101 things to do in 1001 days.

My family has been in dietary transition, lately, which is why I haven't been posting.  It's really no excuse.  What better time to post than now, as we move as a family from a regular, clean but meat-eating diet, to a raw, vegetarian lifestyle.  I should use this blog as a journal to measure our ups and downs, trials and errors.  A place where I can one day visit and say, "Look how far we've come."  But the change has proven to be a lot of work, one which the girls are less than thrilled about.  But I shall make a better effort to report in, and tell you what I've been learning.

But for today, I would like to share with you something I found on livelovelife.com.  It really inspired me to create my own list.  I feel more accountable now to actually follow through with the things I've been saying I'll do.  101 things I want to do in the next 1001 days.  Starting now!  I stole many of her ideas, but threw in some of my own that I have been wanting to do or try.   I’m also leaving this list incomplete, as I’m sure I will come across many things I will want to add, as I go along…..

Start date: May 29, 2012

End date: February 26th, 2015

Food & Drink

1.       Try a new cuisine.

2.      Cut out white foods altogether with my family.

3.      Eat 80% raw (out of 3033 meals, I will eat 2402 raw meals.)

4.      Get some raw recipes the kids will eat.

5.      Drink water more often.

6.      Buy a decent dehydrator, vitamix, nutribullet and spiralizer.

7.      Incorporate a green monster smoothie into my daily menu.

8.      Learn 10 new metabolic recipes.

9.      Build up my vegetarian/vegan cookbook collection.

 Fitness & Health

10.   Walk on the treadmill for 30 min every day.

11.  Take a kickboxing class.

12.  Take a yoga class.

13.  Get the kids to do a yoga class at home each day.

14.  Take one family walk a week.

15.  Swim class for girls.

16.  Reach my goal weight/clothing size.

17.  Go ice skating in the winter as a family date night.

18.  Take girls roller skating.

19.  Sledding/Tubing weekends in the winter.

20.  Take girls on active adventures while on vacation.

Family & Relationships

21.   Make 3 new friends.

22.  Get 1000 subscribers to my blog.

23.  One date night per month with DH.

24.  Better vacations with family.

25.  Reunite with old friend.

26.  Organize play dates with friends once a month.

27.  See my dad more often.

28.  Try to go to every family party I’m invited to.

29.  Compliment husband and girls every day.

30.  Never fight in front of girls.

Career

31.  Build new youtube channel for Buggy Tales.

32.  Learn the art of playwriting.

33.  Start writing a new play.

34.  Compete in three new competitions.

35.  Compete for one fellowship.

36.  Make another short film.

37.  Get 200,000 views on Buggy Tales.

38.  Take Buggy Tales books to editors.

Compassion

39.   Donate to Good Will once a month.

40.  Offer something to a stranger in need.

41.  Volunteer for one program a year.

42.  Compliment a stranger.

43.  Sponsor someone in a race.

For the Home

44.   Organize financials.

45.  Make garage into playroom.

46.  Plant a garden on deck.

47.  Hardwood floors.

48.  Attic fan.

49.  Ceiling fan in LR.

50.  Landscaping.

Other

51.   Go to church.

52.  Take Sofia to a museum.

53.  Learn how to drive a stick shift.

54.  Learn Italian.

55.  Watch all the Oscar winning movies since inception.

56.  Learn how to fix a flat.

57.  Ride a horse.

58.  Go a week without negative self-talk or complaining.

59.  Save $10 a week (that’s $1,320).

60.  Go to a haunted house.

61.  Pumpkin-carving/picking.

62.  Join an organic local co-op.

63.  Visit local farmers markets every other week in season.

64.  Inspire someone else to make similar list…

Baked Cream Cheese Veggie Rolls

Yes.  It's been seven months.  I apologize.  I was sidetracked by Pinterest.  But I'm back and I've found lots of new recipes to try for my midgets.

I made Cream Cheese Veggie Rolls with some Plum dipping sauce, last night.  The kids decided they wanted cereal.  Which was fine, because I ate about half of the rolls myself.  The reason I am making a cream cheese roll so soon after the wontons post is because the wontons were good, but required a lot of effort.  I wanted to try egg roll wrappers, and boy, are they easier to work with than those thin, flimsy wonton wraps.  I will never go back to them!

Baked Cream Cheese Veggie Rolls
Egg roll Wrappers
Cream Cheese
Veggie of your choice (I used chopped fresh broccoli and chopped red cabbage.)

First, take your wrapper and smear some cream cheese down the middle.  I rarely measure anything, so just eyeball it.  Use as much or little as you like. 

Then, add the veggies.  You want to add them, and kind of press them down a little bit.  Don't make it too bulky, because you don't want the wrapper to tear, when you roll them.

You're going to first roll the top and bottom, then fold one edge over to cover the veggies.  I use little dots of cream cheese like glue, to hold all of the edges down.

Then I lay them all out on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  If you don't have parchment, just give the sheet a spray of Pam.   Then I spray the rolls lightly with olive oil spray.  If you don't have a sprayer, I would recommend spraying the rolls with Pam, but if you must, you could brush them lightly with oil.   I sprinkle sesame seeds on top, after spraying, because I like the asian flavor they add.  But again, not necessary.

Notice how much better I got at rolling these toward the end.  There are some strangely shaped rolls up on the top of my cookie sheet, there.  Sad, messy little pillows.  They ripped open, it was a mess.  But it just goes to show that everything doesn't always work out in the kitchen, just like in life.  You just have to keep at it, and try a different technique, you will find success!

See?  Look at those beauties!
Bake at 375 degree for 20-25 minutes, turning midway through.  Just keep an eye on them.  If they're getting too dark, take them out.

While the rolls were in the oven, I whipped up some Plum dipping sauce.  Which is, essentially, Plum preserves and teriyaki sauce or soy sauce. 

Just take a couple big spoonfuls of the preserves and add a couple spoonfuls of teriyaki sauce or soy sauce.  Whisk together, and heat over medium heat until it bubbles.  Let it bubble, and stir for about five minutes or so.  Voila!  Plum Dipping Sauce!

Now, the rolls are done!  Baked, not fried and full of veggies!  They're crunchy on the outside, and the cream cheese makes them creamy on the inside.  You can use whatever veggies rock your boat.  Or, you can brown and season some ground turkey and a litte bit of shredded cheddar and make some Baked Turkey Burger rolls.  Really, there are a million things you can do with egg roll wrappers.  How about some nutella and banana for breakfast?  Or some scrambled eggs and ham?

Your options are endless!!!  Enjoy!

Sesame Street Chicken

No, it's not in the shape of an Elmo or anything. It's really just Sesame Chicken. But I find when you give something a cutesy name and put it on a stick, kids will eat it.

Now, I recommend you go out to a craft store and load up on some lollipop sticks. You don't want to do what I did, and use skewers. Not safe for kids to be jamming pointy wooden sticks into their adorable little mouths. Of course, I removed the meat for actual eating. But if I HAD lollipop sticks, I would have let them eat it right off the stick.

SESAME STREET CHICKEN

1 lb chicken tenderloin
1 cup honey or 1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 tbsp minced garlic
salt/pepper to taste

Combine everything but chicken in a medium-sized bowl. Salt pepper to taste. If your kids are more adventurous, feel free to add a little cumin or crushed red pepper for a little spice.

Cut the chicken into two-inch chunks and add to the honey/soy mixture.

When cooking with wooden skewers, it's best to soak them in water first. If you are using lollipop sticks, DO NOT cook with them. Just pop the chicken on afterwards.

Spray a frying pan with PAM, and then lay the chicken on the pan. Fry each side about 6 minutes each.

Serve with a little BBQ sauce or honey for dipping. Add a nice green veggie and they won't even notice!

Baked Chicken Cream Cheese Wontons!!

I am a bad blogger. It's been 14 days since my last post. Bad blogger. Bad!

But, I've been taking pictures of some fun meals, and I will catch you up, one at a time.

Tonight, I made BAKED CHICKEN CREAM CHEESE WONTONS. You just can't stop popping them into your mouth.

BAKED CHICKEN CREAM CHEESE WONTONS

15 wonton wrappers
ground chicken (I made a lb and had a ton leftover)
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 block of Cream cheese
3 T soy sauce
salt, pepper

Brown the chicken, season it with S/P, and soy sauce. Combine your shredded carrots and scallions in a bowl. Take a wonton, smear a small bit of cream cheese on it, then a small scoop of the carrot/scallion mixture, followed by a small scoop of chicken. Do not overstuff, or your wrapper will tear.

Keep a small bowl of water by you, and begin to wrap. Dab a tiny bit of water on the edges, then fold the edges in and seal. Don't worry about pretty. Secure is what you're going for....

Now lay them out on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. I sprayed them with a little olive oil, because I happen to have a little sprayer thingee. You could also brush them, but I like to cut down on the oill content as much as possible.

Now bake at 325 degrees for 8-10 minutes. My oven needed an extra two minutes.

You could probably fry these, if you were so inclined. I'm sure they
would be a little better. But for me, baking did the trick.

And they are the perfect size, for little fingers. My daughter thinks they look like little envelopes.....

Peanut Butter Granola

Apologies for my absence.  I lost a doggie, and my heart was too broken to eat.

Well, I was still cooking, anyway, and photographing some meals.  So now, I will have to play catch up, somewhat.

First, I would like to share with you my recipe for Peanut Butter Granola.  My family loves the homemade granola I make, but the peanut butter granola takes it to a whole, new level.  I made this for my daughter's birthday breakfast, and added a few chocolate chips.   LOVE.

PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA

• 1/2 cup real maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup oil (I use canola)
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 c. oats
• 1/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat)
• splash vanilla

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.  (I use parchment paper.)
• Combine peanut butter and honey in a bowl and microwave until peanut butter melts (approximately 20 seconds). Stir.
• Stir cinnamon and vanilla into peanut butter and honey mixture.

• Mix flour, oats and salt in a separate bowl.

• Mix wet and dry until the oats are completely covered in peanut butter mixture.

• Spread out oat mixture onto prepared cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes until granola is slightly browned, stirring halfway through.

• Let cool until granola is crunchy.

Sticky Finger Chicken Wings

This is one of those recipes that I make for the kids, but the adults love it, too.

Sticky Finger Chicken Wings

3 lbs chicken wingettes (Purdue has these.  You could use ANY type of chicken, though.)

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 450.   In a medium bowl, whisk together ketchup, sugar, worcestershire, vinegar, and ketchup.   Season with salt and pepper. 

Set aside half of the ketchup mixture for after cooking.  Then, add the chicken to the bowl and toss until chicken is coated.

Line baking sheet with foil.  Be sure to grease or spray foil with Pam.  Spread chicken out into single layer.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.  The wings get all carmelized and yummy.  After cooking, toss wings in reserved sauce.

Now to go with my wings, I made some seasoned oven fries.  Just cut up your potatoes (I leave the skin on, because I'm a rebel), spread them out and drizzle with oil.  Then I sprinkle them with half a bag of this stuff:

Only half a bag, because it's pretty high in sodium.  A whole packet is too much, anyway, if you ask me.

Then I baked them together with the wings.  But make sure you put the wings on the bottom and the fries on the top.  You don't want to risk chicken juices dripping onto your fries.  I'm a rebel, but I'm not stupid.

So here we have the finished products.

And the happy camper who gets to eat her sticky finger wings.  She actually eats the chicken FIRST, and then the fries.

I might have to change the name of this stuff to sticky MOUTH chicken wings.....



3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

This week's been buzzing.

On Monday, I worked, and we had a playdate.  Tuesday treated us to a 5.8 earthquake.   (Which was super cool, I'm not gonna lie.)  I spent my post-earthquake hours registering the kid for school and standing in line to order her uniforms.  We had a lunchdate on Wednesday, after I worked at the office all morning.  Today, my hubby sent me for a massage in the morning, and it has been raining all day long.

And we have a preety major hurricane headed straight for us.  And the cupboards are bare.   I realized this morning that I better get my butt into the grocery store, before all the panic-stricken shoppers clear out all the bread and milk.

Which brings me to today's post.  The kids are screaming for SNACKS!  (The baby asks for 'NACKS!)  And I have none.  Well, none they want, anyway.

So I decided to whip out the old 3-INGREDIENT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE recipe.  If you have this in your home:

You're all set.

Three-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, doesn't matter)

1 cup sugar (I use sucanat.  You can also use Splenda.)

1 egg

Mix the ingredients and spoon the batter onto a parchment-lined cookie tray.   (Although I'm sure a Pam'd cookie sheet would work, too).   If you wish, flatten out the cookies with a fork, making a grid pattern. 

 Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes.  (My oven needs about 11 minutes.)  Sometimes, instead of the grid, I make a little hole in the top, and add a Hershey kiss about 3/4 of the way through cooking.

Now try and wait until they are cool.  If you can, you're my hero......