All things Fall

We have had such a busy October and I feel like I haven't posted in forever! Life is busy with three girls. I've been trying to do some sewing projects and other things for Christmas, so my creativity has been else-where. I can't believe it is the end of the month and Halloween is this weekend. Some of the things we have done this month are:

• School activities - Zoe had her first homework last week and was so excited! Both Teagan and Zoe had school pictures and we are all waiting to see how cute they turned out! Parent-Teacher conference was today and Zoe is doing great! She is a hard worker and really getting into reading and writing! We are SO proud of her!!


• We visited the pumpkin patch with our friends and neighbors, the Fazio's. The kids had a great time running around in the hay maze and picking just the perfect pumpkin.


• Pear and Apple picking - our friend Shannon and Ryan have a bunch of apple trees that they have been so gracious to share the crop with us! Ryan's grandma had pears that we picked on a very windy, chilly day! I spent 2 days processing pears for fruit leather and baby food. I have to get going on the apples so I can re-stock my freezer with applesauce!

• Deciding on our Halloween costumes - the girls kept changing their minds and both finally decided they wanted to be Kitty Cat's - stay tuned for pictures!


• The 6th Annual Girls Get-Away Weekend - once again, a great time with the women in my family. It is so fun to see the little girls growing up and just getting to relax, eat great food, and enjoy the time with family.

Ok, can you tell these two are related???? My niece, Izabella, is 7 months old and is adorable.

Harper flung her arm over and her thumb did make it into Izabella's mouth! She got the funniest look on her face, as if she knew it wasn't her thumb but she'd suck it anyway!

I love this picture because they are holding hands - I had just set Izabella on the floor next to Harper and grabbing her hand was the first thing they did. I can only hope that they are best buddies growing up!

New Favorite

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you have to try the new, organic bread from Green Earth Baking. My favorite, by far, is the 15 Grain but the whole wheat is fabulous too. It's hearty, chewy, has great flavor and is great for you! Check out their website too: http://www.greenearthbaking.com/

NO...

I have not given up on blogging. It's just hard to find the time sometimes! Zoe and Teagan both have school in the mornings, I work Tuesday afternoons (and starting this week, some Saturday afternoons), I'm overhauling our diet (which involves more cooking on my part) and I'm forcing myself to get back into the whole walking/running routine. Needless to say, I feel busy and am glad for the time at home because it is giving me great time with my kids and an opportunity to do work on some projects I enjoy (again, not that I find that much time to do some of them!) So, with that, I must go since I have cookies to make, art to paint, a craft desk to clean-up so I can create and some sewing to do. Oh yeah, and nurse a baby, put away the big girls summer clothes and do some laundry!

Recipes

Ok, so for awhile now, I've been thinking about posting some of my favorite recipes. I find myself wondering what to make for dinner (now that I'm home full-time, it's breakfast, lunch AND dinner) and I always ask others for ideas, so I figured I'd start posting recipes that I love, are crowd-pleasers or are just fun. So I'm going to start with what I made for dinner last night, since I had several requests from friends via Facebook last night!

California Pizza Kitchen's Thai Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:
***Dough*** (or any pre-made dough you like)
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

***Topping***
3 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons brewed tea
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons chili oil
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 teaspoons honey

2 tablespoon green onions
1/2 poundchicken breast, cut in 1/4-inch strips
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:
For the dough: In a small bowl, dissolve the honey in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and stir until it dissolves. Let the yeast mixture stand for 5 minutes, until a layer of foam forms on the surface.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the olive oil and the yeast mixture. Stir the flour into the wet ingredients, until all the flour is incorporated. If its too dry, add more water. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 15 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic.

Shape the dough into a ball and put in a well-oiled bowl. Cover with a moist towel and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk (about 1-1/2 hours).

For the topping: Combine peanut butter and next 7 ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Set aside.

In the meantime, season chicken strips with red pepper and salt. Sauté in 2 tablespoons olive oil, until done (about 7 minutes). Coat chicken with 2 tablespoons peanut sauce. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Punch the dough down, and divide into 2 equal portions. Roll out each portion into an 9-inch flat circle. Spread 1/4 cup peanut sauce over the surface of each of the doughs. Distribute 1/2 of the cheese over the sauce. Repeat with other pizza. Distribute 1/2 of the chicken and green onion over the cheese. Repeat with other pizza. Place the pizzas in the oven (on top of pizza stones). Bake until crust is crispy and cheese is bubbling (8-10 minutes). Remove pizzas from the oven and sprinkle each with carrot and cilantro.

I usually add a bit more cheese and chicken because we are eating it for a meal. I also add bean sprouts too!

Quick Lemon & Garlic Quinoa Salad

Quinoa has an excellent nutritional profile (10.5 grams of protein per cup). This unique whole grain, which was the staple food of the Incas, is also rich in calcium and iron. (from Feeding the Whole Family cookbook - AWESOME whole food recipes!)

Salad:
1 cup dry quinoa
1¾ cups water
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup carrots, chopped
1/3 cup parsley, minced
¼ cup sunflower seeds
Dressing:
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons tamari/shoyu/or soy sauce

Rinse quinoa with water and drain. Place rinsed quinoa, salt, and water in a 2-quart pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer 15-20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Tip pan to the side to make sure all the water has been absorbed. Let stand for 5-10 minutes then fluff with a fork.

Prepare vegetables and dressing. Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add carrots, seeds, and parsley to quinoa. Mix thoroughly. Combine garlic, lemon juice, oil and tamari or shoyu; pour over quinoa and toss well. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Bike Riding

So, the day before school started, Zoe wanted to go out and ride her bike. She's been having a hard time with letting go of the training wheels and it's been sort of frustrating all the way around. Duffy was out with her, just watching, while Zoe was riding on Teagan's bike (a bit smaller and seems to make her feel more confidant) when the neighbor kid, Iaan, rides over on his bike. Iaan is 6 years old and 2x Zoe's size. We asked him to give Zoe some pointers. Next thing you know, he is telling her to take her training wheels off (which she did) because she doesn't need them. She does a few pedals here and there and is gaining more confidence. Next thing you know, Iaan is telling her she is the worst bike rider he has ever seen! And off she goes - she was riding her bike!! All it took was getting the neighbor to tell her how horrible she was????? Why didn't we invite him over sooner??? Needless to say, Duffy and I just sat back and watched in amazement as Zoe kept practicing, riding and letting Iaan tell her how bad she was. She told me later that it was okay, she told him to say that and she was just ignoring him! Nothing like a little reverse psychology from a peer to get you going!

First Day of Kindergarten

Zoe had her first day of kindergarten yesterday and she did GREAT! Her teacher is awesome and seems really good and directing the kids and making things fun and interesting. Zoe was a little timid at first but had so much to talk about when we picked her up yesterday. When we were talking about the fact that she gets to go to school everyday, she was concerned when she would get a day off! Duffy is off this week, so he took her this morning and we can't wait to hear all about her 2nd day! She, all of the sudden, seems like a bigger kid.

Stuff

Wow - I can't believe 4 weeks have gone by since Harper was born! She is doing great and is a great addition to our family. Both Zoe and Teagan adore her, checking on her all the time. Teagan still hasn't figured out the whole touching/poking part yet and we are constantly having to remind her to be careful. Zoe is quite the little "mother" and always wanting to help, with Harper and Teagan both! Some of Zoe's adjusting has been taken out on Teagan, so the last couple of weeks have been trying in many areas, not just getting used to a newborn again.

School starts in a couple of weeks and both girls are getting so excited. I am looking forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays when they are both at school in the morning - ahhhh, a bit of peace and quiet maybe??? I doubt it!

We haven't been sitting around at home all this time though. We've enjoyed some trips to the park, a picnic at the beach and a trip to Seattle. We took the girls to the Space Needle and it was a big hit. This next weekend, the girls and I are heading south to my family reunion in Montesano. It will be the first time for all of my extended family to meet Harper and spend some time with all the grandparents and cousins. We are also going to visit Nathan's Grandma Ingrid in her new place and introduce her to Harper. Should be a busy, fun-filled weekend!