so, how's home school going? + granola revamp

Big, fat disclaimer before I begin: I realize that home schooling is not for everyone. It is not for every kid, every parent, or every family. I am also aware that some parents may wish to home school, and are not able. I realize that this is a special blessing for our family, and I am so grateful. I also believe there are seasons for everything, and this may not last for every child in our family through their entire education. We are taking it year by year and kid by kid.

Since September, friends have been asking me how home school is going. Which is a very reasonable question. I just never really know how to answer.

There is all the logistical information- curriculum, schedule (spoiler alert: we don't have one), co-ops, etc.
And then there is the academic: how are the kids doing with their studies? Which I think the answer would be: just great!

But what I believe people are actually asking is: are you surviving? Are you going crazy? Do you wish you had not made the decision to home school, or are you seriously happy about it?

And the honest answer is this: I truly love it. I love being home with my kids, I love teaching them, I love having a flexible schedule, I love watching the relationships between them deepening, I love getting to choose what they learn and learning along with them- I love it all.

Of course, we have difficulties. They are not perfect kids, and I am a looooooong way off from perfection as well. It can be hard to stay on task, or to even convince them to begin their work, and I have second-guessed myself quite a bit (am I really qualified to do this? am I out of my mind?); they become frustrated with me, and I with them. Consequently, so much of this year has been working on character- theirs and mine. And it has been so, so good.

But anyway, here is a granola recipe I posted originally almost eight years ago. It has been adjusted to serve our family for two meals, plus maybe a snack for a couple kids, and also I have made the baking instructions slightly less finicky.

Feelin' the Love Granola
Makes a lot. But only enough for about 2 or 3 servings for our family of 6.

8 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 tbsp whole ground flaxseed meal
2 tbsp hemp seeds
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon*
1/4 tsp nutmeg (freshly ground is best, of course)
pinch of sea salt
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup pecans
3/4 cup vegetable oil (I like avocado best, olive oil and canola work here too)
3/4 cup real maple syrup
cooking spray
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut shavings (I prefer the large shavings over the small shreds)
1/2 cup craisins (or chopped dates, or raisins), optional

Preheat oven to 300. Combine oats, seeds, spices, salt, and nuts in a bowl and sir. Drizzle in oil and syrup, stir to coat. Spread mixture evenly over two non-stick rimmed baking sheets (if you do not have non-stick, just coat the pans with cooking spray beforehand). Bake for 20 minutes, then remove and stir, making sure the edges that are getting crisp are mixed in, and the raw oats in the middle are getting their chance to bake. Bake another 15 minutes, stir. Add coconut. Bake 7 minutes. At this point, you can remove the granola if it is done to your liking, or stir and bake in 5 minute increments, so that it doesn't brown too much or dry out, but also gets crisp enough.
Remove from the oven and add dried fruit.
Sprinkle over fruit and yogurt, eat with milk, or just plain. Enjoy!

* pretty sure I use way more than this, I never measure my spices (really helpful side note, huh?)

 

two more sweet potato lunches

We have already covered the fact that my kids and I love sweet potatoes and have them for lunch in their various forms several times per week. Here are a couple more throw-together lunches starring the delicious, nutritious sweet potato...

Roasted or microwaved and topped with shaved parmesan, fresh oregano, crushed almonds, salt, pepper, and drizzled with olive oil:

Curried and caramelized sweet potatoes:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Cube 2 pounds of sweet potato (about 2 large). Place on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with a tablespoon plus a teaspoon of olive oil. Then sprinkle 1 tbsp brown sugar, 2* tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper over the potatoes. Using your hands, coat the potatoes with the toppings. Roast for 10-15 minutes, or until becoming caramelized on bottom and soft when poked with a fork (but not mush!).

Happy lunching!
Ashley

*use 3 tsp curry powder if you want a more bold curry taste...yum!

rice with thyme, parmesan, and lemon

I know that we are technically in the heart of comfort food season, but there is something in me that always craves fresh herbs and bright citrus around this time of year.

It was with these cravings that I quickly threw this lunch together.

I heated leftover rice (pasta would work great as well), drizzled it with olive oil, sprinkled it with salt, pepper, fresh thyme, and grated parmesan, and then squeezed a quartered lemon over it.

This lunch would be great to make in a large quantity and then reheat or pack to work throughout the week.

It tastes a little bit like Spring.

Happy lunch time,
Ashley

chipotle black bean chili with sweet potato and quinoa + whole30

For the sake of experimentation, and of being more intentional with what we put into our bodies, the hubby and I are trying a whole30. Basically this is a super-strict paleo diet for 30 days- no grains, legumes, dairy, sugar of any kind, or alcohol. The point is to reset your eating habits and cravings, and to eliminate inflammation that may be cropping up as a result of the food you eat. I'm actually really excited- I've been wanting to take action to get the rest of the baby weight off, and to just eat better in general. I already avoid gluten and most dairy anyway so this program fits me perfectly. We start tomorrow!

I don't plan to give you the play-by-play, because everyone and their mom is doing that on their blog, so if you want to know how to do a whole30 yourself, find one of them. I will pop in to tell you my favorite recipe of the week and how things are going, and a summary after the 30 days are up (did I starve? How did I manage without ice cream and wine? Oh, the suspense).

In the meantime, I've been meaning to share this recipe with you. It's totally not whole30 approved, but I made it a few days ago and it was delicious. If you like chili, you'll like this. Even my sweet-potato-averse husband admitted the sweet potatoes soaked up the flavor of the rest of the soup and they were tolerable. So if you like the orange stuff, just imagine!

        

Chipotle Black Bean Chili with sweet potatoes and quinoa
Serves 6-8

1 medium red onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sweet potato or yam, peeled and cubed
1 chipotle chile (that's one chile, not one can) in adobo, finely chopped (sold in cans in the Mexican section of most grocery stores)
Two 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes, or one 28-ounce can
Two 15-ounce cans black beans
1/3 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well
4 cups veggie or chicken broth

In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, drizzle a bit of oil over medium heat. Add the onions, pepper, chili powder, cumin and salt. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until veggies begin to soften. Add sweet potatoes and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 25-30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are soft and quinoa cooked. Serve garnished with cheese, sour cream and green onions.

nom nom, Katie 

food processor granola bars

It all started as a way for James to use the Christmas cookie cutters.

He has been carrying them around the house, trying to use them on everything I cook for dinner- it was all I could do to keep him away from the pizza dough.

Being not quite ready to break out the butter and sugar and make cookies, I searched for an alternative food that he could sink his tree, bell, and stocking-shaped cutters into. We often make granola bars that are so crumbly that we turn them into granola, but I thought that they would perhaps fulfill his cookie cutter needs.

Sadly, the cookie cutters could not cut through the bars. But in the process I made the ultimate trifecta of granola bars: easy, delicious, and they actually stick together.

The first batch we made fit into an 8" circumference pan. They were delicious, but only lasted one day. The second time I doubled the recipe. Only problem was that the food processor was too full so the coconut oil did not get evenly distributed. Since the oil works as the binder, this resulted in a slightly more crumbly bar. I would suggest melting the oil before adding it so that it will be evenly distributed and sufficiently hold the ingredients together.

These bars are very versatile: you can wrap them up and pack them for a quick snack, or crumble them easily over some yogurt and eat them like granola.

Food Processor Granola Bars

1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
3 cups oats (gluten free if you are avoiding gluten)
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
large dash of other spices you may want: ginger, cardamom, cloves, allspice
1/4 cup all natural peanut butter
2/3 cup coconut oil (melted, see note above)
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Grease two round 8" circumference pans, or one 9 x 13" pan with cooking spray or coconut oil. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine nuts, oats, flaxseed meal, salt, and spices in a large food processor. Pulse about ten times, or until all nuts are broken up. Add the peanut butter, melted oil, syrup, and vanilla. Process until well combined.
Add the cranberries and pulse until they are mixed in well.

Put into pan(s) and firmly press down so that the mix is flat and even on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until browning at edges.

Let cool in pan(s) on a wire rack for an least 30 minutes before cutting into bars (not with a cookie cutter). Store in an airtight container, but if you're family loves them half as much as we do they won't last long!

Happy snacking,
Ashley

cotija, black bean, and mango casserole

Lately I have been analyzing- probably over-analyzing- why it is that I blog.

One reason is to document, in words and photos, our life while the kids are young. Since I average about five hours of sleep per night, it will be nice to have reminders of the days I can't remember.
Another reason is the community. I love learning about other people's lives through their blogs, and sharing my life through my own.

Yet another reason I come back to blogging over and over is that this blog serves as a recipe index for me. Just in the past few weeks I have come back to several recipes, including: Vietnamese baguettes, dutch baby pancakes, granola bars and these quesadillas. In fact, I have been craving the quesadillas, but I needed a more family-friendly version.

Quesadillas are not so "family-friendly" because in the midst of filling sippy cups, tearing food into tiny pieces, setting the table, stuffing one large baby into a high chair, making sure little boy hands are washed, and hollering at Lane that dinner is ready, I don't really have time to stand over a stove and cook four individual quesadillas.

With this casserole, all I have to do is assemble the ingredients and let the oven do its magic.

Cotija, black bean, and mango casserole

1 mango, peeled and chopped
1 cup crumbled cotija + another 1/2 more for top
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
9 corn tortillas
lime wedges
cilantro, for topping
cooking spray

Combine the mango, red onion, sour cream, and 1 cup of the cotija in a bowl. Set aside.
Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange two tortillas side by side on the bottom of the dish, and cut up a third tortilla to fit in the gaps. Spread half the mango mix evenly over the tortillas, then top with another layer of three tortillas. Repeat with the remaining mango mixture and the last three tortillas. Crumble the remainig 1/2 cup cotija over the top layer of tortillas.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes, or until cotija is beginning to brown over the top. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges. Enjoy.

summer polenta with bacon

I have never mentioned this, because this is used to be a food blog, but I have some, err, well, undiagnosed stomach... issues...

Anyway, the only reason I have brought this up is because I am experimenting with various elimination diets to attempt to eliminate the issues. Currently, sadly, I am gluten free.

I am trying to be optimistic and looking at this as a new culinary challenge and adventure. I get to experiment with barley, oats, corn products, buckwheat (which, apparently, isn't actually wheat at all), and spelt. (Well, maybe spelt. There is something weird about spelt. Any advice on it is much appreciated.)

All this gluten-free business better help my G.I., because I am sure as heck not giving up cheese.

Summer Polenta with Bacon
polenta recipe from Giada

tsp salt
1 3/4 cups polenta
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 zuchinni, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp pepper
salt
5 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled or chopped up
1 1/2 cups grated pecorino romano
torn pieces of fresh basil

Bring 6 cups water to a boil. Add salt and polenta. Cook until thick, about 10 minutes. Stir in butter.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large, oven-proof skillet. Add zucchini until beginning to soften up. Add tomatoes and let simmer until veggies are tender and juices are thickened. Add garlic and sautee until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add bacon crumbles and polenta. Stir until all veggies are mixed in thoruoughly. Top with grated cheese.
Bake 350 (I did 300 in convection oven) for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browning.
Top with fresh basil. Serve hot. Enjoy.

Chicken Spring Rolls with Lime-Chili Dipping Sauce

I know what you are thinking. (By "you" I mean all four of you who "follow" my blog.) You are thinking: "Two posts in one night? She's obsessed! Doesn't she have a husband and a child to take care of? Is she spending all her time blogging?"

The answer, undoubtedly, is yes. I am obsessed. I eat, dream, and think in blog. But, I am really enjoying it. I hope you are as well, whoever "you" are. 

Chicken Spring Rolls with Lime-Chili Dipping Sauce
Yield: 6 rolls

Rolls
1 1/2 cups precooked, shredded chicken breast
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
1/2 cup black Chinese rice
6 spring roll skins (I used Banh Trang brand)
1/2 cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
1 small carrot, cut into thirds, then sliced into matchsticks
6 tbsp each: crushed peanuts, chopped cilantro, and chopped mint

Coat chicken with hoisin sauce, set aside. Rinse rice and combine in a pot with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to boil, then let it simmer until water is absorbed, set aside. Fill a pie plate (or something large and shallow) with water. Collect all your fillings and the spring roll skins:

Then, submerge one skin in the water. Let it soak for ten seconds, then flip it and let it soak another ten on the other side. Repeat this three times on each side, 60 seconds all together. Place the skin on a plate and arrange in the middle: 1/4 cup chicken, a scoop of the rice (I never really measure anything, to be honest), some cucumber, some carrot, and 1 tbsp each of the peanuts, cilantro, and mint. Then fold the sides up and roll it together, burrito style. Repeat with the next six skins. 

For the sauce:
juice of 2 limes (actually, more like 1 1/2, as one of the limes I used was rock hard)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chili-garlic sauce
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce (such as Soy Vay's veri veri teriyaki)
Whisk together all the ingredients. Serve in a small dish with the rolls. Enjoy!