Cookie Time

Tis' the season for some holiday goodies. These are NOT healthy. Butter, sugar and white flour. I put together little packages for our wonderful teachers and neighbours. I signed them "to health, happiness and peace in 2013", which is what I hope for all in this upcoming year. I also think it is really nice to get homemade gifts, so every year I try to include some of these gifts.

the most amazing biscotti! and super easy to make. 

lemon shortbread

chocolate chip shortbread

Tea for Two.

I have been thinking about Newtown a lot over the last few days. The pictures and names of these beautiful souls and the devestation of so many families. My heart goes out to all of them. Today was our  "strike" day. It came at a good time, a much needed day off allowing us to all have some quiet play. Aidan had his best bud over for a little date. They drank peppermint tea, ate latkes and talked star wars. It is what kids should be doing. I hope you all get to have a peaceful day with your little one, keeping them just a bit closer for today.

Baby in a Basket

we've had this basket forever and somewhere along the way each one of them has found their way into it. i came across these photos of all 3 kids. do you see the resemblance??

O' Chanukah O' Chanukah

The kids have been singing this song for days!!

Oh Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah

Come light the menorah
Let's have a party
We'll all dance the hora
Gather 'round the table
We'll give you a treat
Sivivon to play with and latkes to eat

     And while we are playing
     The candles are burning low
     One for each night, they shed a sweet light
     to remind us of days long ago
     One for each night, they shed a sweet light
     to remind us of days long ago.
 

 the dreidel game and they're off!

nes gadol hayah sham (translated: a big miracle happened there)

hoarding her loot

 

1st night 

(my dad made this menorah when i was in grade 4- our school had a contest for the best homemade menorah, i got my dad the carpenter on the job. we won.)

 

fried latkes. yum yum.

his first Chanukah. happy in a basket.

Simple Things.

 Simple things. Homemade baby food while the kids keep themselves busy with a box. Life can be so simple.

 

Gluten Free Cheesecake

I made my first ever cheesecake for the birthday celebration. I was pretty excited and it looked really pretty, but the cheese part was just ok.  It was too cheesy. I tried to make a healthier version and saw this receipe here http://www.cbc.ca/stevenandchris/2012/09/dish-do-over-mixed-berry-cheesecake.html
It had light cream cheese, greek yogurt and egg whites along with the sugar and vanilla.  I will need to try again and make some changes.
However, the crust, was delicious! I would definitely make this crust again.  It was super easy, healthy and gluten free. It could work for any kind of pie crust. What else can you ask for!

1 cup rolled oats (gluten free kind)
½ cup raw almonds
¼ cup buckwheat flour
¼ cup organic sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon, ground
Pinch sea salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Prepare crust: In a food processor, purée flour, oats and almonds until they become a fine powder. Add sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Pulse until combined and crumbly.
Spray an 8"springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Gently press crust evenly into bottom of springform pan. Place pan in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature.

Phew....we are all done with that birthday celebration. 2 months til' the next one.....

In = Out

Our sweet Kai is 9 months today. Time inside equals time outside. Time is speeding by, it's hard to believe he has been with us this long now. Look at him just fitting right in. Love him....

old school

we had another little celebration for aidan's bday with is cousin's yesterday. we decided a few weeks back to make a homemade pinata, old school styles. it is not hard to make but it is time consuming. the kids had a blast but looking back we should have let the bigger kids go last and let the little ones have a turn first, let the fun last a little longer. we put a few treats inside, but mostly filled it with pencils and cute erasers (sorry kiddies! there were a number of pencils left in the dirt!). it is sort of sad to see all your work demolished in a few short seconds but fun to see the kids scramble for loot.  

ninja kai!

being hung up

action!

look at all those cousins! and there are a few missing!

after.

"eat the rainbow"

we had some friends over for lunch the other day and i put out a colourful plate of fruit and vegetables. i often tell my patients to "eat the rainbow" on a daily basis, meaning eat a variety of different foods with a wide spectrum of colour. i think we did pretty well! 

in the bowl is applesauce. i bought organic apples at 50% off as they were a little brown (but perfectly ok to bake) and simply baked organic apples in the oven for 20 minutes once cooled i took off the skins and pureed. delicious!

the power of 7

it's hard to believe 7 years ago yesterday, this little baby boy entered our universe. he caught us by suprise as he came 3 weeks early but on novemebr 13th at 6:02 pm weighing 6 lb 2 oz. he started our family.

the thymus gland is part of our immune system and is located in the upper chest cavity in front of the lungs. it educates the T lymphochytes on how to eliminate bad cells in a process called apoptosis and these cells will be doing this job for the entire length of the person's life. the amazing thing about the thymus is that it peaks at the ripe age of 7.  the thymus is largest and most active during pre-adolescent years and when the early teen years begin the thymus actually begins to atrophy and becomes replaced with fat tissue.

so our little boy's immune system is currently at it's peak!  some people believe this is the best time to vaccinate children as their little bodies are at their strongest. the waldorf philosophy (i am by no means an expert!) follows a 7 year cycle and is often called the "first adolescence" where children are trying to gain independence. a number of different beliefs on the power of 7! one thing is for sure, he is one very happy 7 year old!

planting time....

it's garlic time again.

here's hoping for a good crop come summer.

me and my little helper.

snack time...

i have been feeling really tired these days.  the days are darker, the little one is moving constantly, disrupted sleep, busy with work.....and so on.  i am trying to build up my reserves and have been snacking on dried fruit and nuts daily for the last month to help build up my stores.

here is a sample of what i have.

dried figs: high in fiber and minerals, specifically calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron

pumpkin seeds: high in zinc which is great for the immune system and thyroid gland

walnuts: i love when food looks like the body part they are good for!  walnuts have 2 hemispheres of the brain and are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, so important for healthy brain function. i eat a handful of these a day.

goji berries (also known as wolf berry): rich source of vitmain C. way more than an orange!

shown to a little girl and snatched away!

i also often have hemp hearts for their omega 3 properties and 3 brazil nuts rich in selenium.

orange....

i made a squash pear soup today. our little guy, kai is a geat eater. the other two hardly opened their mouths when it came to food but this little guy loves to eat. i am not into making different meals, so today i made this soup and we all gobbled it up, even kai! squash is very high in vitamin A and also has a good dose of vitamin C, which are really great for the immune system and that is a good thing since the baby has about his 8th cold (one for each month of his life!) 
remember i am a one pot girl, so here is what i did.
i baked the butternut squash for about 45 min. until it was soft.
i sauteed onions in a little olive oil for a few minutes. then grated in some fresh ginger, garlic and a tbsp of curry powder. i continued to cook these for a few more minutes.
i then added in the squash, 3 cut up pears (skins included)

topped with 5 cups of water and a veggie boullion cube (msg free and no hydrogenated oils)
i cooked it for about 30 minutes and blended. it was really yummy and the little man ate a bowl full. so good.

here he is just munching on the squash

 and at my feet watching me cook. (even his diaper is orange, how fitting!)