Tuesday, October 26, 2010

little lovelies-pottery barn

Ah just saying "Pottery Barn" brings a smile to my face. Now I admit that I have a pretty bland decorating style but that shouldn't stop me from liking home decor right? I get giddy when I open the mail and find my FREE PB issue, I thumb through those pages at least fifty times before I give 'em the boot. I love the simplicity yet coziness of PB. I love the way they effortlessly decorate for each and every holiday. I love the big chunky white molding all over the place and the huge candles and seashells. I love love love the huge windows that display Christmas wreaths or cards. I've saved up some pennies and occasionally bought an item or two from PB, however my house never comes close to looking like that. Maybe it's the dvds sprawled all over the floor or the cheerio crumbs in the couch. One day, one day.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

little lovelies-deceptively delicious

David gave me this cookbook for Christmas a year or two ago and I love it! I'm not one for deceiving kids/adults into eating their veggies, I hope that Grant knows what certain foods are and that he will eat them because they are healthy and tasty etc. etc. With that being said I am one for including healthy food into dishes whenever possible. Here are a few of my favorite recipes from this book.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins (with squash) 

    * Nonstick cooking spray * 1/2 cup firmly packed light/dark brown sugar * 4 tbsp margarine, chilled * 1 cup lemon lowfat yogurt * 1 cup blueberries * 1/2 cup yellow squash puree * 1 egg * 2 tsp pure lemon extract * 1 tsp grated lemon zest * 2 cups all-purpose flour (1/4-1/2 from wheat flour) * 1 tsp baking powder * 1 tsp baking soda * 1/2 tsp salt


Directions

* Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.
* In a large bowl, beat the sugar and the margarine with a wooden spoon. Stir in the yogurt, blueberries, yellow squash puree, egg, lemon extract, and lemon zest.
* Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir just to combine, but do not overmix - the batter is supposed to be lumpy.
* Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until the tops of the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center, 13 to 16 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool.
* Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or wrap individually and freeze up to 1 month.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (with chickpeas)
    nonstick cooking spray 1 c firmly packed brown sugar 3/4 c trans fat-free soft tub margarine 2 large egg whites 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 2 cup ap flour (1/4 from wheat flour) 1/2 cup oats 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar and margarine with a wooden spoon or on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the egg whites and vanilla, then the chickpeas and chocolate chips. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt, and mix on low speed until a thick dough forms.
3. Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Press gently with a fork to flatten. Bake until the cookies are golden brown and just set, 11 - 13 minutes; do not overbake. Transfer to a rack to cool.
4. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

A dog named Dobby

David's parents came down for the weekend and brought my sister in-laws dog Dobby with them. Seriously how cute are these two??? They loved playing and chasing each other around. 


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

eyes of a child

I usually do my running in the morning before David goes to work, this way I can just relax and not have to worry about giving Grant his fistful of grapes or picking up a sock he dropped. The last two days David has been out of town so I lugged Grant around on my evening runs. I'm usually a thinker when I run. I love to makes lists in my head, work on lessons/homework (when that was applicable) think about goals, ways to save money, ways to spend money....etc. Last night Grant was so enthralled with being out on a run that I couldn't help but notice, really really notice, all the little things he was oooing and ahhing over. I loved it. I loved watching the excitement as a dog ran by or the way he would scoot up to the edge of the stroller to see the man mowing the lawn. These are simple things that I NEVER pay attention to but watching Grant be so curious and excited about everything made me so happy. I love the simpleness that he teaches me, I wish I had the enthusiasm about everything like he did. Well maybe not, that could get weird if I got too excited about everything-kind of like Buddy the Elf I guess. Some highlights of the run(s).

-dogs
-kids playing soccer
-basketballs on the ground
-flowers
-birds flying
-kids smoking pot (yeah didn't want Grant to stare too hard at that one)
-clouds
-sprinklers
-kids on bikes
-lawn mowers
-trash cans (exciting yes?)
-balloons
-cars

I'm not quite sure what we're going to do once winter hits-this kid (and myself) love being outside. Puffy coats here we come.