Thursday, November 28, 2013

Thaksgiving the Trim Healthly Mama way.

Here are the recipes we are using this year.
Menu:











Turkey
THE GLUTEN-FREE STUFFING 

GLuten free corn bread
THM Stuffing
Sweet potatoes
Green Beans
Mashed Potatoes
Mashed Fotatoes

Coconut milk Pumpkin Pie


Recipes



9x13 pan and so that is the instructions I will share, but you could easily cut the recipe in half.

Trim Healthy Stuffing (S) style
by:  Hannah Babiak

2 lbs. ground pork or ground turkey (whichever you prefer)
2 onions chopped
10 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups cubed, peeled, butternut squash
4 eggs
6 garlic cloves
1 bag fresh cranberries
1 Tablespoon Truvia
2 Tablespoons fresh sage
2 Tablespoons fresh thyme
4 Tablespoons fresh rosemary
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups butter
1/2 cup turkey drippings or chicken broth

Cube butternut squash and combine with cranberries in a baking dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Let it cool.  Brown pork or turkey while adding herbs, Truvia and salt.  Sauté onions, celery and garlic in butter until soft.  Combine meat, onion/celery and squash/cranberry mixture in a 9x13 baking pan sprayed with non stick spray.  Whisk eggs together, add drippins or broth to mixture.  Pour over meat mixture and mix together.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until starts to get brown on top.  Serve and enjoy!

To make this dish an (E) recipe:
Use low fat ground turkey
Substitute two small sweet potatoes in place of the butternut squash
Use egg whites equivalent to 4 eggs
Sauté vegetables in water or fat free broth instead of butter
Use only broth, not turkey drippings
Can add brown rice if desired

To make this dish a (FP) recipe:
Follow (E) directions except omit brown rice and do not put in sweet potatoes or butternut squash.


We make this crustless. YOu can also make your favorite GF crust:

This take on the classic pumpkin pie is a rich, dairy-free (and easily gluten-free) dessert that is perfect for fall and winter holidays (though, really, as long as you can find a can of pumpkin puree, you can make it all year round). Coconut oil makes the crust melt in your mouth, and coconut milk in the filling creates such a decadent flavor and texture that everyone will ask you for your recipe, while not expecting it to be dairy-free! Trust me: you'll want to try this one!
As with any recipe that is intended for persons with allergies, make sure to read all of your ingredient labels thoroughly to ensure that there are no dairy-derived ingredients in any of your products.

Ingredients:

  • For the Graham Cracker Crust:
  • 1 1/3 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (if gluten-free, use gluten-free graham cracker crumbs)
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 5 T. brown sugar
  • 6 T. extra virgin coconut oil
  • For the Filling:
  • 2 cups pumpkin puree, store-bought or homemade
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 t. ground cinnamon
  • ¼ t. ground ginger
  • ¼ t. ground cloves
  • 1/4 t. salt
  • 1 cup light coconut milk
  • Vegan Coconut Milk Whipped Cream (optional)

Preparation:

1. Prepare the graham cracker crust. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9" pie plate and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, coconut flakes, and sugar until well mixed. Add in the coconut oil and rub in until the mixture begins to clump together. (It will be pretty crumbly at this point.) Press into the prepared pie plate and place in the oven for 4 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool while preparing the filling.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat together the pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt until very well combined. Gradually add the coconut milk until all has been added.
4. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake for 15 minutes, then turn down the heat to 350 F. to bake for 35-40 minutes longer. (If the edges of the crust start to brown too quickly, loosely tent the crust with foil.) Transfer the pie to a cooling rack to cool completely, then chill for 1-2 hours before serving. Serve with Vegan Coconut Milk Whipped Cream if desired.
Cook's Note:
    If you do not have coconut oil or it is unavailable to you, you can replace this with a dairy-free margarine of your choice. If you are able to find coconut oil, however, I urge you to do so; it really adds a wonderful flavor and melt-in-your mouth quality to the crust!
     

 

Twice Baked Mashed Cauliflower Recipe (S)
Ingredients:
  • 1 large head cauliflower florets, cut off stems.
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoons butter (optional)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 clove minced garlic.
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup of sour cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Bring cauliflower & chicken broth to boil in a pot. Cook for 10-15 minutes in broth until cauliflower is soft, and the liquid is reduced.
Drain cauliflower. You will want to drain it well. Try to get most excess fluid off.
Put cauliflower in food processor. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream. Add 3/4 cup of cheese. Add minced garlic. Use the food processor (I prefer the pulse mode) until creamy. Use remaining 1/4 cup of sour cream if not creamy enough. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use butter if you like the buttery taste for mashed potatoes.
Place cauliflower in baking dish. Add remaining cheese to top. (I like to put some more pepper on top)
Bake on 350% for 20 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and cheese melted.
* Don’t skip the chicken broth in this recipe, it is just not the same making it with water.

Twice Baked Mashed Cauliflower Recipe (S)

Ingredients:
  • 1 large head cauliflower florets, cut off stems.
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoons butter (optional)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 clove minced garlic.
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup of sour cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Bring cauliflower & chicken broth to boil in a pot. Cook for 10-15 minutes in broth until cauliflower is soft, and the liquid is reduced.
Drain cauliflower. You will want to drain it well. Try to get most excess fluid off.
Put cauliflower in food processor. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream. Add 3/4 cup of cheese. Add minced garlic. Use the food processor (I prefer the pulse mode) until creamy. Use remaining 1/4 cup of sour cream if not creamy enough. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use butter if you like the buttery taste for mashed potatoes.
Place cauliflower in baking dish. Add remaining cheese to top. (I like to put some more pepper on top)
Bake on 350% for 20 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and cheese melted.
* Don’t skip the chicken broth in this recipe, it is just not the same making it with water.

Read more at http://forthemommas.com/cooking/twice-baked-mashed-cauliflower-recipe#zvvaTgma4VjOpYHs.99

Twice Baked Mashed Cauliflower Recipe (S)

Ingredients:
  • 1 large head cauliflower florets, cut off stems.
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoons butter (optional)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 clove minced garlic.
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup of sour cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Bring cauliflower & chicken broth to boil in a pot. Cook for 10-15 minutes in broth until cauliflower is soft, and the liquid is reduced.
Drain cauliflower. You will want to drain it well. Try to get most excess fluid off.
Put cauliflower in food processor. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream. Add 3/4 cup of cheese. Add minced garlic. Use the food processor (I prefer the pulse mode) until creamy. Use remaining 1/4 cup of sour cream if not creamy enough. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use butter if you like the buttery taste for mashed potatoes.
Place cauliflower in baking dish. Add remaining cheese to top. (I like to put some more pepper on top)
Bake on 350% for 20 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and cheese melted.
* Don’t skip the chicken broth in this recipe, it is just not the same making it with water.

Read more at http://forthemommas.com/cooking/twice-baked-mashed-cauliflower-recipe#zvvaTgma4VjOpYHs.99

Twice Baked Mashed Cauliflower Recipe (S)

Ingredients:
  • 1 large head cauliflower florets, cut off stems.
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoons butter (optional)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 clove minced garlic.
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup of sour cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Bring cauliflower & chicken broth to boil in a pot. Cook for 10-15 minutes in broth until cauliflower is soft, and the liquid is reduced.
Drain cauliflower. You will want to drain it well. Try to get most excess fluid off.
Put cauliflower in food processor. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream. Add 3/4 cup of cheese. Add minced garlic. Use the food processor (I prefer the pulse mode) until creamy. Use remaining 1/4 cup of sour cream if not creamy enough. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use butter if you like the buttery taste for mashed potatoes.
Place cauliflower in baking dish. Add remaining cheese to top. (I like to put some more pepper on top)
Bake on 350% for 20 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and cheese melted.
* Don’t skip the chicken broth in this recipe, it is just not the same making it with water.

Read more at http://forthemommas.com/cooking/twice-baked-mashed-cauliflower-recipe#zvvaTgma4VjOpYHs.99

THE GLUTEN-FREE

 STUFFING
2 loaves gluten-free bread, diced into one-inch cubes, toasted and cooled
2 large ribs celery, medium diced
1 large yellow onion, medium diced
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper


Sautee the onion and celery in olive oil on medium-low heat until they are translucent. You will be able to smell the onions cooking at this point. (Take a deep whiff. That's a beautiful smell.) Add the garlic, as well as the rosemary, sage, and thyme. Stir these in and cook until you can smell the herbs, about one to two minutes. Remove from heat.

Bring the chicken stock to boil on high heat. Place the egg yolk in a medium-sized bowl and carefully ladle two to three ounces of the chicken stock to the egg yolk, slowly, while whisking the mixture. Add the rest of the chicken stock to the egg mixture at this point. (Ladling a small portion of the stock into the egg first, and blending it, will prevent you from having scrambled eggs.)

Add the cooled celery, onion, and herbs mixture into the stock and egg mixture. Toss the bread cubes into this mixture and stir it all around with your hands (or a spoon), to coat the bread. Add the salt and pepper and toss the bread again. Place all of this into a greased casserole dish (big enough to hold three quarts) and cover it with aluminum foil. Bake for twenty minutes at 425°, then remove the foil and bake for another ten minutes. Take a toothpick and stick it into the stuffing. If it comes out clean, the stuffing is done. If not, bake until the toothpick comes out clean.

Serves six to eight people, depending on their appetite for stuffing.

Thaksgiving the trim Healthly Mama way.


Saturday, July 27, 2013

School room tour


 We currently have our school room in our dining room. It also happens to be the first room you walk into in the house. We have really used it and enjoy it. And since it's front and center, it's kept cleaner :) Here is a picture tour:

This is a big table for bigger kids and me. Montessori shelves next to table, couch for read aloud in lower left of picture. Workboxes/Montessori trays on bookshelf on far wall. Mom's supplies behind door.


Timeline and kiddos tables against the double fireplace/chimney. You can see the couch peeks out behind it.

Another view. Little table in far lower left, kitchen door is to the right, just in front of the book shelves


Kids using the space and a picture of the couch. This is before it was exactly like it is now. (there are different tables in the left picture)


 Our eat in Kitchen where our morning starts and we do Scripture memory, songs and picture study during breakfast.
We really enjoy the space and have fun using it. Because it is also our front room, it doubles well as a "sitting room" and it works!

And because I was asked here is where these items are found. I got about half from Craigslist and half from the stores. :)

The short shelves under the window are ANTOK Kitchen cabinets from Ikea. I bought extra shelves. The table is from Sam's Club and goes up and done from 22 inch to counter as well as regular table height. It was $35 last year, but has gone up quite a bit!
The book shelves are Billy from Ikea. Two full width and one half size. There are extension tops on each of them. The doors are OLSBO. The ones we have are white. They have gone up to and are now $40.

Little kid chairs are from Walmart and the big  chairs are Stefan chairs from Ikea
The colorful trays on for the Workboxes and Montessori trays are from Target. They were $2.50 and are found in the dollar spot at back to school time.

I'd love to see your school room!

Willow


Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Book review: Do over by Shannon Guymon


Do over by Shannon Guymon. I have one this to day: LOVED IT! This was SUCH a fun book. I loved this entire series. I really enjoyed how Iris took on a tough persona to get over a failed relationship. I enjoyed the cast of characters from the rest of the series. There were a few things the characters did that seemed a bit out of character, but over all it was a fun filled happy read with lots of twists to keep the reader on there toes.
 I can usually predict a plot line  pretty well by a few chapters into a book. And while I did guess the end result, there were a few twists I didn't expect and I really love that. I gave it 5 stars.

Have you read this? What did you think? Do you have any other good book you have read that you would like to recommend? I am always up for a good clean book recommendation!


Willow

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Book Review: An Unlikely Love by Brianna Kesler

I am an avid reader and just finished "An Unlikely Love"by Brianna Kesler for the second time. First time I picked it for pleasure and an less than $10 LDS fiction book. I really enjoyed it. It was fun flirty and held some deep thoughts. The second time I read it I read it as part of the
2013 Summer Book Trek Reading Challenge held by http://www.newldsfiction.com/ .
I loved it even more. I really enjoyed the characters. They are deep and brought a lot of thought. There is an element of truth and unabashed honesty to the characters that endeared me to them. Vanessa is a smart honest witty sarcastic girl who has hidden pain, while Xander is a fresh faced smart, though somewhat naive, guy who is trying to keep his job wile wanting true love at the same time submitting to the contract he signed to be married by age 25.
I laughed out loud so much that i couldn't read it unless my husband was completely asleep- otherwise he would want to know what was so funny and I would have to STOP READING and tell him. It was better to wait until he was completely asleep and then I could keep reading ;)

I was pleasantly surprised when I read the authors bio at the end and realized that this was written by a young mom and recently married gal who had been homeschooled. I hope that at the same age my girls that I homeschool can be so well spoken and understand the workings of the marriage!
I would definitely recommend this book as a fun, and thought provoking summer read.

Willow

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Summer Book Trek Reading Challenge




I was on the search for a good LDS fiction book and found the Summer Book trek! It is put on by http://www.newldsfiction.com/summer-book-trek/

Quite simply for the rest of July, read LDS books :) There are prizes for reading and commenting on others blogs.
 I am always up for reading, and a challenge that just helps me do one of my favorite things is always welcome! So heres my reading list:

Read in July:
Winter Fire  Rachel Nunes
Framed for Love Rachel Nunes
An Unlikely Love  Brianna Kesler
Do Over by Shannon Guymon
Tangled Hearts by Roseanne Wilkins
Millstone City by S.P. Bailey
Above Rubies by Jaclyn Hawkes
The Frozen trail by Lisa Dyley
Royal Target  Traci Abramson

To Read:
Glimmer of Hope — Sarah Eden
Orchard, The — Krista Lynne Jensen 
Of Grace and Chocolate — Krista Lynne Jensen 
Longing for Home: A Proper Romance — Sarah Eden 
Edenbrooke  Julianne Donaldson
Penumbras  by Braden Bell
Drops of Gold: A Regency Romance — Sarah Eden
The Kiss of a Stranger: A Regency Romance — Sarah Eden
The Road to Grace Richard Paul Evans
Step of Faith  Richard Paul Evans

I am hoping to add some more, but considering I have about 12 days I will see what time I REALLY have ;) I have been enjoying gardening and cleaning while listening to books, so perhaps I'll be able to read this list!

Monday, July 1, 2013

The 5 R's and Homeschooling

At our house lately we have incorporated the 5Rs. It's a take off of the traditional 3 R's from the 1800s. The following are our "5Rs "
Reading
wRiting
'Rithmatic
Religion
Responsibility
This is what it looks like for us. Right now we have 8 , 6 and 4 year olds.  


Morning-
Breakfast- while the kids eat we do Religion:
Religion: Scripture memory, Songs and Article of Faith memorization. 
Directly after handing the plates to the sink/dishwasher we do a Zoom   Get ready to write and do handwriting.
wRiting: A hand writing page I make with  StartWrite I pick the same topic/sentence for all the kids, but have each page be age appropriate.
This is what we did today. 
Left, 4 year old. Middle 6 year old (before she colored). Right 8 year old.
Seeing their handwriting skills again, this is what I would have done (and will do tomorrow with a different topic):



The changes: 4 yr old- less words (she's a perfectionist), All Capitals for the 6 year old and a choice of cursive or print for the 8 year old.  I leave the top blank so they can color the top. They love to do handwriting if they get to draw and color after. :)








'Rithmatic:
We either do a Living math book, Mental Math with Mama (I give them math story problems and they answer them. We have also tried Xtramath.com (worked for about 2 weeks) and currently using a trial from http://www.ixl.com  They enjoy that one quite a bit and I sit with them, so it's instruction and one on one time, not just a child spending computer time.

Reading:
For reading we cover phonics and reading books. We have a read aloud or audio book we listen to/read daily.
Then for phonics and individual reading this is what we do:
Oldest (age)  has a chapter book she's working on- one assigned and one free pick. Right now she's working her way through the Anne of Green Gables Series and Her assigned books are From a series of Landmark Biographies that we have collected from used book sales.

She will also do a green series Montessori work about every third day.


The 6 year old with do a phonic work from the advanced Pink or Blue Language Montessori and read a reader to me. We have many we have found over the years. We  use the Bob series as well as Sing read and right and many other readers.

Each of the older two read the youngest a book while I work with the other on something (usually Math)



The 4 year old works on the Letter sounds with the sand paper letters and Pink Montessori series.



Responsibility
 These fall into two categories- daily responsibilities and a family chore.
Daily responsibilities are the things they have learned to do and can do on their own (most of the time)- making the bed, getting dressed, clothes in laundry.
 Then there are the family chores that I am teaching them. So right now we are working on emptying the dishwasher and picking up regularly. I don't do well with chore charts- after a week or two I forget. However this way everyone is learning the same chore and getting good at it. My oldest can empty the dishwasher herself, but dislikes it strongly, but when we are all doing it together, she sees how fast it goes. So far the Responsibilities we've worked on for my 8 year old that she now has the ability to do and will do willing is: empty garbage and take it to our garbage can, switch laundry, fold towels and wash clothes, make scrambled eggs, pancakes and pasta/noodles, vacuum and clean a bathroom floor. My 6 year old will vacuum, take clothes out of the dryer, empty smaller garbage's into kitchen garbage sweep and wash sinks and windows/cabinets/appliance. My 4 year old pretty much does what her 6 yr old sister does, but also loves to vacuum and scrub the bathroom floor. All the kids will wash the kitchen floor Cinderella style (hands and knees)
I focus on one chore a week to teach all three of them and we do it as a group. Then I take kids aside one on one and shoe them how to do something and then that is their job for a while with mommy teaching. I don't have a set schedule. It's sort of on the fly really. But since I incorporated the 5th R of responsibility, I am remembering to teach the job and do it with them much more than before. 


Overall

This has made such a difference if my ability to feel like I can get school done and not have it be overwhelming or a burden on me. It may seem like a lot all written out, but when I have everything ready and grab and go, it's an hour with cooperative children and sometimes 2-3 if we spend more time on something because we are enjoying it. But generally, we get our hour in and then "play"   and learn the rest of the day. We work in nature study and science and language as well. But this way if we don't get the others in, I know we have our basics done!
Willow