Monthly Archives: July 2011

Vegan and Gluten Free Carrot and Potato Soup

06 Wednesday Jul 2011

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Carrot and Potato Soup

This is one of Little T’s favorites. We make a big batch of it and eat it throughout the week.

Ingredients:

Two bags of Carrots

Small Potatoes (we use about 1 potato for every 3 carrots)

2 cloves garlic

1 chopped yellow onion

vegetable broth

cumin to taste

curry to taste

lime

salt and pepper to taste

First we put a bit of olive oil in the cooking pot and brown the onions and garlic. Once they’re finished, we add potatoes, carrots and spices and mix them together to get the spices to meld. Then we add the vegetable broth and simmer until the carrots and potatoes are soft (about 30-40 minutes).

Little T can probably eat it without being blended, but we like the consistency when it’s blended. We used a hand mixer  to blend, and then added the lime. Taste the soup to see if you need to add more spices.

Steampunk at the Labyrinth of Jareth

05 Tuesday Jul 2011

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Big T and I had an amazing time last weekend at the Labyrinth of Jareth. We’d heard about it from a few friends, and were excited to finally be able to go. We decided to go Steampunk, but we’re going to try something a little more spectacular next year because we felt inspired by all of the creativity in the room.

Steampunk Costumes

I remember back in the day, when store bought Halloween costumes didn’t exist and you had to throw a sheet over your head and poke holes in the eyes to be a ghost. Nowadays when kidlets knock on your door for Halloween treats you’ll see 10 identical Spidermen, 5 Batmen, and 2 Ironmen, and then a few Barbies or Disney princesses. I miss the clever costumes! That’s why I was in heaven at the Labyrinth of Jareth. Everyone put so much thought and time into their costumes and they all were stunning. It was a great people watching event and I loved walking around and taking in all of the creativity.

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It was the coolest date night we’d ever had. Everywhere we turned there were performers and musicians and dancers. There were three stages and the shows were constant. We were never without something to do. There were so many things to look at that it was overwhelming at first. We walked around and danced together until our feet were so swollen that we couldn’t dance anymore.

We were sad when we had to leave at midnight, because we didn’t want Big T’s mom to have to stay up much longer with Little T. It was really nice of her to babysit for us when we were staying out so late. On the drive home, we talked about all of the costumes we saw and how great everyone looked and tried to decide which costumes were our favorites. We were hungry and felt like teenagers when we pulled into the Taco Bell drive through to grab something to eat. I don’t think I’ve had fast food for six+ years! I probably won’t have it for six more, but it was a fun way to end the night. We ate in the parking lot, talking the entire time, and were still hungry afterward so we laughed and drove through the drive through again.

Little T wasn’t having any sleep that night, so it was hard when we got home. We were both really tired the next day. It was worth it though, what a night. 🙂

Fourth of July Gluten Free Black Bean Burgers

02 Saturday Jul 2011

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Fourth of July Black Bean Burgers

We always have a great time on the 4th of July, but every year we go and buy some sort of fake hot dog, hamburger, or sausage so we can eat with the rest of the family. We are always disappointed and have never enjoyed the taste of the fake stuff. This year with Little T around, I wanted to make something healthier. I modified the Black Bean Burger recipe from Kris Carr’s “Crazy Sexy Diet”, and holy guacamole, it was amazing. Much better than any sort of fake meat. Little T _loved_ them!

The only problem was that Little T wasn’t in the mood to watch me cook. I gave him a carrot and that amused him for a while:

Little T's Carrot

But soon he wanted a lot more attention than I could give him. At least I was able to make a lot of the black bean burgers. Not enough to actually make it to the 4th of July though, so we’re going to have to go through all of that cooking again. Ah well, it will be worth it when I’m watching the fireworks with Little T and enjoying our meal together.

Raising a Vegan Baby

02 Saturday Jul 2011

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A  lot of friends ask what Little T eats, so I thought I’d post some of the food we make on here. I love cooking for Little T. It makes me feel happy inside, especially when he grabs the bowl with his little fingers and plants his face in the middle of it because he’s enjoying his food so much that he wants to inhale it. I guess teaching table manners might have to come later. 😉

Roasted Butternut Squash

Little T had roasted butternut squash for lunch yesterday. He thought it was pretty awesome. So awesome, in fact, that he gave a little cheer. The butternut squash is a nice meal because it’s soft and yummy and he’s able to pick it up with his little fingers. I can also make a lot of it at once and save the rest for snacks or later meals. It’s also easy to make.

Can a baby be healthy on a vegan diet?

Yes, of course they can! Little T was in the 1st percentile when he entered our lives, and now he’s grown into the 86th. Our doctor said little T’s as healthy as can be. He’s only had one cold, which I think is a pretty good track record for such a social butterfly who spends lots of time with other babies.

Long Term Veganism for Little T?

We don’t ever want Little T to feel like we’re forcing veganism on him. When he’s at our house and with our family, we’re going to cook the way we always cook and eat the way we eat. When he’s with a friend or at school and they have an ice cream party that we didn’t know about and weren’t able to prepare for, we don’t want him to feel bad or left out. We think he should decide if he wants to try ice cream and learn things for himself. I’ve known vegan kids who turned vegetarian, were adamant vegans, and who grew up to eat meat. Who knows how Little T will turn out, but We hope that he’ll grow up loving healthy food and that he’ll understand the reason his parents eat the way they do. If we succeed at that, then I think we’re doing something right.