Activity of the day home made swirly pops! Rorie Loved helping make these!

Wordless Wednesday

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Hamburger and French Fries!

So people think that we are missing out not going to fast food.  We still do go out to eat I just try to pick restaurants that are not large chains and not fast food.  We now prefer home made pizza because it is so yummy!  However that means pizza night is no longer a quick phone call and 30 minutes later dinner is on the table.  

Anyway tonight we had hamburgers and French fries our way!  It was super yummy so I had to post.

Hamburger: Our meat is from Sean’s parents ranch where they raise a few cattle for beef.

Toppings: Avocado, cheese and mushrooms all from California.  It was weird not having tomatoes but I am trying to not buy fruits and veggies out of season so we went with out.  I was excited to find Avocado at the food co-op from California it was the bright green kind not the typical Hass ones that we get in the summer and fall. 

 Buns: At 3:30 I realized I would need bread by dinner time so I used my new Kitchenaid mixer to make over sized dinner rolls that have extra yeast so they rise fast.  They were 1/2 bread flour 1/2 wheat. 

 

Fries: I looked up some recipes and made baked sweet potato and regular fries.  The sweet potato ones did not get crispy (I will tweak the recipe and try again soon).  The other ones were great.  My family loves home made fries and always asks for more.  Also I am freezing a batch for a quick snack another day.   (Fry pictures are before they were cooked.  I got to busy with eating to take any after shots after they cooked)

Regular Fries: Pre-heat oven to 450, cut Yukon gold (or other) potatoes into fry size pieces.  Put in a bowl and mix with a few tablespoons of California Olive Oil, salt, pepper and other favorite seasonings (I like paprika, or 21 season mix from Trader Joes).  Place on cookie sheet in single layer and bake at 450 on lowest rack for 20-30 minutes flipping fries once about half way through. 

Back to basics!

This is a great article about changing how we eat. Over the last year my family has done most of these things. We are not perfect but we only go out to eat once or twice a week. We have been a member of a CSA for almost two years and I have been visiting farmers markets since I was a kid. We now have our own garden (if only we could get it to produce!). We make our own bread, cookies, jam, and many other snacks. We purchase about 75% of our food from the local food co-op buying seasonal and local when possible. Our kids are learning to garden, cook, shop local and they only eat the best seasonal fruits and veggies! As a family we are wasting less, saving money, spending time together gardening and cooking.
What changes is your family making?

New Years Resolution: Bread Baking

My goal this year is to make 95% of our bread at home.  I want to leave a little wiggle room to buy some things I don’t know how to make or when its just been to busy a week to make bread.  I do have a bread machine that I use to make my dough but I just got a kitchen aid mixer for Christmas so I am excited to branch out in my bread making.  If anyone has any sourdough making tips please let me know!  I have the starter but I have yet to get the texture of the bread quite right! 

I have more goals but they will have to wait for a future post.  Right now I am working on greening up my kids birthday party (reducing waste form party supplies, etc.).  Any tips on doing this on a budget would be appreciated! 

Fluffy whole grain pancakes!

Here is my recipe for fluffy whole grain pancakes.  Well they are a mixture of flours and grains.  I have been searching for a healthy yummy pancake recipe for a few years now and until recently my pancakes were never very fluffy. Luckily my family ate them anyway.  These ones though, they devour.  Enjoy!

4 servings: about 3-4 silver dollar size pancakes for each person.

1 cup milk

2 tbsp vinegar

1/2 cup whole wheat flower

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flower

1/2 cup oats (optional)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2-4 tbsp sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp butter melted or very soft

1 tsp vanilla

First add vinegar to milk stir and let sit for 5 minutes while you get other ingredients ready.  Season skillet/griddle by rubbing oil on it with a small towel, then heat to medium/medium-high. In large bowl mix dry ingredients.  Add beaten eggs, butter and vanilla to milk mixture.  Mix with dry ingredients and stir just enough to mix batter. 

At this point I like to put the pancake batter into a large measuring cup to make pouring onto the skillet easier and less messy.  Next pour about 1/4 cup on to the skillet and flip after bubbles appear and pop on the surface.  Cook the second side then plop on a plate, hand them out to the family and enjoy with your favorite toppings!  Our favorite is maple syrup of course!

Freeze the leftovers: Now it is rare that we have leftovers (unless I make a double batch) but they freeze well.  Freeze them in a container and then just reheat in the microwave for a quick breakfast or snack!  We no longer buy Frozen waffles in our house which saves money and I don’t have to worry about what's in them!

Note about flours: I buy my favorite wheat flour at the Davis farmers market.  Of course that means it is local but also that means it tastes great and does not add as much density to baked goods as typical wheat flours.   For unbleached all purpose flour I buy King Arthur, Bob Mills or what ever is in the bulk bin at the Davis Food Co-op. 

Christmas Activities

We have been busy with our sustainable holiday projects. Here are a few...

Christmas Eve the kids woke up to receive these elf gifts. Silk scarves (in the buckets), fishing game and Christmas sensory bin. I wanted to give them these gifts separate from Christmas so they wouldn’t have to compete with some of the more typical Christmas gifts they will receive later and tomorrow from Santa. Also I like to spread things out so they don’t get overwhelmed with to many gifts at once.

For breakfast we ate Snowman pancakes of course. My own healthy take on it was bananas, dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds and almonds for decorating. My favorite new pancake recipe using 1/2 whole wheat flower and vinegar for super fluffy results.

 

 

 

 

 

There Christmas sensory bin using all things from around the house. Its a great way to use those ornaments, and decorations that don’t get out up. We also used, art supplies and extra gift wrapping stuff.

Then Rorie made some art projects that she is going to give as gifts to her family. Happy Holidays!

Update: Gone Fishing!

Felt fishing set that I decided to attempt in the final days before Xmas.
It was my attempt at copying this one at Counting Coconuts. It took two days to complete. I made the fish one day and added magnets, fishing poles and the lake the next day. So about 3-4 hours all together. Once I got going though the fish were easier and easier to make. Because I am not a good hand sewer I did it all on the machine. I went to Michaels and bought super magnets for the fishing lure and the poles. Then at Joanne fabrics (yes it took two stores to complete this project) I found magnetic purse snaps (for making a purse) that were on sale and perfect for the fish eyes (there is one inside the starfish).
My daughter has been asking for a fishing set for almost a year now. This summer I bought her a cheap set she saw at the store to go in her blow up pool outside. Well the pole promptly broke about 5 minutes after we got it home (it was a defective design). I had been looking for another more sturdy set when I saw this one at Counting Coconuts, I also had just learned how to sew felt food so it was time to try something new!
It will be under the tree for Christmas so if you see my kids before then, don't tell them about it!

Update 1/11/11: Additional things I thought would be fun and educational.  Using letter magnets or other fridge magnets to change the fishing theme.  Also instead of fishing in a felt lake you could use rubber or plastic magnets and try fishing in the bathtub.  If sewing isn’t your thing you could make fish out of thick paper and laminate or tape them with the magnet inside. 

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5