A Blueberry Bash!

Whole Foods had organic blueberries on sale last week for $1.99 and I am not ashamed to say that I sent my husband to the store (with a potty-training picky in tow) to purchase 36 pints of blueberries.  

Yes.  36 pints.  What did I do with that many blueberries?

I made jam.

I froze about 16 pints for smoothies and baked goods.

I dehydrated them for cereal and oatmeal (EPIC FAIL).

I made blueberry scones.

I made two blueberry crumbles from this delicious recipe:

(recipe from Whole Foods Market:  http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/734)

Ingredients

6 cups blueberries 

1 tablespoon flour 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

2/3 cup flour 

3/4 cup brown sugar 

1/2 cup oats 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

4 1/2 tablespoons butter

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse fruit and drain thoroughly. Put berries in a mixing bowl and add lemon juice and one tablespoon flour. Combine, and pour into a 10' pie plate. In a food processor, pulse together the remaining ingredients until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs. Cover the berries with the topping and bake for thirty minutes until the top has browned and the fruit is bubbling. 

'Tis the season to preserve the delicious fruits and vegetables that this glorious season has to offer.  Do you can or do anything to preserve fruits or veggies?

Good thing that blueberries are super healthy for you because I think I may turn into one!

Hello, Summer.

Hello, Summer.  It's nice to see you.  

You fill my days with sunshine and warmth, 

good food and great friends, 

bathing suits and sunscreen 

as well as nagging, tattling and tears.  

You provide me with long moments of daylight, a medley of tunes

as well as temper tantrums outside and the sound of whining about having to come in from the warmth.

I'm glad to say that I am back and that my goal is to write more. 

 I'm instituting a "Writing Time" for my kids so I am taking this opportunity to blog as they write.  

Hello, Summer and Dear Friends.  

It's nice to see you.

Empowerment.

I have been reflecting a ton lately about how difficult is is to raise little girls.  Here we look at women in society and see all different kinds of women...confident, self-conscious, assertive, intelligent, uneducated, second-guessing, entitled, superficial, positive, negative women.  These types are shown everywhere in the media...on reality shows, youtube, facebook, news programs.  We obviously see the traits that we want to pass onto our little impressionable girls, but how do we do it?

How do I teach my daughter that she needs to work hard to get what she wants?  She is not entitled to anything.

How do I teach my daughter intelligence is more important than beauty?  Especially when the men tend to go towards the pretty ones...how long until she figures that out?

How do I teach my daughter that she is in control of her body and her emotions?  She needs to live life and find love without settling.  She is too good for just getting by or meeting someone that is "OK".

It's time to empower our little girls.  To give them the understanding that they stay true to who they are without settling in on what might be popular or cool.  And then *maybe* one day, one of them will be President.  :)

Yeah, sorry about that...

A List of Why I Haven't Blogged:


*I've been taking a knitting class and I was making some mittens...yes, I am aware that it is spring.
*I've been trying to work on being less selfish and bridging over to help with chores that are typically not mine.
*I have the "end of winter" BLAHS...
*I've been trying to get in five work-outs per week, two being yoga.
*I've had PTA meetings, birthdays and other various fundraisers.
*I've been busy being mom and wife.  :)


I DO love winter but I start getting antsy at the end of each season.  I look ahead at the upcoming season and what excitement it brings and I long for it...it doesn't help that I am impatient either.
I can't wait for local, fresh produce.
I can't wait to wear tank tops, sundresses and flip flops.


I promise to blog more...hopefully I'll find something interesting to say.  :)

I *heart* Amazon and their crazy money-saving deals!

Have you heard of the Subscribe and Save program on Amazon?  You can buy many of your household items for 15% off and you can subscribe to have them delivered to your house for FREE at various times.  Paper towels, soap, deodorant, cleaning products, even some food! Subscribe and Save allows you to change your shipment dates and cancel anytime.


If you are buying diapers, wipes and such from the baby store, be sure to sign up for Amazon Mom FREE.  It entitles you to Amazon Prime benefits which include free two-day shipping for any Amazon purchases for up to a year and an additional 15% off purchases in the baby store.  Non-Mathematical?  That's 30% off when buying things in bulk from the baby store when paired with the Subscribe and Save!


Do you have a little one in diapers?  I looked up my Eco-friendly Seveth Generation Diapers (usually $13.99 in store).  I signed up FREE for Amazon Mom, used the Subscribe and Save feature and got FOUR packs of diapers with free two-day shipping for under $28.  (Different sizes cost different amounts so results may vary).  I signed up to get them delivered every month but I realized that I needed them a bit earlier.  I went on and shipped them immediately for the same great price.  Free shipping, low prices, AWESOME.  Diapers for $7 per pack?  Even better!

I just ordered the Seventh Generation baby wipes.  I usually buy a pack for $3.79 and I occasionally will have a $1 off coupon.  Amazon sells them in packs of 5 for approximately $11.  With the Subscribe and Save Option, I just got them shipped to my house for $8.32 and free two day shipping.  That means that I am getting my awesome eco-friendly wipes for $1.66 each.  Check out the awesome deals!  


Now I can spend my extra money on good food.  :)

Vegan pizza concoctions...

Pizza with lots of sauteed garlic, zucchini, tofu and roasted red peppers topped with a balsamic glaze.  YUM.

The kids must eat, therefore, I MUST plan. Meal Plans Week of 1/30 :)

We are trying to count calories around here so baking the incredible pop tarts and wonderful coffee cakes is always difficult.  I am an avid spoon-licker and I also feel entitled to dessert so if I am baking at night, it is extra trouble for my waistline.  This week I have a few treats up my sleeve but they are of the lower-fat variety.  Did you know that you can replace oil with unsweetened applesauce in most baked goods recipes?  It's delicious and still maintains the moisture in cakes, muffins, etc.

Sunday 30:
banana chocolate chip muffins and tropical smoothies
leftovers from the weekend
eggplant and chickpea curry, homemade pita, 


Monday 31:
cereal and fruit
peanut butter toast, fruit, veggies and dip
baked tofu and caulipots (mashed potatoes AND cauliflower)


Tuesday 1:
banana coffee cake
miso noodle soup
tortilla casserole, salad


Wednesday 2:
cereal and smoothies
leftovers
yellow split pea soup with sweet potatoes and kale, steamed broccoli, fresh bread


Thursday 3:
toast and fruit smoothies
out for lunch
red beans and rice, green beans, salad


Friday 4:
yogurt with fruit and homemade granola
bean burritos and cheesy roll-ups
lentil, kale and red onion pasta, corn


Saturday 5:
cereal and fruit
out for lunch
homemade veggie pizza


Extras:  homemade veggie dip, granola, spiced chocolate pudding, bread