Vegan Banana French Toast = Baby Finger Food

18 Monday Jul 2011

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I’ve been trying to think of meals that Little T can eat on his own with his chubby little fingers. I remembered one of my favorite recipes from my time at the Dr. McDougall 10 Day Health Clinic. It changed my life when I went there because of health problems in 2003. One of the great things about the clinic were the buffets of food they’d have out for each meal. You could pick whatever you wanted to eat and find things you liked so you could make it at home. They also had the names and recipes for all the food. It doesn’t get any easier than that, folks!

When I was thinking of finger food for Little T, I thought of their banana french toast. It’s so easy to make and I knew he’d love it. You can find this recipe in the McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook. You may also be able to find it on their website if you search the newsletter section.

Vegan Banana French Toast by Mary McDougall

We made this for Little T last night to try it out. We had to make extra because the adults kept sneaking bites. :p He gave a happy little foot kick after each bite and ate two pieces of the french toast. I think it’s a winner.

Quick and Easy Lime and Cilantro Rice

17 Sunday Jul 2011

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Lime and Cilantro Rice

This is an easy meal for when I want something with a lot of flavor and don’t have enough time to cook a big meal. It surprises me because friends request this rice. Sometimes the simplest things make the best meals, I guess. When I don’t have green onions, I use yellow onion. I also don’t always have cilantro on hand, so then it just becomes Quick and Easy Lime Rice. It’s still good, and I’m sure you’ll find lost of ways to modify this recipe.

Ingredients: 

2 cups cooked rice (if I’m in a pinch, I use a bag of frozen brown rice from Trader Joe’s).

1 squeezed lime (add more or less to taste)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro *not pictured 😉

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 clove finely chopped garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Optional: 

Half an avocado

3 chopped artichoke hearts

a pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions: 

Squeeze the lime into the rice. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Harry Potter was awesome-until someone blew chunks in my hair.

15 Friday Jul 2011

Posted by in The Family, The Travels

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It seemed like the perfect night. My parents were in town to watch Little T for us, I found my old Harry Potter tie from when I waitressed at the Macaroni Grill, and the movie theater let us in at 6:30. If only I would have known how the night was going to end…

My friend came to meet us at the house all dressed up and ready to go. She is my Harry Potter partner in crime!

We picked up Big T from work and started the long drive to the movie theater at Downtown Disney. It’s our favorite because they let us sit inside instead of having to wait outside in line.

There was a lot of traffic, so it’s a good thing I brought my wand to zap the cars out of the way.

The theater was kind of scary because Lord Voldemort was there.

Voldemort and Umbridge

Luna was more welcoming:

Luna Lovegood

I loved seeing wizards at the snackbar:

Wizard Snacks

When the movie was about to start, I could hardly contain my excitement:

ZOMG ITS STARTING

We sat through the first movie and had a great time. We LOVED the second movie, but five minutes before it was over, the person behind me dropped what I thought was a slushy on my head. Yeah, it wasn’t a slushy. More like the effects of too many Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans. To my horror, the person behind us tapped me on the shoulder and said she’d just thrown up in my hair. She said she’d gotten food poisoning or something and threw up twice during the movie, and couldn’t hold it anymore. My guess is that she felt the urge to throw up, but didn’t leave because it was the end of the movie. I. was. disgusted. I couldn’t even say anything. I mean, how do you even respond to that!? Come on people, I know you love Harry Potter, but if you start throwing up in the theater you should probably leave. I got up and looked at Big T in shock. Kind of like this= 0_0 I had vomit all over me and didn’t know what to do.

Thankfully, two of the people in our group work for Disney weddings and are used to successfully and creatively dealing with bridal day mishaps, or anything else that’s thrown at them. We walked to the Disneyland hotel, they asked for some shampoo and conditioner and a bag for my clothes (thanks Disneyland Hotel for being so understanding), and washed my hair out in the sink (thanks girls), and changed my clothes. I’m glad I brought my pajamas to change into so I’d be comfortable. I’m also glad that I was thrown up on at the end of the movie, instead of the beginning. Erg.

So that’s how my night ended. I got home and took another shower at 3 in the morning and fell asleep with wet icky hair.

I’m going to try and remember all of the good things about the night instead of the end.

Who am I kidding? I’ll always remember the last Harry Potter movie as the film where I got thrown up on. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sit in front of a person at a movie theater again.

Koroneburg Renaissance Festival

14 Thursday Jul 2011

Posted by in The Family, The Travels

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One of our recent trips was to the Koroneburg Renaissance Festival. I hadn’t been to a Renaissance Fair in about ten years, so it was a blast to the past for me. The fair was pretty charming with a permanent village set up just for the Fair (fun fact: they filmed an episode of House there). We met a few friends and walked around and enjoyed the booths. I didn’t find any vegan food, but I did find this fancy mask:

The highlight of our trip was the jousting tournament. I love, love, love photographing events like this.

And here’s Trevor with two lovely ladies that caught his eye.

White Bean and Couscous Soup

11 Monday Jul 2011

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White Bean and Couscous Soup

Little T loved this soup that my step-dad made. The recipe was given to them from a friend:

4 chopped leek bulbs

2 cloves chopped garlic

16 ounces of veggie broth

16 ounces of cannellini beans

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon curry

1/2 cup couscous

2 cups spinach

salt and pepper

Saute the leeks and garlic until tender in a soup pot. Stir in the broth, beans, bay leaves and cumin. Bring to a boil and reduce to low heat. Stir in the couscous, then cover and simmer for 5 monutes. Stir in the spinach at the end and season with salt and pepper.

We’ve Got a Ticket to Ride

11 Monday Jul 2011

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We survived train trip #2, go us! It’s easier to travel by train instead of a car when we visit my mom. A few months ago I attempted a long car drive with Little T. He cried the whole way and it was traumatic for both of us. When we take the train, I can entertain Little T along the way. We also don’t have to make extra stops, and Little T likes getting 100% of my attention for 5 hours straight. It’s better for the environment too, so it’s a win/win.

To make the trip a little easier, I use an overnight diaper for Little T. It’s leak proof, and I can get away with changing his diaper once, halfway through the trip when we stop for a change over. I also usually prepare food in advance for the train trip, but this time it was a last minute trip and I didn’t have enough time to get anything together. I had to use what we had on hand, so I packed a few black bean burgers, a banana, and some other snacks for Little T.

We put our things by the door as we were getting ready to leave, and didn’t notice when Little T got into the black bean burgers a little early…

Sneaking Black Bean Burgers

For myself, I packed a Kind Bar and some Chili Lime Kale Chips. Those kale chips had an intense amount of flavor and I loved them for it. I’ll have to forget food again so I’ll have another excuse to eat them, heh heh.

I always try to pick a time that goes with Little T’s nap schedule. It’s easier if he sleeps for the first couple of hours while we’re on the bus. Once we make it onto the train, the trip is a breeze. I have a few toys that Little T likes, but he enjoys looking out the window and doesn’t need a lot to stay happy.

On the Train

I love that we can get up and walk to the dining car if Little T starts to feel squirmy on the train. If we stopped in the car and took a break from the seat, we’d be adding a lot of travel time to the trip. Big T and I used to take the train and play cards for the whole trip. It will be fun when Little T’s old enough to do that with us.

Hasn’t gotten the spoon figured out yet…

09 Saturday Jul 2011

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Eating on his own...

Today we had quinoa made in water that was boiled with ginger. It had curry, lentils, and broccoli bits in it. We were working on using the spoon, but he definitely hasn’t mastered that skill yet. He ate half of that bowl. I can’t believe how much this kid eats!

How to make: 

Slice up some ginger and boil it in water. Add the quinoa and cook. Once the quinoa is done, add lime, steamed lentils (I use the Trader Joe Lentils), and steamed diced broccoli.