October 2015

Hello muffins,

So I haven't completely lost my mind in October. I've had a few rough parenting weeks but I've found myself getting calmer and realizing that I really just need to breathe and realize a few things.

My boys have definitely been challenging this month but that's OK. I did lose my cool a few times and I'm not ashamed of admitting it. Now, by losing my cool I don't mean I went Rambo and destroyed my house but I did yell. In the middle of my yelling I realized that what I was doing was wrong although it does happen. I then took the time to apologize to my youngest ( he'd been waking up all week at 2 and falling asleep 30 minutes before wake up time, I was exhausted) and gave myself an adult time out. That's right, I treated myself like I would treat my child if he had a tantrum and I found myself so much calmer. I think as parents sometimes we get so frustrated because we just feel like we need time to breathe and sometimes we don't get that. And when we feel that way we just get lost in frustration, forgetting that our children (especially the younger ones) can't quiet communicate the way we want them to. They are learning about feelings and how to respond and let's just say when I caught myself acting on this absurd kind of fit I realized that I didn't want my child to react that way. I want him to communicate the proper way, to talk and explain how he feels instead of pushing his wants on to others. So for the rest of the week when I started to feel frustrated I just took a step back to observe my situation and then talk to my child the way I would want him to talk to me. I want my children to learn that it's OK to be frustrated and be emotional but there is a good and a bad way.  Inthe weeks that I had them with me I noticed that the calmer I was the better the children were and not only did they communicate better with me but with themselves too. I also found that I was better at analyzing my feelings and that most of the time my frustrations were due to a communication break down and that asking questions to my children and trying to understand them by asking questions made my life a whole lot calmer and the children's too.

As it comes to my vegan diet it's been hard. I don't eat anything that is non vegan in my house and at work since I pack my lunches except chocolate and candy, I won't lie that's been hard) but at restaurants and at families houses I'm a complete failure. I see meat and I want it which I can generally refrain myself but most places so far don't really offer vegan options so I do I have to work on that.

Halloween costumes turned out pretty good.  The boys costumes are a bit big but that's OK. Collecting candy with them, my hunny and my best friend C was great.

This was the outcomes of our costumes.

When it comes to my vegan repertoire of cooking I didn't really make anything to impressive. I have fallen in love with Chana Masala which is an Indian dish typically made with some milk but I was able to take the milk out and substitute it with coconut milk or almond milk. I also made a vegan version of coleslaw which turned out to be delicious. No recipe but if II get the ingredients again I will mark the ingredients and give you the recipe.

I got to go to bulk barn this weekend which was loaded full of nuts and products that I don't normally buy here where I live because I can either not find it or it's to expensive. I know I have to watch the ingredients even in the list as some of them contain milk for some reason. With that said I did find some good ingredients that will hopefully allow me to make some more great dishes to enjoy as a vegan.

I am also hoping to put a few reviews up on the blog. One about a product I've received through bzzagent and one will be an adult review.

Love

Me

September 2015

Hello muffins,

I know I'm a bit behind in posting how I did in September I've just had a really hectic month.

My oldest started school. I can't believe how fast time goes it's crazy. I swear I was just changing him diapers and bottle feeding him yesterday. Now, he's just a big ball of happiness, always eager to help and play.

Along with school both boys have started at a new day care that comes with new rules and it's a bit hard to get used to it. The new rules make things a bit harder between my ex and I when it comes to children's medication but I am getting on my way to making everything easier.

I also had a lovely wedding to attend I was a bridesmaid. It was fun and cold and I am very happy I got to attend such an event.

My goals for September were as follows:
Get some pickling and jam done.
Complete the budget from August receipts.
Finish organizing the house ( my room and kids toys
Learn to hem pants
Make one vegetarian "dish" a week.

So how did I do pretty good I have to say.

I didn't make jam but I did make some Cajun picked carrots and beans. I love the taste of the carrots but not so much the beans. Since I don't like the beans so much I've giving almost all my jars away.

I've also learned how to make cooler wine. My hunny and I have made a batch of black cherry wine and one wild berry. We also have another lime flavored one that needs bottling this up coming weekend. This month if finances allows we want to make an actual red wine to use for cooking and special events.

I did a budget with August receipts but August was such a weird month of spending which I normally don't do that my budget just didn't work. I did however just repaid my credit off this month ( October) and hopefully I can keep it that way.

I'm hoping that come January I can make another budget that's accurate that will include: savings for holidays, presents, insurances and just regular savings.

When it came down to organizing my house all that was as half success. The kids toys were sorted, while the rest of my house just got worse. Right now I feel a little crazy and since cleaning and organizing will get done.

Learn to hem pants. Haha, that was an experience. I got a sewing machine and I've never used one. By watching a few videos on YouTube I got the basics but let's just say I still have a lot to learn. I managed to break only one needle which I think is a win. :)

The last thing on my list was to make one vegetarian meal a week. Well I've started a journey to veganism so all of my own meals are meatless ( I do eat meat and animal by products such as cheese and eggs when I go out for supper but I am trying to stop that too.)

This is one of my favorite lunches a quinoa salad inspired by a recipe in the book oh she glows.

Goals for the month of October:

Make Halloween costumes

Continue growing my cooking repertoire for vegan food

Try not to lose my mind ;)

Any ways I'll have to stop this here my battery is at 2%. :s

Have a good month my loves

P

Zuchinni fritters

As some of you know this year I joined an organic produce program delivered by Trussler's Pantry. Every week I receive a bin full of fresh, organic, locally grown produce. In the latest bins I've received a lot of zucchinis, and didn't know what to do with them all. 

I also went to the library and picked up "The Vegetarian Student Cookbook: great grub fit the hungry and broke" by Ryland, Peter and Small. It's in this book that I have found the zuchinni fritters recipe.  I looked at it for inspiration and made my own version. I also highly recommend the book, there is a lot of yummy recipes in this book.

Ingredients

2 zucchinis (I used 1 green and 1 yellow)

3 green onions

2 tsp garlic 

1/2 tsp vegetable seasoning and  dill

5 tbs of flour
Olive oil or coconut oil ( I prefer coconut oil but it's your choice)
1 cup cheese of your choice ( I used cheddar)

Grate zuchinni. Put in a strainer and let sit to remove excess water.

Put oven on broil.

In a skillet put a bit of oil, the garlic and green onions and cook until tender. Pull off heat let cool.

Finish staining excess water from zuchinni by pressing it in your hands put into a bowl ( you can add 2 eggs if you want this will help hold your zuchinni patties together and help them brown). Add seasoning and dill and onion mixture into the bowl as well as the flour. Mix together.

Put empty skillet back on the stove at medium heat ( I use the same one that oII cooked the onions in to save on dishes), add a bit of oil. Make patties with the zuchinni mixture and put in the skillet.

Cook until browned, take out of skillet and put on a baking sheet. Add cheese on top of the cooked patties. Put into oven until cheese is browned.

Take out and eat. Yum.

Potatoe chicken casserole

 I was browsing Pinterest the other night when I fell upon this recipe. I took a look at the ingredients and well I had them all. I also had ingredients that I thought would be awesome if I added then to the recipe.

I liked this recipe for two reasons:
1) It looked fairly simple to make.
2) My partner K isn't fond of chicken and I wanted a recipe that didn't just make the chicken a slab of meat but made integrate into to meal.

The ingredients listed are what I used but the quantities are approximations. Those that don't have quantities are because you can put as much or as little as you want.

Ingredients

1-2 lbs potatoes

1kohlrabi 

1 medium onion

Garlic

Olive oil

Greek or Italian seasoning

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

3 cups of cheese ( cheddar, marble, mozzarella, wte you like)

Preheat oven at 425 f

If you use large potatoes cut them into pieces of you use gem potatoes just leave them as they are. Peel the kohlrabi and cut into pieces do the same with the onion.

Put in an oven safe baking dish. Sprinkle with as much seasoning as you would like ( I used about 1/4 cup) and add the garlic too ( I used about 2tsp).  Drizzle some olive oil over it all and mix ingredients to coat.

Put in oven for 20 minutes. 

Pull out the dish from the oven and add the chicken ( you can cube it before hand but I just left it whole). Put the dish back into the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Once chicken is cooked take the dishes out of the oven ( if the chicken isn't cut up you can take the time to do it now and mix it into the potatoes and kohlrabi). Sprinkle cheese over it all place back into oven until cheese is melted.

Take out of the oven and serve.

This fed me, my partner ( why had to helpings), and my two boys ( 2-4 yrs). We also had plenty of left overs for the next day.

Month of August

Hello Jelly beans,

As you all know I set goals out to accomplish this month and I wanted to update you on how everything has been going.

A quick recap of my goals:
Finish organizing the new house
Get back into an exercise routine ( I will be taking pictures and measurements)
30 day you challenge ( taking 1 hour a day to be with just myself no one else with no electronics including music)
30 day no-POO challenge ( that's right no shampooing for 30 days)
Making my own toothpaste ( coconut oil, mint oil, baking powder)

And here is how everything is going. I decided to set myself monthly goals in hopes that it will help me keep on track and it did and didn't.

Organizing the house is a work in progress. I have finally hung up the pictures I wanted on the wall.  My partner K has started organizing the basement for me ( and no we don't live together yet), he even supplied some shelves to help with the organization process. There's still a lot to do down there but it's getting there. I still have to go through the kids toys and find a place for the last few items in a box ( a lot of items actually)

The 30 day you challenge which consist of taking an hour to yourself to do what you want to do hasn't been going as well. You aren't supposed to nap well I fell asleep reading several times and didn't give myself any alone time other nights. What I have done though is take more time to myself even if it's not every day. I probably should've used that time to work out ( note that was a goal and it didn't happen) but instead I took time to read ( even though I feel asleep) and I also took a few relaxing baths which I haven't done in a long time. I also started doing things without the television or music on and without my phone. I just do things in silence which is amazing. Between kids and work my life is noisy, and sometimes all the noise stops me from being able to think, it clogs my mind and that's typically when I start getting a shorter fuse. I have found that doing dishes and food prep without any of those distractions has helped me relax more because I can actually listen and be aware of my own thoughts and feelings. It lets me analyze myself and my actions and majes me see how I could've tackled a situation differently.

30 day s of no-Poo ( shampoo that is). I made it to day 27 with no shampoo. It was surprising how my hate didn't get as oily as I thought it would our feel dirty and itchy. I washed it after 27 days because my hair got wet in a hot tub and baking soda didn't help get rid of the icky feeling my hair gets after being in chlorine. Otherwise my experience was fun.

I made my own toothpaste with coconut oil, salt, peppermint oil, banking powder. I've made it because of all the chemicals in toothpaste. With that said I still use store bought toothpaste once a week and use a store bought mouthwash and floss.

Other things that happened.

My oldest H is starting school this week which is exciting.  B ( my ex), his mother and I will be bringing him to school for his first day together. I am glad that he invited to come along so I can see my son off to his first day of school.

I'm also in the process of buying a sewing machine. I am spending a bit if money on it. The store in town here has one for 180$ used but I decided to go with the same model that is currently on sale for only 20$ more and it will be delivered free of charge. It will save me a ton of money on pant hemming. Since I have to get all my pants hemmed it will save me money in the long run.


The goals for September.

Get some pickling and jam done.
Complete the budget from August receipts.
Finish organizing the house ( my room and kids toys
Learn to hem pants
Make one vegetarian "dish" a week.

Until next time loves.

Month of July

Hello muffins,

So July is almost done and I'd thought I'd give you guys an update. I won't lie and say that it was perfect because it wasn't and well I hold honesty high up there in what's makes a good person. We also all have our failures and I think that it's OK to say hey I wasn't perfect but I tried.

I did three weeks of fitness blender WO plan that I bought. It is great and low impact but for some reason or another I didn't feel motivated to do anything.

I was supposed to check in with my spending which was also a bust but I did keep must of my receipts. This month I found a box that will be perfect to keep all my receipts to keep track of my spending. I did spend a little extra today. I went out of town and bought a few things I needed and didn't need but I don't get out of town often so I took advantage of this. I need to remember to add a spending allowance in my budget.

This month goals are to :
Finish organizing the new house
Get back into an exercise routine ( I will be taking pictures and measurements)
30 day you challenge ( taking 1 hour a day to be with just myself no one else with no electronics including music)
30 day no-POO challenge ( that's right no shampooing for 30 days)
Making my own toothpaste ( coconut oil, mint oil, baking powder)

I am looking forward to all these challenges. I'm also looking forward to organizing the house. Things are still a little all over the place and I find that the clutter is making it hard for me to stay motivated because all I'm stressing and focusing on is the clutter.


Other wise I'm hoping to make August a better month then July was.

Love

Me ;)

Crock pot Yogurt

I always wanted to make most of my food. Now that I have moved into my own place I now have the freedom to do and cook what I want. I've been browsing pinterest and I saw a post about making yogurt. it looked easy enough so I decided to give it a try.

I won't lie though I was afraid of trying to make yogurt leaving milk products in a hot crock pot over night was a little worrisome but I did it anyways. My yogurt came out pretty tangy and a bit runny but I know if I use a cheese cloth I can strain it and make it thicker.

I am going to use this yogurt for smoothies. I don't eat a lot of yogurt in general so I don't spend a lot of money on it but I'm glad to know that when I need some i can now makenit for cheaper.

I did a quick break down of what making this yogurt cost. The prices are in Canadian dollars and the cost is per 100ml. I don't have a huge super store here where I live so I bought the cheapest ingredients I found here. By all means though if you can find cheaper prices please do.  Also the prices I mark beside the ingredients are the cost based on the amount of the products I used and not the cost that I paid for the whole product.

ASTRO yogurt 2% Plain- 1$
Lactantia milk 2%- 5$

This recipe makes about two quarts. I did weigh how much yogurt this made and this time it made 1795 ml of yogurt.
The total cost of ,a king this yogurt for the first time is 33 cents per 100ml.
If you used your now made yogurt for the starter of your next batch it is 27 cents per 100ml. My savings for this recipe was 7 cents per 100ml for the first batch and will be 13 cents cheaper on my second batch.  The yogurt I bought in stores was 40 cents per 100ml.


The recipe I used was this one here by Live Simply.


Would you ever try to make your own yogurt? If you have what tips and tricks do you use?