2 peas in a pod

One of the best things about having more than one child is to see their interaction with one another. To have Soraya always asking were Baby Jack is if he isn't in the room with us. Or if he is fussing and I can get to him Soraya will run and tell him "don't be scared buddy, mommy will be here in a minute." Or Jack can be completly interested in a toy but as soon as his sister is in the room his eyes are on her and he is just squealing with joy. He loves when she plays "peeky boos" with him or tickles him. Or if he is in a bad room Soraya will jump around or fun by him really fast to cheer him up. Words just can't describe the joy it brings to see them building this brother-sister relationship.

Spring Hats

You want to know the best way to get a strong minded 2 year old to wear a hat??

Put one one her baby brother :)

Shiney Shoes

So I took Soraya shoe shopping. She needed some sneakers that she could really run around in and kick a ball. So we went to Target. She wanted all the sandles and crocs but when I showed her these shiney pink shoes she said "no likes it" well they were the closest thing to a sneaker I could find in her size so we got them anyway. I made her put them on to play outside that afternoon. She got SO many compliments that now she wants to wear her "shiney" shoes everywhere. Here she is modeling them.

Painting

Soraya has been into painting as of late. She got this easel from her Uncle Brandon and Aunt Carol for her 2nd birthday. She used it a lot at first then stopped for awhile but has recently found a new love for painting. It is going much better now that she is a tad bit older. Six months can make a huge difference. Here are some picture from her recent painting session that ended abruptly when she accidentally peed in the middle of the floor while painting. She didn't seem too embarrassed, even though Ben and Colin were watching, as she immediately started tapping her toe in the pee and enjoying the sound as it splashed on our hard wood floor!

Crockpot Creamy Chicken and Blackbeans

I love the crock pot but am not big on recipes where all you do is open cans, bags or boxes and dump. There are usually way too many additives and preservatives in those products. However, here is a really good "dumping" recipe that doesn't include all of the yucky stuff!!

Ingredients:
4-5 free-range boneless chicken breasts
1 can black beans (or I use 1.5 cups of previously soaked, cooked then frozen black beans)
1 bag frozen organic corn
1 jar organic salsa
1 package organic cream cheese

1. Put chicken breasts into crock-pot
2. Add black beans, salsa, and corn
3. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours
4. Add cream cheese and let sit for about 1/2 hour

"Soaked" Pancakes

I said I would be posting about cooking and nutrition every now and then. So, when a friend requested a few recipes, I thought it would be another great opportunity to blog about bread baking.

A small nutritional lesson on grains. Just because you have switched from white flour to whole grain flour does not mean that you are getting all of the nutritional value. In fact you may also experience new problems with digestion. This is because whole grains contain phytic acid in the bran of the grain. Phytic acid combines with key minerals, especially calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc and prevents their absorption in the intestinal tract. Soaking, fermenting or sprouting the grain before cooking or baking will neutralize a large portion of the phytic acid, releasing these nutrients for absorption. This process allows enzymes, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to not only neutralize the phytic acid, but also to break down complex starches and difficult-to-digest proteins including gluten.

That is how Sue Gregg explains it in her Whole Grain Baking Cookbook. And the following is her blender batter pancake recipe. You can use different combinations of grains and cultured milk but the following is the best combination I have found so far.

Stage 1:
1. Place in blender, blend at highest speed for 3-5 minutes, cover blender and let stand at room temperature 12-24 hours (so I do this the morning or night before wanting to make the pancakes) Put the ingredients in the blender in the following order:

• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk


• 2 tbs melted butter


• 1 tsp vanilla extract


• 1 cup brown rice


• 1/2 cup rolled oats

Stage 2

1. preheat griddle on medium high

2. Just before baking, add egg and blend on highest speed 1-3 minutes

3. Stir in:

• 2 Tsp baking powder
• 1/2 Tsp baking soda
• 1/2 Tsp salt

There are many many ways to prepare "soaked" breads, muffins and pancakes. In this recipe you soak the grain overnight before baking. You can also soak and sprout a large amount of grains (I mainly use spelt) then store them in your refrigerator then grind then you can just grind the grain into flour right before using. This can all sound very intimidating, but believe me once you get the hang of it and in the habit of doing it, it is very simple and takes little time. Believe me..with 2 little ones I know how precious time can be!!

Those darn teeth!

So Jack has been crying for about 2 weeks now. Seems like ALL THE TIME!! He cried for a week then got his first tooth. Had 1 happy day then bam started all over again! So I hope this tooth comes through soon! He has a fever today. I'm not a believer in giving tylenol to babies..so I am trying all sorts of homeopathic remedies...hope I find one that works for him! Poor little guy!