Beans 3 Ways

This last week my Love made a delicious bean ball mixture that we put together three different ways for lunches. The bean recipe and marinara sauce are from Veganomicon, which is an amazing cookbook I highly recommend. We first had them as a sub with homemade bread and spinach, which was good but I didn't love the bread I made. It fell apart way too easily although it tasted pretty good.


Then we just put the bean balls on top of pasta, which was really yummy. We tried them with both penne and angel hair, but I'm a penne girl so that was my favorite. We ate them cold (we don't use the microwave and the oven makes our house so HOT) but some people might prefer them warmed up. The bean balls are pretty fun and I think little ones would really enjoy them!


For lunch yesterday we had extra bean mixture and some random other ingredients leftover from the week, so my Love wanted to do something different. He came up with these bean patties on top of a corn pancake finished off with some sliced avocado and a dollup of homemade salsa. It was SO good and incredibly filling! We have really missed Top Chef around here by the way and are pumped the new season has started but disappointed they're only on itunes now online :(. Oh well...at least we get to still watch them. AND thank goodness Project Runway is finally online this year - YEA! :)


Anyway, wanted to share the bean mixture we enjoyed three ways this last week. Have an INCREDIBLE Sunday! I'm so sad the weekend is almost over...I love my little family all together more than anything.

Daddy's Day

Yesterday, our day for Daddy was very enjoyable! My Love went kayak fishing in the early morning while I got up and started the doughnut dough. I made the same recipe last year, but my yeast was dead so I ended up with cookies. But THIS year, the baked doughnuts turned out great and were super yummy. I got the recipe from 101 Cookbooks...she has some great ones, so look around. I health and vegan -ified it with whole wheat pastry flour, coconut oil in lieu of butter, and flax mixture instead of eggs. I loved them...well, AM loving them, as there are PLENTY leftover. They certainly are a VERY special treat though and are wonderful with coffee. Most importantly, my Love really enjoyed them! Over brunch, I shared a funny doughnut hole story that had us laughing all day, right babe? :)


When my Love got home mid-morning from fishing, Lovebug had this little tank on that I had embellished with the heart and "Daddy". He LOVED it and said that was probably his favorite little "gift" of the day. Using the stencil I created for his Valentine's shirt made the whole process much easier.


Lovebug and I also gifted Daddy with this awesome cookbook that he is extremely excited about, as it's full of vegan recipes from some of our favorite chefs. Some of the recipes look pretty difficult and time-intensive but I know our "top chef" is up for such challenges and I cannot wait to see (and eat of course) the results! The rest of the HOT day was spent seeing our grandpa and dads, which was alot of fun.


My gorgeous sweet Love, thank you so much for being the most amazing father possible to our Lovebug. We are truly blessed to have you as ours and we love you so much! Thank you for being such a committed, patient, fun, and loving father. You truly are the BEST. Happy Daddy's Day!

The Bible printed green

Last year I went searching online for "green" Bibles to see if any were out there, but never had any luck. Apparently, I was about a year too early because NOW there is one...wait for it...it's called The Green Bible. Some people seem to be offended by it, although I don't fully understand why. Is it the title? Putting "Green" between "The" and "Bible"...hmmmm...yeah, that doesn't sound right. I've been trying to think of another name that would have been more appropriate but cannot think of one. Any ideas? It's still the same Bible of course, just printed green. Also any text that mentions the environment is printed in green ink. Maybe they should have made it a red letter Bible of Jesus's words (which they didn't do) AS WELL as green ink the verses that mention the environment. But not every Bible is a red letter one anyway...mine isn't. Hmmmm....Regardless, I think it's a wonderful thing overall, despite the name and whatnot.

I think the other thing that is bothering people is they think that The Green Bible is going to take away from The Good Book's true intention...but I don't get that honestly at all. Sadly, most Christians don't see the connection between us and the environment, and most ignore that God asked us to be good stewards of the planet and not destroy it. So I think it's a great thing to highlight the MANY verses (over 1,000) in the Bible that focus on His creation as a constant reminder of what we are supposed to be doing (and more importantly, not doing).

Really it's about time that the best-selling book on the planet went "green" as far as I'm concerned! Further details include that it is printed on recycled paper (although I couldn't find a post-consumer percentage anywhere) with soy ink, has a cotton/linen cover, and includes a "green" topical index.

So if you're in need of a new Bible or know someone who is, check out this one that is available at Amazon.

Some bread baking...

My Love was home this morning so I decided to take advantage of the help with Lovebug and bake some bread...Been trying to bake alot more as of late as it's something I really enjoy doing. There is something very relaxing, simple, and nostalgic about it to me, particularly bread making. This is a quick/lean bread and is super simple! Got the recipe from a wonderful book I received for my birthday (thanks Courtney/Caleb!:) called Vegan Planet - it appears to have quite a selection of delicious-sounding recipes that we can't wait to try out.

Love the taste of molasses and it has SO many wonderful nutrients in it, especially iron and calcium...here's a substitution we've been doing with it too in such things as waffles. Make sure you get "unsulfured" molasses which does not contain sulfur residue.

Molasses Bread recipe:

(1 1/4) C - Soy Milk (used Rice Milk)
(1 1/2) T - White Vinegar
(2) C - Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (used whole wheat pastry)
(1) C - Yellow Cornmeal
(1) tsp - Salt
(1) tsp - Baking Soda
(3/4) C - Molasses
(1/2) C - Coarsely chopped Walnuts*
(1/2) C - Raisins*

*Didn't have either on-hand so did w/o these, but I could see where they would be a very good addition...will definitely try it with both next time! Plus, the added nutrients from the walnuts and raisins would be wonderful!

1.) Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil (used coconut oil) a 9 x 5 inch load pan and set aside.
2.) Combine soy/rice milk and vinegar in small bowl and set aside.
3.) Combine, flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda in large bowl - mix well. Add molasses and wet mixture - stir until batter is just mixed. Stir in walnuts and raisins (if using) with few quick strokes, then transfer to prepared pan.
4.) Bake on center oven rack until firm and toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour (about 45 mins for me). Let cool for 10 mins before removing and enjoying!

Question to all you expert bakers out there - what do you store your bread in? I know that homemade bread does not last as long (read it should be eaten within 2 days which isn't too likely at our nest) since it doesn't have preservatives. We have an antique metal bread bin but that doesn't seem to work too well. Right now, the loaf is wrapped in a kitchen towel and sitting inside a brown paper bag in our pantry, which I've heard can work. I don't know though...Hmmmmm....Saw this today and thought it was pretty cool. I just don't want to store it in a plastic bag or wrap it in foil as we try very hard to not use such things, and I've read that the frig isn't the best place for it either. Sure would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions - Thank you in advance!!

Making soaps during the storm

Yesterday while the storms rolled in Lovebug and I made liquid soaps and lotions to refill the bottles we have throughout the house. Hand soaps for the bathrooms, dishwashing liquid for the kitchen, bum cleaner and an oil for the babe, shampoo/body wash for all of us, and two lotions for me...it's been on our list for quite awhile but finally got around to it.

The hand soaps, dishwashing liquid, and shampoo/body wash are all basically castile soap and whatever essential oils I want to throw in...usually lemon, lavender, and tea tree...but sometimes we'll throw something else in to fit that particular season. Since we CD (cloth diaper) we cloth wipe too, so the bum cleaner is put into a spray bottle and used during diaper changing time...then whenever needed or ever so often, the bum oil is used on her sweet behind :). I got the bum cleaner recipe from here...We use the castile solution one but the others sound good too.

The bum oil is just about 4 ounces jojoba oil, some lavender (just started this - wait until 6 months to use essential oils on babies) and a couple drops of wheatgerm oil as a natural preservative. We also use it as a massage oil for baby which she loves!


One of the "lotions" we made is from this awesome book my friend Emily turned me on to awhile back but it really ends up more as an oil, but it works great on extra dry spots. For a true lotion, I LOVE this recipe from ehow.com...it smells yummy with the coconut oil! Our little immersion blender works perfectly for this...

Coconut Oil/Cocoa Butter Lotion:

Put (3/4) cup Coconut Oil, (1/4) cup Cocoa Butter, and (1) T of a liquid Lecithin (used rice bran oil) into an immersion or regular blender...Add 15 (or more if want) drops of essential oil (lavender is my fave) into mixture. Then squeeze a 2,400 IU Vitamin E capsule into mixture and blend (used drops of wheatgerm oil instead b/c that's what had...Either will extend shelf life of your lotion). Pour mixture into a bottle with tight-fitting lid. Shake before using and best if stored in a cool dark place...or in refrigerator if so desired.


All the bottles we use were either antiqued, thrifted, or bought from Specialty Bottle and all the ingredients are from Mountain Rose Herbs (which is THE greatest thing out there for organic bulk ingredients - LOVE them!). It really is best to use organic ingredients and 100% pure essential oils when making your homemade products!

There are SO many nasty ingredients in all of the products out there and by making your own natural ones you're greatly lessening the amount of chemicals and toxins that your body absorbs...PLUS when you buy in bulk, you're saving money as well as lessening the amount of packaging you consume, and you can find some beautiful bottles/containers to store your homemade products in (or re-use some that you already have)...make some labels for them and they're you go! They also make great presents. There are so many great recipes out there, organic bulk ingredients readily available, and it's super easy. As an added bonus, I find it to be a very relaxing and fun process - the whole mixing and making...especially when it's raining outside as it was yesterday :)!

Water Baby

This last weekend was wonderful but busy...on Friday our babe had her first dip in a pool...it was a saltwater thank goodness so it was much better for her delicate skin. She LOVED it and is a water baby for sure - she kept splashing about and enjoyed herself immensely!




Saturday and Sunday were mostly spent helping my Mom move...Whilst going through stuff, I ran across these amazing Childcraft books which are currently on loan to me...She's had them forever and I remember flipping through them alot as a child but they are WAY more cool and interesting to me now as a mama (of course:)...I borrowed the "Green Kingdom", the "Guide for Parents" and the "Make and Do" volumes...the last of which has some really wonderful craft and game ideas which I found particularly inspiring. They are the 1988 editions...Wonder if they can be found anywhere because they're a great find (?).

I have to brag on my Mama for a second...I meant to post something around Mother's Day about her but never did...she probably got some great crafting ideas from the "Make and Do" volume above, but she sure didn't need any help! She always had amazing field trips and adventures planned for us (meaning us 7 kiddos), would have our fellow homeschooled friends over for pottery classes (she's a very talented potter) and craft parties, made us incredible costumes, really encouraged (and participated in) imaginative play, and threw the most creative and detailed parties/events, which is where I got my love of hostessing and what inspired me to become an event designer...Anyhoo, here's to my Mommy, the Queen of creative mamas!