Once it hits your lips.....

I made some really good vegetarian and vegan dishes lately and thought I would share with you all. I haven't been blogging lately because I have been busy with school, life and working out :) I'm trying to be the best version of myself that I can be. So here we go folks...

This first recipe was shared between Josh, Nolan and myself. I absolutely love it when we are able to cook something that everyone can eat and enjoy.... and let me just tell you, I almost died of happiness over this recipe Josh found. It was so delicious and even better left over. This is a perfect "set it and forget it" recipe for busy parents or students who still want to get down with some delish din at the end of the day

CROCKPOT MUSHROOM STROGANOFF 

5 cups cremini mushrooms- sliced 
1 onion- diced
1tbsp earth balance dairy free "butter"
1 cup vegetable stock mixed with 600ml hot water
3 tsp paprika
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced 
4 tbsp Wayfare dairy free "sour cream"
handful fresh parsley- chopped

In a large pan, melt the butter and gently cook the onion and mushroom for 5-10 minutes until soft

Transfer these to the slow cooker, and add the stock, ketchup, paprika and sliced garlic. Cook on high for 4 hours.

When cooked, stir in the dairy free sour cream and chopped parsley. 

Transfer to a sauce pan after it has cooked in the slow cooker for ten minutes to thicken sauce. 

Add whatever pasta you want! I chose a close to egg noodle substitute spiral noodle. 

 SWEET AND WHITE POTATO SKINS

4 sweet potatoes - halved and scooped
4 white potatoes - halved and scooped
Cheddar cheese
Morning star veggie strips "fake bacon" (8 strips)
Sour cream (or a substitute as used above)
Salt & pepper
Earth balance butter substitute (melted)
Chives - chopped to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, puncture top of potato with a fork on top

Cook for 50 minutes

Allow potatoes to cool for 10 minutes

Slice length wise and scoop out flesh leaving an fair amount on the side so potato doesn't fall apart, discard or save

 Melt butter or butter substitute and spread on both sides of potato. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides

Cook on broil for 3-4 minutes or until butter bubbles, flip and repeat on the other side

Remove from oven and add cheese, veggie bacon, then more cheese

Put potatoes back into the oven for a remaining five minutes

Serve with sour cream and chives!

n a large pan, melt the butter and gently cook the onion and mushroom for 5-10 minutes, until they are slightly softened and beginning to shrink in size, but are still not yet fully cooked. Transfer these to the slow cooker, and add the stock, kethcup, paprika and sliced garlic. Cook on high for 4 hours.
When cooked, stir in the sour cream and chopped parsley.

Read more at http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/slow-cooker-mushroom-stroganoff/#31uKzZS28Cqj64kP.99

500g mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, diced
1tbsp butter
1 stock cube, made up in 600ml hot water
2tbsp tomato ketchup
3tsp paprika
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4tbsp sour cream (heaped)
Handful fresh parsley, chopped
Read more at http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/slow-cooker-mushroom-stroganoff/#31uKzZS28Cqj64kP.99

500g mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, diced
1tbsp butter
1 stock cube, made up in 600ml hot water
2tbsp tomato ketchup
3tsp paprika
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4tbsp sour cream (heaped)
Handful fresh parsley, chopped
Read more at http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/slow-cooker-mushroom-stroganoff/#31uKzZS28Cqj64kP.99

Some assembly required

Well hello there!

No, I didn't die... I've just been incredibly busy being super mom, a student and was, like many of you, consumed by Christmas and the new year.  Nolan absolutely stole Christmas, my 1175 square foot apartment is now known as "Nolan's fun house" seeing as it is littered with trucks, tractors, balls, tools, and the occasional stray Cheerio from breakfast that has somehow magically fused in with the carpet.

Goodbye security deposit!

Anyway, 2013 is thankfully behind me. I can say with the up most confidence that 2013 was the most stressful year of my life. There were so many sudden and abrupt changes, big life changes. I found it hard to keep up, was tired most of the time and had no idea where my life was headed. Thanks to the person who pushed me over the edge and almost to the brink of utter insanity, (( no Nolan, it wasn't you )) I was FORCED to re-evaluate myself, enroll back in school and create a new family for Nolan and myself. I am happy to report that things couldn't be better. 

Lesson I learned in 2013 -- The dumbest people in your life will always try to be the loudest.

And to those who tried to make my life miserable (I say those but really there was just one person), thank you for all of your hateful words and spiteful actions. I'm such a better person today. I hope you read this post and every one after, if not to digest my words, thoughts and tribulations but to see your child's face, since you haven't in six months. Oh and don't worry, he's doing fine (not that you've asked).

I digress.....

Back to the Christmas presents

 Are we cute or what?

My very lovely sister and brother-in-law purchased a basketball hoop for Nolan, which makes me happy since I wish to breed him into a super human who is divinely handsome, immensely considerate and can dunk on fools all day long.

           SIDE NOTE: I'd be totally cool if he was a dancer, dreamer, artist, teacher, comedian, astronaut, architect.... 

          But mostly I want to  be an incredibly annoying soccer mom. You know, the one who 

          has to sit in her car because she's yelling at the ref and stuff. Orange slices anyone?

So as I was assembling I noticed the x21 next to the image of the screw drivers. "Great", I thought to myself, "now I have to get all handy and shit." I pulled out the screw driver and started following instructions (( yes you read that correctly)). I had to start over a few times, unscrew, re screw, re read, drink wine, and disassemble. As all of this was going on the most amazing thing happened... Nolan came up to me with his own tools and wanted to help and it made me think long and hard about my role in his life, mom and dad. How cool is it that he gets to see his mom make him dinner then assemble a basketball hoop?

 Pretty fucking cool is the answer.

I never thought of myself as a handy-woman but more often than not I am finding that I am surprising myself. So I say to all of you folks out there, boy or girl, embrace your lives, enrich them with things that might be out of your stereotypical gender role and ROCK OUT. I look at the basketball hoop and think about how awesome it is that I helped put that together, as easy as it might have been for someone accustomed to doing it themselves.

 

Anyway, I wanted to toot my own horn, wish you all a Merry belated Christmas and a happy new year. Clearly my new years resolution isn't to stop cussing, it is to start running.

Oops, haven't done that either!!!!!

Have an amazing day

Idiots, idiots everywhere.

I've been doing a little life make-over recently, and without getting into all the nitty gritty, juicy, drama llama details, have been dealing with some seriously stressful baby daddy issues. It takes a toll, it really does. I try my best to shield the people I care about most away from the poison entering my life but like any infectious disease, it can spread quickly without proper hand-washing. 

Sneeze into your arm, not into your hands people -- and stop touching your face.

Dealing with poisonous personalities is like having the flu. They make you want to vomit repeatedly, force you to hibernate in the dark, feeling sorry for yourself... sometimes you sweat, sometimes you shake, most of the time you want to forget about everything around you and sleep...just sleep.

When you're a parent and have the flu you don't always have the chance to curl up into a ball and hide while the virus runs its course. You have to get up every day and exist as usual. When the flu is someones shitty personality my best advice is to turn off your phone and drink. After the baby is in bed, of course.

The fact of the matter is, these people who infiltrate your life in a negative way, try their best to bring you down in any way possible. They bring anyone who will listen into their sad little world just to hear themselves talk about how unfair life is. 

Once I stopped feeling sorry for myself and started feeling sorry for the other person, my day got a little brighter, a little easier. Assholes are everywhere, and sometimes they are in your child's life too.

That's when it gets tough.

I'm making an effort to try and let go of my hyperactive anxiety over the future, I don't have control over other people, unfortunately. Only they are in charge of their emotions, only YOU can make yourself happy in the end. 

So wash your hands clean of the people who make you sick. 

Try not to obsess over germs & don't blow your money on hand sanitizer because you WILL get sick once or twice in a year. 

It makes you a better person.

Chocolate, peanut butter, sugar, oh my....

I'm not much of a dessert woman, nor am I a baker so I guess it works out. However, I wanted to do something nice for my neighbors and in the spirit of Thanksgiving decided to make some easy, delicious morsels for them to enjoy, hoping that the sugar rush and buttery intoxication comes in handy the next time they are awoken by a small shrieking animal (( aka my child )) at 3am. 

Mission accomplished. 

I've had these treats before, they consist of chocolate, peanut butter, sugar, sugar, and rice krispies. On the company website they call these "scotchees" or something. I call them a little bar of heaven. 

Pssst, they are vegan too... if you use proper dark chocolate like I didn't. Oops, guess mama gets to eat all the left overs... sorry Nolan.


Now all I need is for Starbucks and Total Wine to deliver a soy, skinny vanilla latte and some red blends and I'll be set for Turkey Day... which I am also doing vegan style. Wait for that post after I've come out of my food-coma. 

Here is the recipe. Did I mention you don't even bake these?!?!?!?

You're welcome.

 

What you need

3/4 cup of light corn syrup

3/4 cup of sugar

3/4 cup of peanut butter (or almond butter)

4 1/2 cups of puffed rice cereal 

8 oz chocolate chips

What you need to do

1. line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper, letting extra hang over the sides

2. In a saucepan, combine the sugar and corn syrup together over medium heat, stirring frequently until it reaches a boil. Once this happens remove from heat

3. Add peanut butter or almond butter and stir until smooth

4. Add rice cereal and mix it up until everything is covered in gooey wonderful-ness

5. Press the rice-sugar mix into the pan, making sure it reaches the sides and is pressed firmly down

6. In a microwave safe bowl zap the chocolate in the microwave at 50% heat for 30 second intervals stirring after each trip. Once the chocolate is blended smoothly pour over the top and let it cool to room temp

7. To cut into bars hold the extra parchment paper, lift the treats out and try not to eat them all yourself :-P

ENJOY!

Happy Father's Day, Mom.

There is something truly special about being a single parent; for one, he prefers me over anyone else (( although my dad is a close second )). There isn't any parent preference because, well, I'm both. Likewise, if I make us dinner and it is really gross, the only person who really knows it sucks is me and I'm so hungry anyway I eat it regardless. Whether Nolan likes it or not doesn't matter because he eats anything and what he doesn't eat ends up on the floor anyway.

Another awesome part is having a  walk-in closet all to myself, but really, that has nothing to do with Nolan and has everything to do with a particular clothes hoarding problem that a particular person has. Not pointing fingers though....

 I am able to get to know my child as a dad and as a mom. He watches and helps me clean but we also play a game called crash-bang where we throw cars at the wall. I know it isn't the most responsible game to be teaching a toddler but he laughs his ass off and I love to hear that belly giggle.

Most of all, he teaches me things, like how awesome and not-scary it is to be alone.

Now I'm not suggesting that I hate being attached to a small minion all day, I do the work that I do so I can be around him and not have him in daycare. What I am saying is, before I had Nolan I HATED doing things outside of my house alone. It felt awkward and weird. 

Forget eating alone, I would have rather purchased take-out and sat alone in my car while listening to NPR because no one gets you through a sandwich quite like Diane Rehm.  See a movie by myself?? NO WAY. The thought of not sharing popcorn might have been tempting but there is no way in hell I would have uttered "one for ________" to a movie theater employee and not felt like he or she was laughing at the loser going to see Avatar alone.

Fast-forward to today....

I itch at the opportunity to do things by myself. I'll skip up to the ticket counter, buy my ticket for one and tell the snack girl to lather my popcorn up with extra butter, because that shit is delicious. Table for one? Don't mind if I do. That means the only person I have to talk to is a waitress and if I am stone cold enough she will leave me alone and not tug at my shirt screaming for me to share.

Don't even get me started on going to Target by myself. It is better than Christmas Day, truly.

Being alone isn't bad, it's quite liberating. Much like being a single parent is. I get to celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day, teach him how to be gentle with other people's hearts, play catch with him at the end of the day, pick out every awesome outfit, relish in the glory of every hug and know that I alone cured his infectious disease (( better known as a cold )) with my expert WebMD knowledge and homemade soup. AND THEN, at the end of the day, I can curl up on the couch, watch whatever I want on TV, cry at Pampers commercials and be ALONE. 

 Side note: I'd like to take a moment and give a special shout out to all you happily married or in a committed relationship moms out there who despite having a partner, usually do all of the things I do alone as well... being a stay at home mom is the hardest job out there, certainly the hardest and most demanding job I've ever had. You are equally awesome and feel free to take a bow with the rest of us at the end of this post. 
   Side note for the side note: If you are a male and think for one second that being a stay at home mom isn't harder than your job, stop reading and go have someone kick you in the balls because that is literally how I feel every time I hear someone, usually a man, talk about how being a stay at home mom isn't real work.


When he is playing t-ball for the first time, or basketball, or soccer, or football and makes a basket or scores a goal or throws a perfect spiral I'll know that that was ALL me... and THAT is awesome. I'd also like to take this opportunity to apologize to any future parents, referees, teammates... really anyone in the general public who might take offense to my undoubtedly unruly behavior on the sidelines of these games. I really am a nice person... see?? future me even brought everyone orange slices and Mike's Hard Lemonade for after the game (( or during, whatever you prefer)).

When he brings home his first girlfriend, holds her hand, is attentive and polite, I will bask in the glory of my greatest work yet, smile, then grill her relentlessly ((sorry future wife of Nolan, you aren't getting off that easy )). 

So cheers to you, mom who is dad, or dad who is mom. We are awesome-- now take a bow, you deserve it.

Have a little more R-E-S-P-E-C-T

As many of you know, I am and have been a vegetarian for almost six years. The reasons behind my choice to skip out on the meat are a perfect blend of common sense, empathy for animal and my own health. 

Bottom line is, I care about what goes into my body...deeply and am not okay with tens of billions of animals being killed to make the majority of America fat. If you need more reasons please feel free to visit my good friends at PETA  to find out some shocking facts about where your precious chicken nuggets come from. I promise, it's disgusting, and your thighs hate you for it.

Since having Nolan, my diet changed tremendously. Even when I was pregnant I was hyper-vigilant about what I put into my body because of the little life who depended on mine. That carried out through his infancy and into today.

He is lactose intolerant-- he gets these angry red hives around his mouth and anywhere else milk has come into contact. He itches and whines, it isn't fun. 

Milk no more! I cut back on my dairy intake BIG TIME and I felt awesome doing it. 

Come January I will becoming a vegan. Slow and steady wins the race so be kind, friends. I might have a day or two where I indulge but knowing my competitive-ness, probably not. My family members are probably rolling their eyes... sorry ya'll! Salad bar it is :-P But seriously there are more places to eat as a vegan.... I hope???

I guess that will be another blog post to come. See what I'm doing??? Making my life difficult for the sake of page views. I've become a slave for you... 

I made this awesome concoction today for lunch. It was easy and delicious, as always. 

You're welcome.

What you need

Eggplant, sliced
Quinoa (any kind will do)
Vegetable broth
Red and yellow bell pepper
Kidney beans
Lime
Zucchini, sliced
Olive oil
1 shallot thinly diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro to garnish

What you need to do

Brush the eggplant with olive oil, salt and pepper and set aside

Preheat a skillet or turn on the grill

Grill the eggplant until it is tender and has pretty lines on it

Cook quinoa according to the package -- once the water has boiled out, add some vegetable broth and let it simmer a little longer

Drain kidney beans and run under cold water

In a separate pan, start cooking the shallot, veggies and kidney beans.

When the quinoa is done add that into the mix and squeeze some lime juice on top

Remove from head and slap it on top of the eggplant slice

ENJOY!

Hummus cups

So, I went to a mommy and me Halloween potluck and wasn't really sure what to bring at first. I found this awesome recipe, of course on Pinterest and much to my delight they were delicious and easy... AND VEGAN! 

 What you need:

Hummus
Crescent squares
Cucumbers
Cherry tomatoes 
Salt and pepper 
Muffin tin

What you need to do:

Roll out the crescent rolls and preheat oven according to the directions

Grease up the muffin tins and squish the crescent squares inside. Poke with a fork so they don't get too fluffy

Bake according to packaging but keep an eye on them, you want them to be fluffy not crusty. Slice up the veggies you want to use while the cups are cooking

Take out the cups, dollup hummus inside, decorate with pretty veggies and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste! That's it! I even refrigerated mine before the party and set them out before and at room temp they were great.

VIOLA!