. 
Lots of craziness going on around here.  Will try to update more often.
I will leave you with our healthy Mac and Cheese recipe.

Sara's Mac and Cheese
Heat 1 and 1/2 cup milk in a pan.  In a small bowl whisk together 1/4 cup milk and 3T flour.  Add this mixture in to the milk and heat up after it is slowly boiling for about 5 minutes. Keep whisking it, until it gets a little bit thicker.  Take pan off the heat and stir in 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup of ricotta cheese and a little salt.  You will now have a nice creamy, fairly healthy cheese sauce.  Stir in one box of your favorite cooked pasta.  Combine until all the noodles are nicely coated with cheese sauce.  Pour into a oven proof pan.  Sprinkle over the top a bit of salt, parmesan and cornflake crumbs.  Bake at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly and brown a bit.
Enjoy!

School is back in session

Where did the summer go? Why do all the fun things go by so quickly, and then the things you dread take forever.
The kids are growing so quickly, and I honestly feel like I blinked 18 years ago and now I have 5 kids who are growing before my eyes.
Two weeks ago Jake started 5th grade.

It is such a relief that Jake has awesome teachers this year.  It has been a tough 5 years, but so far so good!
Diane started first grade this week.

One of the highlights of her new classroom, was her own desk!!  She was not quite as excited to hear that she would be starting the morning with classwork.

The first day the children were welcomed with Magic Playdough in a bag.  Food coloring was hidden inside the playdough and as they manipulated the dough, the color exploded.  It was a great way to start First Grade.

Today I was lucky enough to be invited for Snack and a Story.  Diane chose her favorite book and the kids enjoyed it very much. I wish a happy back to school to all of you!

Have you heard of Instacart?

Have you heard of the App called Instacart? It is hands down, the best app that I have downloaded in
 the past 5 years.  Not even joking!
 
Don't get mad at me though, this app does not work everywhere.  However, if you live in the DC Metro area you are in luck.  This app allows you to shop at 4 local stores:
Whole Foods
Costco
Harris Teeter
and Safeway.

Each area in which Instacart operates,  will have their own local stores for you to shop in.
This service is awesome, I can shop on my phone for groceries while sitting at a doctor's appointment, waiting in the carpool line, or getting my car serviced. The possibilities are endless.




hi
What sets the Instacart app from the rest? They will deliver your whole order to you (for a nominal fee) within 1-2 HOURS!  Yes, the ingredients you forgot for your dinner can be at your front door in minutes.  During the school year, this app will be a total lifesaver.  You can also sign up at their website www.instacart.com and shop instantly if you do not have a phone with apps.

Now that I shared how awesome this service is, you want a discount code, right?
How about $10 off your first order and FREE delivery?? Just click this link and I will hook you up!  http://inst.cr/t/bZMhoV  or go to their website and enter the code SLAFOUNTAIN1 and you will receive the same offer.

You will be thanking me during the next ice storm, rainy day, or busy afternoon as you order your dinner to be delivered.  I don't think I will ever run out of milk again.  Instacart to the rescue!

Kale Chips in the Microwave???

In our Maryland's Pick organic food bag we have been getting 2-3 heads of kale a week. There is only so much kale salad we can eat.  (I have also been putting kale in our smoothies but SHHHHH)  We have been sharing our kale and eating our kale, but it has grown a bit boring!

On these hot summer days the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven to make a few kale chips.  So a friend mentioned that she made them in the microwave. Brilliant!!
I used a beautiful head of curly lacinato kale this week and I tried to make the chips in the microwaved and it worked.  This is not really a recipe, and you will have to figure out how your own microwave will cook them.  You want to try to get them not too burnt, but crispy similar to potato chips.

Microwave Kale Chips
Kale
Oil (any flavor is fine, I used coconut oil)
Salt

Wash and dry the kale.
Rip it up into small pieces.
Pour a little bit of oil on it and sprinkle on some salt.  Massage the oil and salt in to all the pieces.
Place on a glass dish and spread them around so they are not touching each other.
Cook on high power for 2 minutes.  Open the microwave and move it all around a bit more.  They will look very soft and mushy at this point. Perfect!
Spread them out again and cook for 1 more min.
Open the microwave. Almost crispy and chip like.  Cook 30 seconds more and mine were done.  They tasted just like kale potato chips. Healthy, delicious, easy, and the house stays cool.

Would you like some #Sharktankswag

Our family loves to watch Shark Tank together.  We quickly give our opinions on whether the product that is being presented will be funded or not, will become popular or not, can be found on the internet or not.  It is a very fun family evening activity.  Shark Tank provides some much needed conversation with the teens and tween group.

Last week we were so excited when we got the opportunity to receive a box of #sharktankswag from #CNBCPrimetv .

Even our dog Molly was excited!

Are you watching Shark Tank on Tuesdays? CNBC at 8 pm? Back to back episodes, so two for the price of one??
We will be watching tonight and enjoying the swag that we got in the mail.  Would you like a box of swag too? Enter my giveaway and you can have your very own box of surprises.
What are you waiting for?
Enter now!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Maryland's Pick- Week Two

This was our second week of Maryland's Pick from our local Whole Foods. Another big bag of green, healthy, and delicious items!!

Not much different than last week. Again, all organic items from Homestead Farms. I am really excited about the squash. Quinoa zucchini fritters are definitely happening this weekend.
We also will make some kale chips with the lacinato kale.   The contents of the bag from the weekly email looks like this:

1 bunch Curly kale

1 bunch Lacinato Kale

1 bunch Basil

1 bunch Parsley

1 lb Yellow squash

1 lb Patty Pan squash

1 lb Zucchini

1 bunch Dandelion greens

1 bunch Sorrel

                                                            1 bunch (1/2 lb) Garlic Scapes

If my kale chips are yummy, I will share the recipe. We have just made kale salads and they are good enough.  We also used the lacinato kale on top of a pizza I made yesterday as well. I will share that new find next week.  It tasted incredible.

Eat your greens!  If you are not sure what to make with some of these greens, put a little bit in a fruit smoothie, simple and delicious.

It is not too late to signup for your own Maryland's Pick bag at your local Whole Foods. What are you waiting for??? Go get a bag for yourself!

Fennel Chicken Salad

We got 6 big bunches of fennel in our Maryland Pick bag this past week. I have never bought fennel before and I really did not know what I would do with it.  Since we were sick this past weekend, we had a lot of chicken soup, and soup means leftover cooked chicken.  We threw together a delicious fennel chicken salad and it was so good.  The fennel tasted even better than celery does in it. Crunchy, fresh, and delicious.
Give it a try!

Fennel Chicken Salad
2 cooked chicken breasts cut into chunks
5 fennel bulbs, diced
1/2-3/4 cup mayo
parsley
salt
pepper
onion flakes
chopped almonds
1 T lemon juice
dry cranberries
sunflower seeds
grapes, diced
Put  all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Serve on bread, challah, cracker, lettuce, kale, whatever you have available!

Garlic Scapes Dip

This weekend was full of sickness. UGH!!!  Diane was so sick with a high fever, strep throat, just wanting Mama's cuddles.  But our basket of greens was calling so we made our first recipe.  If you like the flavor of garlic this dip is for you!!  It is super strong, yet delicious.

This recipe is really easy to make.  The green curly things are called garlic scapes.  You cut off the flowers and the ends, then you chop up the green stalks.  They are really the coolest looking vegetable I have ever seen.

Garlic Scapes Dip
15 ounces can of butter beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup garlic scapes, chopped (discard the flowers)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
Drain and rinse your beans. Put them in the food processor.  Pulse them a few times.  Add in all the pieces of garlic scapes and the parmesan and olive oil.  Process for a minute.  Add in the lemon juice and spices. Process till very smooth.
This dip would be great on a falafel sandwich or on whole grain crackers, a sliced baguette, or in a
tomato half.

Maryland's Pick: Week One

The day was finally here. I have wanted to sign up for a CSA for many years, but it is always so expensive.  When I saw signs atour local Whole Foods Rockville, for a local CSA called Maryland's Pick I stopped at the customer service desk for more info.  $20 a week for the whole summer. SOLD!

The excitement was really building for us because we signed up over two weeks ago but this was our first bag.  The first week, we signed up too close to delivery date, so they would not have time to make our bag.  Last week we arrived first thing on Sunday morning(pickup can be friday, saturday, or sunday), to find out that someone else picked up our bag on Saturday!!! So sad, but no worries, we were not charged for it, so we just had to wait another week.

I did not get to take a picture of the red bag all the goodies came in, because everyone took everything out too quickly.  Here is everything that came in the bag.

An email is sent on Thursday, sharing the items that will be in the bag, along with the Farm that they will come from. (Today the offerings were all from Homestead Farm)  Everything in the bag each week is locally, freshly picked and organic!  Recipes and suggestions are also included in the weekly email.
The breakdown of our veggies were:

 Three kinds of Kale: Red Leaf, Green and Lacinato

Garlic Scapes

Sorrell, dandelion greens and the scapes again

And last but not least some baby squash

My little girl is home sick today with a fever and feeling quite crummy, so the cooking of these gorgeous veggies will have to wait a few days.  But, I do know we will make an arugula salad with pine nuts and fennel as well as a kale salad and some kale chips.  If you want to sign up for this awesome bag, ask at your local Whole Foods, and you will be enjoying some awesome local produce just like we are.  I know that there are a few spots left at the Rockville Whole Foods, so what are you waiting for?? Go signup now.

Zucchini Muffins and Fritters for the win!

I love zucchinis.  I could eat them everyday and be a very happy person.  My favorite way to eat them is so simple. Peel, cut into coins, then saute them in a tiny bit of EVOO with some Chickpea Flour sprinkled on top as well as some salt. YUM. So easy and so delicious.
Since we have an abundance of zucchini this week, we branched out from our usual snack and made muffins and fritters. They both are amazing.  The muffins are vegan and the fritters are not, but could easily be made vegan with an egg substitute.
Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Zucchini Muffins
1 and 1.5 cups sprouted wheat flour ( or your favorite flour)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup coconut oil (or your favorite oil)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup grated zucchini
 Preheat oven to 350.  Peel and shred your zucchini.  Squeeze out excess water.  Put zucchini in a small bowl.  Mix in applesauce, sugar, vanilla, vinegar and oil.
In another bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Combine wet and dry ingredients, combine until just mixed.  Fold in chocolate chips, and some nuts would also be delicious.
We made 11 muffins from this batter.  Bake 19 minutes.

Zucchini Fritters
1 cup cooked quinoa
1.5 cups of shredded zucchini, can be a little more or less too
1 onion shredded
1 egg
1-2 egg whites
1/2-3/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Oil to saute them in
Peel and shred your zucchini. I used 3 medium ones. You can use more or less if you have it.  If you use your food processor, this just takes a few minutes.  Pop the onion in and shred that too.  Try to squeeze out and get rid of as much water as you can.
Place zucchini and shredded onion in a large bowl. Stir in the egg, egg whites, wheat germ and spices.  Keep stirring.  Add in parmesan cheese.  You want to try to get the mixture to stay together when you form it into the patty.  If you need to, you can add more egg white or wheat germ to form the patty easier. 
Make sure your Oil is very hot in the pan.  Fry a small patty and brown it on each side.  Eat it as soon as it is ready. Delicious, healthy and easy!

Presenting Marshmallow, Chicken Pot Pie, Daddy Walnut and Mrs Nobody

Our four chicks who hatched are now living in the safe side of the cage.  Little Miss Muffin and Goldie were a bit aggressive with them, so we made a partition to keep the baby chicks safe.
It is so hard to take photos of these active chicks.  But here are our four new additions to the Kindergarten class.

                                                                    Marshmallow

Chicken Pot Pie

                                                                    Mrs Nobody

                                                                Daddy Walnut

 When I came into class today to read a story and bring a snack I saw this awesome chart on the whiteboard.  The kids had all come up with names for the new chicks.  Each name was written down and as my daughter told me, they did a blind vote.  How cool!!  Some of these names are hilarious.

Diane could hold and play with these chicks all day.  This has been an amazing experience for her and the whole class.

Red Pepper Bruschetta

My oldest son is going to culinary school soon.  There are many benefits to his being a chef.  He can eat a dish from a restaurant and figure our the recipe and replicate it.  He can also create many awesome dishes from various ingredients.  He learns technique at work, and really has improved his cooking skills.  He also bring home lots of food that would otherwise be thrown away.
Yesterday he made a gorgeous Red Pepper Bruschetta that I want to share with you today.

Red Pepper Bruschetta
Ingredients:
One loaf of rustic Italian bread
Red peppers(the ones you typically find in an olive bar)
Fresh basil
Fresh mozzarella
Balsamic Glaze

1. Slice the bread and toast lightly.
2. Chop the red peppers into small pieces and take out any seeds.
3. Chop the basil into small pieces.
4. Slice the mozzarella into thin pieces.
5. Take out the toasted bread.  Press the mozzarella onto each slice, followed by some red pepper and some basil.  Bake at 425 for 5-10 minutes. Watch carefully for it to just get bubbly, not burnt.
6. Drizzle the balsamic glaze on top of each piece.
7. Enjoy!