30

Nov

Reindeer Noses

Happy Holiday Season, friends!

We’ve been enjoying the lights, the turkey (I mean Thai for turkey day), and the festivities in the Northwest. On many corners, I drive by “Christmas trees for sale” signs, & they’re for gorgeous firs or whatever kind you like. Even Boy Scouts are selling them for $15/tree. There are even tree farms where they hand you a saw and you get to wander the tree farm for the perfect Christmas tree for your home. You choose it and chop it down. You probably know all about this, but it’s a new thing for this lifelong Texan.

We went with our artificial tree this year because 1) I was too excited to wait to I get a live tree and 2) we were trying to be a little greener. But next year…we’ll buy a live tree so grand it’ll make the Griswolds’ tree look like Charlie Brown’s little branch…maybe.

Lets make a festive, happy, sweet cookie. Lets be cute yet quick about it, shall we?

Reindeer Noses
~makes 18 cookies~

2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick margarine, melted (8 TB)
1 egg
Powdered sugar
Red sprinkles

Preheat oven to 340. In a medium bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients (dry stuff).

Add in the egg and margarine. Stir.

Roll into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. Place onto a nonstick baking sheet.

Repeat until all of the dough is rolled. Dust with “SNOW” (powdered sugar) or turn them into “Rudolph’s nose” (red sprinkles). Bake for 10 minutes, or until cookies are slightly firm to the touch. let cool a few minutes before gobbling.

Make these Reindeer Noses with the kids in your life, or feel like a kid making them!

Merry, merry!

-Laurel

~Laurel~

13 years ago Short URL

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15

Sep

Busy Girl’s Smoothie

Wow, what a great couple of days! My parents came through Portland for a couple day stay on their way to Seattle for an Alaskan cruise. We ate a ton and saw a lot. We are so glad they came to visit!

In the meantime, they went on their cruise this morning, and Matt & I went to our neighborhood farmers market. It was so busy and so packed full of enticing goods…farm fresh organic produce, baked goods, artisan crafts. And lot of crepes, omelets, barbq, gourmet breads, and other ethnic tasties to stuff in our faces. Highlights: my Marionberry scone and Matt’s sausage pinwheel sandwich; a 2 1/2 foot long zucchini for $2; and tomato varieties that included chocolate cherry, pineapple and too many heirlooms to count. I’d never seen or heard of these before! How fun.
We got our produce for the week or 2 and are so excited to try! How about now? And quickly, so I’m not late for work?

BUSY GIRL’S SMOOTHIE
2 servings
1/2 cup milk
4-6 oz of low fat yogurt
1/2 cup berries
1/2 apple
1 banana
3 cups spinach

Combine all ingredients in a blender, then add 4-6 ice cubes. Drink half and share the rest with a friend!

Happy Saturday!!

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL

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18

Feb

Chocolate Chia Pudding

There are a few really perfect foods out there…margherita pizza, blueberry muffins, and vanilla ice cream. Chocolate pudding makes the cut for me, too. Creamy, not-too-sweet, chocolatey happiness. When I saw a recipe for chia pudding, about a year ago, I meant to try to make it and got distracted by life. It didn’t even make my “will try to make in the future” list, and I admit that I have one of those that grows monthly. But Susan over at Fat Free Vegan posted a recipe a few weeks ago, and I knew that it was time to stop procrastinating and try it! Susan is good at making healthy (or not unhealthy) recipes for her family that are simple, classic and do-able. Thanks, Susan!

Chocolate Chia Pudding
slightly adapted from Susan at Fat Free Vegan
 makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 cups unsweetened  milk (I used vanilla almond milk–unsweetened)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 TB sucanat (or 1 1/2 TB agave syrup)
  • 6 tablespoons chia seeds
  • optional: 1/2 to 1 cup raspberries, cherries, or other fruit
  • optional: vegan or dairy whipped cream and choc chips to top

Instructions

  1. Place the milk, vanilla, and cocoa into the blender and add sweetener to taste (about 2 servings worth). Blend until cocoa is completely incorporated. (You can also use a whisk, but this takes longer.)
  2. Pour milk mixture into a bowl and add the chia seeds. Stir well, making sure that all the seeds are moistened. Leave out on the counter and stir periodically (about every 15 minutes or so), breaking up any clusters that form. Allow it to stand until the pudding has thickened and all liquid has been absorbed, at least 30 minutes.
  3. Refrigerate. Just before serving, stir in fruit. Serve topped with additional fruit.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s) | Cooking (standing) time: 30 minutes

That’s it! So easy. It’s a texture like tapioca pudding, a bit seedy but gives you a little something to munch on, texture-wise.  

rawreform.com
amazon.com

Chia seeds (yes, like the ch-ch-ch-chia pet!!) are 

  • high in Omega-3 oils
  • provide soluble and insoluble fiber (balance your blood sugar)
  • are filling (ancient texts have evidence that European armies provided their soldiers with these seeds to fill their bellies on long excursions, where their feet were their modes of transportation). The seeds expand to up to 20 times their size! Note: It does not expand like bread…this is a healthy full.
  • are relatively inexpensive. I’ve found them in the bulk sections of grocery stores like Whole Foods and Kroger. Two cups of the stuff lasts me a couple of months and costs $2 or less.
  • are a great addition in puddings, yogurt, oatmeal, even pastas. Get creative!

I hope your weekend is full of fun or work or whatever you need to get done to relax and enjoy life! (Can you tell I have homework? ha)
Happy eating! Laurel

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL 813 Comments

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