A Little Late--- March Sponsor Spotlight {A Sprouting Acorn}

Hello friends! I know this is late...but I wanted to give you a post from last months XL sponsor :) The ladies of A Sprouting Acorn are here to give you TWO fabulous easter egg ideas for your easter sunday evening. :) If you didn't check out A Sprouting Acorn, I REALLY recommend you do. The two ladies running the blog, Michelle and Andrea, are incredibly sweet, fabulous, and creative mamas. Everything on this blog is so bright, cheery, and wonderful. There are so many great craft ideas that will really bring an extra touch of awesome creativeness to your life (if you use pinterest, you'll go on a pinning spree. Seriously--- look how neat this idea is!). And one of the best things is that there is a little bit of everything, so no matter what you are into, you will find something you love. Be sure to stop by A Sprouting Acorn and say hello to these really wonderful women!

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We're Michelle and Andrea, best friends raising our respective boys on opposite coasts. We blog about the things we do, the things we like, the things we eat, and sometimes even the things we make! Come and visit us at a sprouting acorn!

For ohdeardrea, we decided to do a "joint" Easter project. And no, sadly, eggs are totally not vegan, but they are pretty fun for Easter.

From Michelle's home in New York: Thumbprint Easter Eggs!

These thumbprint easter eggs were pretty easy to do. All you need are hard boiled eggs (you can dye them first if you wish; I didn't), an ink pad, an extra fine point Sharpie, and of course, some thumbs! Sounds pretty simple already, right?

Use the ink pads to make thumbprints on the egg. Carefully check that the ink from the ink pad has dried completely before drawing in details with the extra-fine point marker. Your thumbprints can be used as a template for any design your heart desires: Easter bunny, chicks, shameless blog plug... anything!

To Andrea's home in California: Easter Egg Frittata.

If you don't hard boil your eggs, but instead you blow them out (here's a video on how to do it) what are you to do with your left over eggs? You can't possibly waste them, so make a frittata!

I roughly followed this recipe from Alton Brown, but I didn't use ham and I added tomatoes and onions. It's a pretty basic recipe and you can use whatever you've got on hand to make this following his basic steps.

Pop the entire thing in the oven and you'll get a super yummy, super simple frittata!

Have a wonderful Easter all!!


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**And yes, this blog is vegan based.... and this little posty-post is about eggs, which you know... aren't vegan. But I've been asked several times, and I'll say it again, we've got no qualms with eggs... just as long as the chicks are cage-free and well taken care of :) AND I really love the idea of not only decorating the eggs, but then using them to make something extra comforting and yummy for your family. Waste less, make more! :) 


Thanks Andrea and Michelle! <3<3<3

Making Lemonade

Today was terrible. One of the worst of the worst. I haven't been sleeping well. My nights have been filled with terrible dreams of love, work, and child raising--- all falling apart-- again. I'm not sure what triggers my sleep problems (well, late night sugar doesn't help... and hormones don't help... okay, I guess I do know), but whether I know or don't know: my complicated relationship with sleep is back. I went to bed last night, excited for today... but today: nothing went as planned. I woke up to rain. Fine, it's rain, not a big deal. Rain happens, it's nothing to cry about. But how I was going to make it to two banks and city hall with a toddler, in the rain, was beyond me. (#firstworldproblems, right?) But I NEEDED to pay my bills. I knew I needed to. Five days past payment on rent (not a huge deal, I've got a great landlord, she knows the payment will come in-- this was my first day free this week) and a little overdue on utilities--- maybe, I never received a notice. I started gathering things together-- I was going to get Marlowe in that stroller and make quick walk east when there was a break in the clouds. I pick her up, I bring her in her room to change her: the power goes out. I hear someone outside. WHY. My bill stated the payment was due the 19th (of April). WHY. I go to the window and I see the man who shut off my power, getting in his truck, and pulling away. And I'm stuck, in the 90 degree, raining weather, with no AC and no power for fans.... and I'm confused and upset. Why the man who turns a switch to turn off all the power in my house couldn't wait for tomorrow, couldn't wait an hour until I made it to the office, is beyond me. We finally make it out of the house, neither one of us is happy. Marlowe vocally whines the whole time, I whine in my head, but I'm certain you can see it in my face. She whines more. She screams. I give up. I give her a lollipop from the bank--- ANYTHING to give me a slight second of a break today. The lollipop is not another person or a helping hand. The lollipop is hardly a minute distraction. And I don't feel completely guilty. We make it home. I prepare lunch. She screams the entire time. She seems hungry. I place her in the highchair and she is disappointed and unhappy. Whines. Points to nothing. Whines more. I beg, I plead. Finally, she gives up on her pointless whining and reaches for food. She begins to eat. I stand up in relief, wash my hands, walk back to the couch, and she is asleep: covered in food, in her chair. I lay her, dirty, covered in food, on my bed. I get some work done and I clean my messy home. She wakes up, in a better mood. For a short while, the clouds move, and the sun shines in... and I make lemonade. The rest of the day continues with more fits, more tantrums, and refusing to eat anything of value, and the day, once again, continues to fall apart. 

Currently: I'm happy to be in bed, with my child asleep in her cozy, tiny bedroom. I'm happy we both survived our moodiness today. I'm not pleased that my emotions have gotten the best of me a few times this week, but I'm proud for making it through another trying day, alone. I look forward to a fresh start tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a good day. Tomorrow: I drink my lemonade. 

2 parts lemon

1 part sweetener

6 parts water

(sounds accurate enough)

Happy Weekend everyone! Happy Easter, if you celebrate it. It seems the earth and the planets are moving in all kinds of weird directions, changing and adjusting our moods and cycles. I know very little about this. I failed (well, I got a C) on every exam relating to the pull of the moon and tides in my college oceanography course (hardest class I've taken to date). With Mercury in retrograde (whatever that means), we're not "supposed to" make big decisions, take on new projects, or deal with finances, but instead, deal with already looked at and older projects. Whatever is going on with moodiness and pulls, it's supposed to end soon. Again, happy weekend. Make some lemonade. 

Things On Toast

warm grilled beets with oil, balsamic vinegar, chunky salt and pepper, over a heavy dose of cream cheese. 

Diet Water: Simple & Easy Black Bean Soup Recipe

Hello!

So....I'm feeling A LOT better. It's kinda awesome. Thanks for all the feel better wishes! Marlowe, is of course feeling better too... she started picking up long before me :) I've had this post (well, half of it) sitting around for a while now and I completely forgot about it. I know, I'm the worst at posting recipes. Well, in general, I've just been the worst at blogging lately. With my mom has been in town, I've been able to work all these extra, longer and wonky hours in the kitchen, on the truck, and catering and whatnot. That, plus being sick, plus a million other fun things has thrown off my whole life sceduling-groove. But whatever! It's friday! And I've got a soup recipe! A really, really, simple and delicious soup recipe. 

Ingredients: 

1 sweet onion

1 celery stalk

peppers

mushrooms

few cloves of garlic

plum tomato or a few cherry/grape tomatoes

green onion

one to two cans of black beans (you can obviously used dried, soaked and ready beans too. I stick to cans out of convenience sake and my inability to get a decent consistency from dried beans)

garlic (as many of as few cloves as you would like)

vegetable stock or water

fresh: cilantro, oregano, and thyme

spices: cumin, chili flake, smoked paprika, hot paprika, coriander

Chop everything. You're going to add the layers of chopped vegetables to the pot in sections, cooking each group down, then adding more. The mushrooms are completely optional. I like to add them for a bit more of an earthy touch, plus it's an extra vegetable, and you can't go wrong adding some more healthy to your dish :)  This dish is low on spice because I've got to feed the little one too, but if you want to kick it up a notch, then add some jalepeno to the recipe. Chop everything as you cook or prep it all first and cook it after--- whatever works for you-- either way this is a quick meal!

First set of vegetables: onion, celery, mushrooms, peppers. You should have a pot heated, on the stove, with olive oil. Dice vegetables and add them to pot.  (If you are adding jalepeno or another spicy peppers, add them in here)

While you are sautéing, chop tomatoes and slice garlic. Add to pot.

Still sautéing, chop green onion and fresh herbs. (I used two to three times this amount of herbs)

Everything should be pretty cooked down at this point. Add green onion and herbs. (^^see lots of herbs oregano and cilantro and especially key)

Add spices. Heavy on the cumin (at least a hefty tablespoon). And a fair amount of paprika, chili, and coriander. Salt and pepper too. Mix, stir, blend. 

Add black beans. Amount of black beans will be dependent on how many veggies you've added and your preference to ratio. I usually use two cans, but one works fine too. Add stock or water and bring to simmer. Taste, and season. Allow to simmer for about ten minutes... and that's it! You're done.... and your soup is done too! 

Ladle in bowl. Serve with smoked paprika garlic toast and BAM you've got a delicious party. 

*Other pairing options: avocado toast or sweet plantain toast.
*To make this more toddler friendly, I spoon some over rice, with-holding as much liquid as possible :)


Happy Friday everyone! I've got today off and I'm looking forward to relaxing :) Hope everyone has a wonderful (and delicious) weekend!


napkins on right c/o dot and army ;)

Things On Toast

shredded asparagus, marinated overnight in: olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper, a tiny touch of agave, &roasted garlic. 

Things On Toast

grape tomatoes: sliced and caramelized in oil, balsamic vinegar, and sugar, with basil. Tofutti cream cheese, salt, pepper. oh, garlic too, of course.

Things On Toast

fine chopped garlic simmered in oil, sweet smoked paprika, and salt. chopped cilantro. 

cloth napkins c/o dot and army! We're a cloth only house (minus toilet paper, of course!). these are made from up-cycled from vintage fabrics AND reversible! Green, useful, and awesome! Check em' out :)


toast to be served with black bean soup... recipe to be posted very soon!

Things On Toast

diced cucumber, onion, green onion, cherry tomatoes, radish, and avocado. with fresh chopped basil, oregano, and thyme. marinated in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. over olive oil and fresh rubbed garlic. 

I had a more than enjoyable birthday celebration with some really lovely ladies last night. I can't wait for the weekend. It's supposed to rain on my actual birthday (sunday), but if it doesn't we're going on a safari adventure! Happy weekend everyone! 

What Marlowe Eats

It's been a while, right? Well, due to not having a camera, this set is going to be a few older pictures from when my camera worked and... you guessed it: cell phone photos. I finally took the long trip out to the camera store and of course, without noticing (or checking) I had let my battery die down... so they weren't actually able to look at it. Fail. Also, they said I would most likely have to send it in to panasonic anyway, since they work mostly with canon and whatever else. Bummer. One day I'll do it. But yeah, anyways, Marlowe eating... I've got a feeling there is some teeth pushing through because meal time (and lots of other time) has been a bit more whiny. Sits, eats, screams, whines, eats more. It's a long process. Also, I've decided to only give her fruit before noon now (most of the time), because she will refuse food and run to the kitchen screaming and pointing for bananas. So now, the morning is loaded with mini waffles, dry cereal, apples, bananas, and whatever other organic fruit is in season. And the rest of the day has a few snacks, mostly meals, and a snack before bedtime. Okay! Onto the photos!

red quinoa, pearl couscous with peas and corn, cooked kale, avocado slices. 

vegetable spring rolls deconstructed. 

vegetable tofu scramble and avocado/ tomato on toast.

garam masala sweet potato (nope, still no dice on the sweet potato, even with garam masala), sliced avocado, cooked kale, and a chickpea patty. 

red quinoa, and from Whole Foods: honey tofu stick, broccoli, and confetti rice. 

vegetable and black bean brown rice, avocado    //     bbq "chicken", mashed potatoes, baked beans, green beans with corn.  

baked eggplant parm *which may or may not have had a few ting's smashed up for half the breading ;) but hey! I ran out of panko :)  over red sauce, mashed potatoes      //  avocado and grilled cheese! YAH!

These are older from my "help me I'm hormonal and nauseous days. 

I've made it a thing to pick up a small box of pre-made food from Whole Foods every time I go. After hiking out there with a little one, it's nice to have a dinner break for the night.   

random selections at Whole Foods    //    frozen pizza (gross. I had a craving. But yes, it's vegan)

black bean burger (similar to the chickpea patty), avocado   //   blueberry pancakes, orange slices, smoked paprika potatoes. 

ps. I made a plantain and yuca stew tonight I plan on sharing... soon soon soon!

Things On Toast

Happy leap year day?

avocado, cucumber, green onion, olive oil, thai ginger salt, with lime and salted lime sprouts. 

**still no working camera

Diet Water - Recipe {Sweet Potato and Kale Soup With Lemon Greens}

Yay food time! So, as mentioned in my last post, my camera took a crap this week. Every time I turn it on it tells me to turn it off and try again, but then it doesn't let me turn it off. Brilliant, right? I actually got about half way through this recipe before it gave out. Luckily, I have a picture of the finished product from a while ago so this post isn't a total fail. And this recipe is incredibly simple and requires little ingredients and little skill.... in my book: thats a winning recipe. Also, for a somewhat related/somewhat unrelated side note: A lot of people ask me if there are any foods M doesn't like... Sweet potato. Definitely: sweet potato. She's never liked it... and I don't blame her. I really only like it in soup form. I also discovered this week: she doesn't like pesto... that was actually a shocker! I thought she would devour the pesto pasta right up. Oh well... more for me.

Anyway... onto the soup!

Soup Ingredients:

olive oil

Sweet potato

yellow onion

celery 

carrots

garlic

herbs (oregano and thyme work well)

spices (red chili flake, smoked salt, pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika-- hot and/or sweet, and a dash of cumin)

optional, but recommend: kale

optional: liquid smoke

Dice: one onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery.

Heat up pot (med/med high heat). Pour in generous amount of olive oil. Add chili flake. Add diced veggies. Saute.

Once everything has been sauteed down pretty well: add as little or as much garlic as you would like. I have a garlic problem (and I don't care who knows it) so I add about four or five cloves. Saute. DO NOT BURN.

Add peeled and chopped sweet potato. It doesn't really matter the size since you will be pureeing the soup anyway...  Add generous amounts of spices and fresh herbs. Stir/blend.

Add stock or water. Enough to cover. Bring to simmer. Simmer until sweet potato pieces are soft. Turn off heat and puree soup. I use an immersion blender, but obviously: any blender will work fine. I've just found that with my overly clumsy and messy self, everything works a little more smoothly in the kitchen when I don't have to transfer hot (or any) liquids. If you don't have a blender you could always use a food processor, then strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer to make it extra silky smooth. Add more liquid (if needed) to reach your desired consistency. Bring soup back to simmer, season to taste (I like extra pepper and extra smokiness), and (if you'd like) add chopped pieces of kale. Allow to simmer another five to ten minutes. 

To pair with the soup: greens and bread! 

For the greens: In a bowl, toss greens (arugula or mixed greens work well... anything not overly bulky and heavy) with a fair amount of lemon, a tiny bit of olive oil, course sea salt, and pepper. 

Bread: Slice loaf of sourdough. Brush olive oil on bread. Toast or grill bread. Pull out of oven, toaster, grill, whatever, and rub a clove of garlic over warm bread. Salt and pepper. 

Top soup with greens and bread.... and ENJOY!