Teacher Appreciation

Just a little gift we made to let our teacher's know how much we appreciate them! 

Who doesn't love fresh strawberries?

Thanksgiving in May

Way back in December for some reason I decided to buy a turkey.  I've never cooked a turkey before.  Every Thanksgiving since I was born, someone else has cooked it and I have no complaints about that.  Something possessed me to finally try it.  But that poor turkey sat in my freezer for, oh, say 5 months (Mind you it was meant to be a Christmas or possibly a New Years turkey, then an Easter bird, but alas a May bird.  Who ever heard of a May bird?).  I know, I know.  I don't know what really made me take that 20-something pounds of poultry out to defrost, but I did.  And it took for-e-ver to defrost (I'm talking like after a week it was still frozen).  I'm sure it was my fridge settings or something.  It turned out really moist and the texture was awesome, but since I happened to be sick the day I decided to cook it (go figure), I didn't really spice it up the way I would have liked.  So I won't be posting THAT recipe, I'll just show a pretty picture of my pretty beautiful bird.

I wanted to kind of stay away from the traditional Thanksgiving feast that is accompanied by a turkey.  Seeing as my Marvel is allergic to most all of "traditional Thanksgiving" foods, that made my decision set in stone.  Instead of mashed potatoes smothered in butter and gravy made w/wheat flour, I mashed sweet potatoes, seasoned them with salt and that's about it.  I made a stock using the neck and giblets, then added a little salt and pepper to taste and some (I think) arrowroot starch to thicken it up (could have been Tapioca starch, can't remember).

Now here's to the good stuff.  I couldn't make traditional stuffing since Marvel can't eat it and stuffing made with gluten-free bread just doesn't taste the same.  Cornbread stuffing is good, but Marvel can't have corn either.  Hmmm.  I scoured Pinterest (since that's the only place where good ideas really exist, right?) and came across a Vegan, gluten-free recipe at The Wannabe Chef.  Looked good enough for me.  It was awesome!  Definitely the best quinoa I've had to date!  We'll definitely be recreating this for Thanksgiving this year!  The only change I made was I substituted the sugar for maple syrup.

• 2 cups quinoa, rinsed
• 4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp parsley
• 1/2 Tbsp rosemary
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (or cane sugar or any other kind of sugar-substitute)

Bring the quinoa and broth to a boil in a large pot.  Cover the pot and turn off the heat, letting the quinoa sit to absorb the water.

In a pan, saute the onion, celery, and carrots in 2 Tbsp oil until the onions are translucent and the carrots have cooked through.

When the quinoa is fully cooked, add in the sauteéd vegetables, maple syrup (or sugar), and herbs.  Mix those in while fluffing the quinoa.

Move to a serving bowl and serve warm.

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

I love Nutella.  It pretty much runs through my veins.  How can I be a Dutch/German-blooded American and NOT love it?  I'd seriously consider something majorly wrong with you if you're in dislike of the best spread ever created on the face of the planet.  As much as I love it, I try my very hardest to not buy it.  I eat it in the heaping spoonfuls.  I'll devour an entire jar...my.self...in a day.  Okay, not really, its more like 2 or maybe 3 days.  Lets be real here.  It's certainly not a good influence on my thighs.  Or rear.  Or any other part of me for that matter.  When we discovered Marvel was allergic to lots and lots of stuff, there were certain things we couldn't buy anymore, even occasionally.  It just wasn't the nice thing to do.  Nutella had to go (but to be honest, it wasn't really around all that much anyway, so the change wasn't drastic, just sad).  Santa was naughty and put a jar in my stocking.  Marvel snuck some.  Cap snuck some.  Music Man and Monkey snuck lots of some.  I didn't sneak.  I devoured.  And.  We all had tummy aches.  So sad.  But, a blessed, blessed thing called Pinterest enlightened me with this recipe.  I HAD to try it.  I did.  It was good.  We ate it all.  I had to give some away so I wouldn't eat it all.  They ate it all.  They thought it was yummy.  Life is back in balance again.  AND its dairy-free AND refined sugar free AND non-hydrogenated oil free AND...need I go on, really? Yippy! :-)

I did alter the recipe a bit since I don't have coconut sugar (which I would really like to try, by the way).  I made 2 batches.  The first was nasty, but I fixed it.  I accidentally used unsweetened chocolate instead of dark or semi-sweet.  Gross.  I ended up adding extra milk/sugar mix to it.  It was a little runny, but good stuff.  The second batch was pure heaven.  I didn't use the entire milk/sugar mix, so it was a little thicker, but delish!  It freezes really well, so you can make a ton and freeze it!  I'm too impatient to defrost it, so freezing keeps me from eating it all!

• 1 1/2 cups hazelnuts
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk (canned, preferably full fat)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or coconut sugar or any other sweetener you'd like)
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 3 bars (3.2 oz each) dark (or semi-sweet) chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Toast hazelnuts on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes.

While they're toasting, in a small pan heat the coconut milk, maple syrup (or other sweetener), and salt. When the sugar is melted, remove it from the heat.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate over double boiler (or in the microwave at 30-second intervals).

Remove the toasted hazelnuts from the oven.  Transfer them to a clean, dry kitchen towel.  Rub the hazelnuts in the towel to remove as much of the skin as possible (don't worry if you can't get it all, it'll be blended anyway).  Add them to your food processor.  Puree until the hazelnuts are very fine.

Add the melted chocolate.  Puree till creamy and smooth (about 2 minutes).

While still pureeing, add the milk mixture.  Puree till smooth.

Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Try not to eat it all in 1 sitting! :-)

A Few of My Favorite Things

In my quest for a healthier lifestyle for my family and myself, I've learned a whole lot about food and health.  I've learned that, although modern medicine is amazing for emergencies and certain medical needs, our ancestors were amazing.  They had a wealth of knowledge that has been forgotten and poo-pooed over the years.  It really is unfortunate.  With all of the negative I've come across, its very encouraging to know that so many out there share the need, want, love for this healthier, more ancestral way of living.  So, to get on to the point of this post, I've listed a couple of my favorite things that I have discovered in the past year or so.  They really all could use their own post, so I'll try to keep it short and sweet and post in more depth about each later.  (My favorite things are certainly not limited to this list, and this list is in no particular order)

1 - Coconut - They're amazing!  I really got on board with the power of coconut after reading Coconut Cures.  It sparked my curiosity....could coconuts really be this miracle food they claim it is in the book?  I did my research.  Lots of it.  And from what I have found through research AND experience, it really is that awesome.  We're big on coconut oil here.  My favorite brand by far is Ojio.  It has the best flavor and easiest to get down if you take it plain (as gross as that sounds, its actually good for you!).  We use it for cooking, dry skin, chapped lips, sunburns, fungus, fading scars, even our sons eczema.  I really like coconut water too.  It has natural electrolytes in it, so its basically natures Gatorade.  We don't do Gatorade here because of all the dyes and junk in it, but we DO do Coconut Water!  The only brand I'll do, though, is C20...its BY FAR the BEST!  I've won many over with this brand!  In addition to the oil and water, we use the milk very often, as do we use the flour and dried meat.  I'm anxiously wanting to try coconut sugar!

2 - Enjoy Life - a brand I feel I really can trust.  They are a company that dedicates themselves to allergy-free products.  They're the ONLY chocolate chips I'll buy (soy, corn, egg, peanut, dairy, wheat...you name it-free).  I personally think their chocolate is better than anything else I've tried.  Their chocolate bars and granola are a hit here in our house as well.

3 - Vinegar - I use white vinegar for all of my cleaning needs, as fabric softener in my wash loads, and for the rinse aid in my dishwasher.  Apple Cider vinegar (the raw, organic kind with the mother in it...I use Braggs) is awesome.  I'll have to do a whole post on vinegar one of these days.  A good use for the not-as-good, cheaper apple cider vinegar, is to catch fruit flies (I'll post this later).

4 - Maple Syrup - Probably my favorite sweetener right now.  I'm talking the 100% pure maple syrup, not the junk you get that's corn syrup with maple flavoring.  I use it in my baking and cooking.  I use it to sweeten plain yogurt, caramelized onions, even spaghetti sauce.  No more white refined sugar here!

5 - Aloe Vera - We've been long time aloe fans.  Its good for more than just sunburns.  Oh yes.  We use it for hair gel and mouse, moisturizer (I like to mix 1/2 coconut oil with 1/2 aloe), sore tushies (especially for those just learning to use t.p. on their own...if you get my drift).  Aloe is good for settling ouchy tummies, too.

6 - Fermented Cod Liver Oil - When I first heard about cod liver oil, I was totally grossed out.  Then I read about all of the benefits, as did I see such an awesome health transformation in others, that I had to try it.  We get ours from Green Pastures...the fermented Cinnamon Tingle kind.  We may be switching to the butter oil blend soon, though.  If you want to learn more about the amazing benefits of cod liver oil, read on here.

7 - Essential Oils - I'm new to essential oils, but the more I read, the more in love I am with them.  Its amazing how incredible nature is.  Tea Tree Oil is the #1 used essential oil in our home.  I use it for cleaning and for preventing and killing mold.  I throw a few drops in my laundry to rid it of stinky smells (cloth diapers and stinky, nasty wet rags).  Lemon Oil is another fave.  It works great in cleaning products.  If I'm in need of a quick "fresh smell" in my bathroom or kitchen, I sprinkle a few drops in my sinks and it smells the bathroom right up.  I really could go on about essential oils, but I'll stop here.

8 - Baking Soda - Awesome cleaning agent.  Its my go to non-abrasive scrubbing cleaner.  It cleans pans with baked on junk, takes the hard water deposits right off of glass dishes, great for cleaning a bath tub, freshens refrigerators...not to mention you can use it in your baking!

9 - Raw Local Honey - Another great sweetener.  I give this to my kids to help prevent (or at least tame) bad allergies.  Its also good for sore throats.

10 - Wholesome Chow Pancake Mix - I just recently discovered this brand.  When at all possible, I'm all about making things from scratch, but lets be honest, I'm a busy mama and sometimes I just need something quick and easy to feed my kids.  Amongst other things, most GF pancake mixes contain soy or xantham gum (which comes from corn), which Marvel is allergic to.  Wholesome Chow DOES NOT.  It has no soy, corn, eggs, wheat, nuts, dairy...am I missing anything?  And for a GF mix (I'll be honest, nothing really compares to good ol' wheat-filled pancakes), it really is tasty.  Wholeseome Chow has a lot more GF, Allergy-Free products as well, but FYI, not all are corn-free.

11 - Lemons - Lovely lemons.  Not only can we make delicious lemonade (Captain's favorite), but its good for all sorts of cooking and cleaning.  Lemon water daily is a good metabolism booster.  Lemon juice can be used as a bleach alternative to brighten or bleach whites.  It can freshen garbage disposals, sanitize cutting boards or counters, or used in the dishwasher to cut down on hard water deposits.  

Well there you have it...11 of my favorite things.  What are some of your favorite things?

Farfalle With Sausage, Tomatoes, & Cream

This is definitely by far my family's and my favorite pasta.  I get leaps and giggles from my children when I announce we're having it.  No moans and growns...not. ever!  It is amazing.  I've never found anyone who has walked away from this dish more than ecstatic.  My sister-in-law introduced it to me and I've made a few changes over the years.  I recall one time many many years ago when Marvel was about 1 or 2, I was really really sick with some sort of flu or something.  My s.i.l. brought me some of this pasta and I was seriously better within a couple of hours.  I'm not at all advocating that this has medicinal qualities like Thai green curry does for Music Man, but it got food in my body and there was absolutely no way my body was going to let it go.  Be careful, if you're not prepared to eat way more than you should, don't make this.  None of us have any portion control when I make this...we can't help ourselves!

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 lb hot Italian sausage, castings removed, crumbled (Don't worry, it really isn't that hot...my 1 year old eats it.  If you have a really whimpy mouth, still use the Hot stuff, just crumble it in big enough pieces that you can pick it out, but the hot gives it delicious flavor....believe me, from experience, if you use anything different, its not the same!)
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can Italian plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
• 1 lb Farfalle (aka bowtie) pasta (since we have gluten intolerances here, I used penne rice pasta)
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in large, heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add sausage and pepper flakes.  Cook until sausage is no longer pink, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes.  

Add onion and garlic to skillet and cook until onion is tender and sausage is light brown, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes.

Add tomtatoes (break them apart with your clean, bare hands or with clean scissors, or just chop them in the pan with a spatula), cream, and salt.  Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 4 minutes (can be prepared a day ahead up to this point, cover tightly and refrigerate or freeze). 

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.  Drain.

Bring sauce to simmer.  Add pasta to sauce and cook until pasta is heated through and asauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes.  

Divide pasta among plates.  Serve passing Parmesan separately.

In Love

I LOVE where we live!

The Lucky One

I LOVE my boys!!!

I am the luckiest mommy out there to have such wonderful children...

and 3 awesome boys at that!

They're growing up WAY too fast.  I'm so grateful I get to be a stay-at-home mom and witness their journeys through childhood.

I'm grateful that they have such a good daddy who loves us and cares for us all.

I'm the luckiest girl on the planet!

Christmas...in April?

I'm a little late on this post.  Christmas was, well, months ago.  Better late then never?  For Christmas this year my dad hosted a party for some of his friends and clients.  Since Music Man works with my dad and the event was to be held in the building we live in, my mom and I were appointed to make all arrangements for food, decorations, invites, etc.  I really wish I would have taken better pictures, but seeing as I am greatly lacking in the camera department and we were too busy getting things ready to remember to take decent picts.  So this is all we got.

Here's kind of an aerial view of the room.

The table decor.  The centerpieces are vases filled with cranberries and glittery (snowy) branches.

This does not do it justice at all, but this glittery/snowy branch was so pretty (take my word for it!).

The food (you can't really see the bar is filled with desserts and such.

 The favors...some really tastey toffee!

The dessert bar (all the cookies and candies were white).

Hot chocolate bar (regular and sugar free for the diabetics in the room...there was also hot cider).

The fixin's for the hot chocolate bar.

The entertainment :-) (You might not recognize Music Man on the left with the bushy stache and all.  My dad is on the right)

Until next year...

Horseback Riding

I'm so behind in posting.  There's so much I want to share, but can't ever seem to get myself to do it.  Well a while ago (like months and months ago...say, Novemberish), we were invited to a friend of a friend's horse ranch.  What a beautiful ranch and a really awesome girl who owns it.  She raises and trains horses.  I think she said she had 25 or so.  She invites kids over all the time to go riding.  Such a selfless human...she walks the horses with the kids on them for hours and hours and she even lets some of them ride them by themselves.  I was seriously so impressed by her!  A really cool lady!

Anyway, this was a life-changing event for Marvel.  He's wanted to be a "real" cowboy since, well, he could walk.  He got a pair of "real" cowboy boots when he was 5 and has been determined to own a cattle ranch ever since.  The only problem is other than the outfit, he has absolutely no experience in being a cowboy.  This was his jump start!

He started out meeting the mini-horse (I learned that there is a difference between a mini-horse and a pony, although I couldn't tell you what that difference is).  

Then he tried her out.  Easy peasy!

He quickly moved onto the big horse.  He was guided at first...

...and in no time, he was taking the reins and riding all by himself!!!  Marvel was SO proud of himself (and I've got to say I was a proud mama on the side!).

Next it was Captain America's turn.

Forget the mini-horse, Cap. was on to the big dog straight away!

One ride was good enough for him, though.

He decided checking out the babies was more up his alley.

Monkey wasn't so sure about the horses.  Up close was NOT for him!

This is a MUCH safer distance!

It was such a fun day.  We can't wait to go back again!

Creamy Tomato Soup

Sundays are my least favorite day to cook.  I don't know how people make it their biggest meal of the week.  Sunday is the one day I feel like its okay to kinda take it easy.  The last thing I want to do is cook or clean (and THAT is why you should NEVER stop by my house on Monday morning...not.EVER!).  Of course my husband feels the same way (even though he hardly ever cooks).  This creates quite a dilemma.   If only I were prepared and made something to throw in the crock-pot or picked up some easy put-together meal.  Alas, I'm not that prepared.  Usually my kids eat either scrambled eggs or cereal for all 3 meals of the day.  Or I try to get creative (seeing as I hate shopping on Saturdays and we usually run out of food on Friday night), because there isn't much in the kitchen.  Today was a "creative" day.  I had heavy cream in the fridge, canned tomatoes in the pantry, and homemade chicken stock in the freezer.  Here's what I came up with...and may I add that it was delicious.  Marvel told me he would have taken a 3rd bowl if he wasn't so full from the first 2.  

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-3 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3 small ones, but 1 big one would do it)
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (I used a gluten-free flour blend)
• 1 28-oz. can Italian stewed tomatoes (DO NOT drain, you want those juices!)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Warm oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened.  Add garlic and cook until slightly softened and starts to smell a little garlicky, about a minute or so.  Stir in flour to blend and stir for about a minute.

Add tomatoes, juice and all!  Add chicken broth (if you're using frozen homemade stock, just through it in frozen, it'll melt!).  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Whisk constantly, about 3 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Poor soup into blender (Be careful, its really hot.  You may want to use a ladle so it doesn't splash.  You may need to work in batches.  I did it in 2 batches.  You only want to fill the blender about 1/2 full so it doesn't spill over...that would hurt!).  Blend and puree until smooth.  Pour back into saucepan.  Stir in cream and cook over low heat for 3-5 minutes, until heated through.  Do not boil!  Season with salt and pepper to your liking.  

Gifts for a Boy and a Girl

New babies are a great motivator in getting me behind my sewing machine.  Recently I've had a couple friends who have had (or are having soon) new babies.  Here's a few of the things I made.

The first set is for a little boy.  Ironically enough, his name (or rather shortened form of his name) is Thor.  A great name for a Marvel-loving family (can you see why we like them?). :-)  This was their first boy after a 3 girl streak, so they (and all of us) were pretty excited!

What better for the son of Captain America (not MY little Captain America...oh no, he is hardly old enough, thank goodness.  My boys think Music Man's friend is Captain America because he's really tall and strong and blond, just like Captain America), than a Captain Jr. Onesie!

 And for those of you (REAL) Avenger fans, you'll know what this is.  But for those of you who aren't "learn-ed" in the ways of the Avengers, this is the symbol for S.H.I.E.L.D., which is the division in which General Fury created the Avengers.

Doesn't every new mom of a little boy need one of these?  A Pee-Pee-Teepee!  I do have to admit that I have NEVER used or really had to use one of these on my boys, but they've always looked so cute and it was fun and easy to make.  May I also note that this fabric was from my stash of, need I say "vintage," fabrics my mom gave me a while back that are from way back when I was a wee one.

Now for the girly stuff.  My other friend is the opposite of my first (previously mentioned) friend.  She has 2 boys and is having her first girl!  I like the sound of that!  Having all boys and mostly nephews, I don't get to make pink things very often.  In fact I found joy in trying it on little Monkey to make sure it would fit a (almost) 2 year old.  He just looked so cute (bad, rotten, mean mom points, I know!  That's about as child abusive as I get.).  He wouldn't stand still long enough for me to take a picture, but here's my proof he actually wore it:

Here's the outfit he's wearing (do you like how I used my Christmas tree box for a background...the same Christmas tree that is STILL left out, being used as a baby gate to our front stairs?).  The skirt was originally a big lady's skirt that my mom had for some reason bought "as is" without a zipper, thinking she would some day add a zipper.  She ended up giving it to me (Why did I accept it?  I must have had a vision of some sort).  So after holding on to this brand new skirt for...um, embarrassingly...years, I finally had a reason to use it!  I shrunk it into a cuter pleated skirt.  With some of the remnant fabric I made a flower for the shirt.

Now for my favorite.  My friend really enjoys photography, so I made her a little photo assistant onesie...in PINK!  Pink, oh pink.  (Really I used to hate pink until I had a boy...then another...then another...now I crave it in my laundry!)

Until the next baby!

Juice #1

 For the last few years I've been on a quest to eat healthier.  Having a son who is allergic to...well...a lot, has been a great motivator for me.  Recently I was able to preview Hungry for Change, a film put out by the creators of Food Matters.  They talked about juicing as a way to get your full daily amounts of fruits and veggies and also as a way to help reboot your body.  To heal itself.  I've still to watch Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, which is all about how a guy who was 100 lbs overweight and very unhealthy, challenged himself to drink only fresh fruits and veggies for 60 days, in a last attempt to put off the weight and heal his body.  It apparently worked for him.  Recently I acquired a juicer of my own (a Breville Juice Fountain Pro), so I've slowly but surely been working it into my diet.  For the last couple of days I've only tried the basic apple, carrot, celery.  Today I made a slight variation and added beet.  SO tasty!  I absolutely love the color of beets.  It really did turn out this color...no photoshopping, I promise!  I reluctantly shared with Music Man and Monkey, which I quickly found to be a mistake.  They both LOVED it.  Not a problem, I just made a second batch! :-)  I can't wait to try more!

• 1 beet
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 apples (I used Fuji)

Be sure to wash all your fruits and veggies real well.  Send 'em on through the juicer.  Enjoy!


For those of you interested, my "basic" juice is as follows:

• 2 apples (I used Fuji)
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks

Curry Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew

I'm quite quickly becoming a fan of the Paleo diet.  A Paleo diet is basically going back in time before processed food, additives, food dyes, and preservatives.  It incorporates healthy fats (good animal fats, coconut oil, etc), good meats (grass-fed, non-gmo, non-antibiotic, free-range, grazing...), raw nuts, fruits, and veggies...it goes along the same lines of what the Weston Price Foundation and the Feingold Diet teach (both of which I'm also a fan of).  I came across this website called Paleo: Intensified.  It has some really great recipes, many of which are allergy-free!  That is where I found this recipe.  Really, can't go wrong with curry OR sweet potatoes!

(please excuse my blurry picture...my cameras are all MIA, so I had to use my dinosaur phone)

• 1 large purple onion
• 3 stalks celery
• 2 large carrots
• 1 yellow bell pepper (I didn't have this, so I omitted it this time)
• 3 large sweet potatoes
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 can coconut milk

Chop onion, celery, and carrots and set aside.  Chop the yellow pepper and cube the sweet potatoes and set aside.  To prepare the chicken you can leave the thights whole or if using chicken breasts cut into thigh size pieces.  You can also choose to cut the chicken into 2 inch cubes (that's what I did).

Heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Cook chicken for 3 minutes on each side.  Remove from pan and keep warm.

Saunte the onions, celery, and carrots in the olive oil for 5-7 minutes.  You may need to add a bit more olive oil.  Add the yellow pepper and sweet potatoes and saute for 3 more minutes.

Stir in the curry powder, salt, and pepper.  Stir in the chicken broth and chicken, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes.

Stir in the coconut milk, simmer until the sweet potatoes reach the desired consistency, no more than 5-10 minutes.

Serves 6-8

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

Quinoa (aka the Gold of the Incas), is the gluten-free grain of choice.  Its a complete protein, meaning it contains all of the amino acids necessary for our nutritional needs.  Its also high in iron and calcium and a good source of manganese, magnesium, copper, and fiber.  As far as health goes, its good stuff.  As far as taste...well that's up in the air.  I'm really trying hard to love the stuff, but as of right now I just like it ok.  In my search for a good quinoa recipe, I came across this on Pinterest (good, wonderful, amazing Pinterest).  It was a big hit with my kiddos and I have to admit I was quite a fan too (heck, add some good bbq sauce and anything tastes good, right?).  Just beware if you have allergies, be sure to check the ingredients in the bbq sauce.  You might want to even stick to homemade bbq sauce to avoid all of the caramel color and corn syrup.  

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup cooked, shredded bbq chicken
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 2 Tbsp cheese, shredded (I'm pretty sure I used much more than this, so add to taste.  I used a Mexican mix)
• 2-4 Tbsp BBQ sauce (or to taste)
• 2 scallions, chopped
• cilantro for garnish

In a large bowl, toss together the quinoa, corn, black beans, chicken, and avocado.  Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer mixture onto a bowl and top with shredded cheese, bbq sauce, scallions, and cilantro.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 2-4.

World Ag Expo (aka "the Farm Show")

Every year since I was pregnant with Marvel (that'd be 9 years running now), it has become a tradition of ours to attend the World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA.  Its huge.  Its fun.  Its educational.   We like it a lot.  Music Man helps out in my dad's booth and since his family lives not too far from the event, we make a week of fun out of it.  Rain or shine we're there (and it rains a good majority of the time, which surprisingly, but quite understandable, rain is really good for business!  Means the farmers aren't out working.)

What is there to do at the Farm Show, you say?  Lots and lots.  Its like 2nd best to Disneyland in my boys' eyes.  We usually try to get as many cousins to come with us as we can.  Both Music Man's sisters live in town, so this year  9 of the 10 kids between them joined us.  So sporting 13 kids, 3 moms, and 1 dad (we were asked several times if Music Man was the father of all 13 children...aka, are you sister-wives?  Uh, NO!)

First off there are LOTS of BIG HUGE tires to climb in...

...and lots and lots of tractors to "drive." Let's just say Monkey was in HEAVEN!!

We got to spend the day with Music Man aka Daddy.  He's always good to have around at things like this since he likes to climb up in the tractors just as much as the kids!  (And yes, Music Man has been sporting a groovy stache since about Thanksgiving and quite proud of it!)

Some tractors were small...some were REALLY big!  We tried them all.

Sorry girls, no, this is NOT Justin Bieber!  He's a  MUCH better catch!

Of course we HAVE to take the traditional cousin photo in front of a big tractor scoop!

These two are so cute together.  Monkey really should have been the one with the leash!

We got to meet a giant 2 legged cow.  Monkey was NOT happy to see him!

The farm show is 3-day event, but because of all the rain, we waited until the last day to go.  One of the highlights of the day was watching all of the tractors pulling out on their way home.  It was a first for us, but I think we just might have to go the last day from now on!

Amongst all of the playing and fun and games and good food and company, I love that my children get to see the tools used to grow the food we eat and the cotton we wear.  They really do learn so much each and every time we go.

Until next year...