Green Smoothies Continued

I used the last of my spinach today....

2 cups raw spinach
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup frozen grapes
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup water

The texture on this one was a bit off. Not sure why. All the smoothies have been fine, but nothing spectacular. It is funny - you can't taste the "green" or see the "green" but I am pretty sure you can smell the "green." Maybe my nose is really senstitive but it seems that way to me. Which is fine I guess - who says the point is to completely hide the spinach anyway?

More Green Smoothie Experiments!

Today's smoothie was actually green! No blueberries to mask the color!

2 cups raw spinach
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup frozen grapes
1 cup frozen orange juice
1 cup water

It was really sweet and very good. The kids loved it. Maybe the best yet!

More Green Smoothie Experiments

Today I started with this:

2 cups raw spinach and lettuce mix
1 cup peaches
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup orange juice

And it tasted very "green." So I added more blueberries and some grapes. Better but still tasted a bit weird. Or maybe smelled a bit weird - like lettuce. It was ok, but not great.

Not sure where to go from here. We don't like bananas in smoothies. Maybe I'll go back to including yogurt. And I think I will stick to spinach for the green part!

Green Smoothie Experiments - Take Three

So here is what I made this morning:

2 cups raw spinach
1 cup frozen peaches
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup unsweetened peach juice

It was not bad but I feel like I am missing something to make these smoothies really good. And on this one, I felt like there was the subtle taste of spinach. Perhaps I packed my measuring cup a bit too full. Or maybe the orange really helps with that...

Hmm! I'll have to think on what to try next time.

Green Smoothie Experiments - Take Two

I made a few changes and gave it another shot!

So here is what I made this morning:

2 cups raw spinach
1 orange, peeled
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1 cup water

I increased the blueberries because with all the water it was a bit bland. It was actually still a bit bland and watery. Still needs some perfecting....

Experimenting with Green Smoothies

I have tried this a few times before but have not been vary happy with the results. I think I need to be a bit more methodical about it.

So here is what I made this morning:

2 cups raw spinach
1 orange, peeled
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup vanilla yogurt

It was not bad but the vanilla yogurt was not a good choice. It overpowered the rest and made it awfully sweet. I'm going to make some changes and try again, hopefully tomorrow

Eat from the Pantry Challenge - Final Post

Today is the last day of January! It has been a great month of using up a lot of food and using my creativity to make up meals that involved needing to buy very little. I am excited that it was so successful and also excited that it is over. I still have a bunch of things I want to use up this month but also want to make some new recipes. This month has been all really simple and basic foods and a lot of repetition. I am ready for some change!

Here was our menu for the last few days:

Jan 29
b- cereal
L- leftovers
D- grits, quiche, green beans (canned)

Jan 30
b - cereal
l- black eyed peas
d - leftovers for kids, date night for adults

Jan 31
b- baked oatmeal
l- leftovers
d- barbeque chicken and mashed root veg

Eat from the Pantry Challenge : Menu Week #4

Here is what we ate for the fourth week of the Eat from the Pantry Challenge. It looks like the challenge might be ending on a lot of blogs, but I will have one more update as I am running it all the way through Jan 31st!

Jan 22
breakfast-cereal
lunch-at a friends house
dinner- kids oatmeal, adults date night

Jan 23
b-pancakes and sausage
l-baked ziti and salad
d- leftovers


Jan 24
b-baked oatmeal
l- leftover ziti
d- bean burgers, parsnip fries, broccoli

Jan 25
b-cereal
l-leftovers
d-leftovers

Jan 26
b-toast, eggs, sausage
l- leftovers
d-yukon gold potato gratin, roasted mushrooms, beets

Jan 27
b-crockpot oatmeal
l- leftovers
d- OUT

Jan 28
b-toast
l- macaroni and cheese
d- quesadillas, peas

Eat from the Pantry Challenge : Menu Week #3

Here is what we ate for the third week of January - the third week of the Eat from the Pantry Challenge. I realized we are a good ways through winter and have not eaten much soup so I declared this week Soup week!


Jan 15
breakfast-cereal
lunch-leftovers
dinner- stirfry noodles


Jan 16
b-pancakes
l-OUT
d- mac n cheese for kids, adults out on date


Jan 17
b-baked oatmeal and smoothies
l- chili and cornbread
d- winter squash soup, naan, mango

Jan 18
b-cereal
l-leftovers
d-leftover asian noodles and roasted cauliflower

Jan 19
b-toast, smoothies
l- leftovers
d-tortilla soup, roasted broccoli

Jan 20
b-crockpot oatmeal
l- leftover soup
d- zucchini chowder, popovers


Jan 21
b-toast
l- honey mustard chicken, leftover broccoli
d- cauliflower soup, beets, salad

Eat from the Pantry Challenge : Menu Week #2

Here is what we ate for the second week of January - the second week of the Eat from the Pantry Challenge. We are eating tons of leftovers and lots of repetitions so we don't waste anything! So far it is going really well though and everyone seems to be enjoying the food! Even the Salsa Pasta which was just a mish-mash of things I had around.

Jan 8
breakfast-cereal
lunch-mac and cheese
dinner- crockpot tortilla soup


Jan 9
b-toast or cereal
l-OUT
d- leftover soup


Jan 10
b-baked oatmeal and smoothies
l- chicken rice soup (thawed from freezer) and salad
d- bbq beans, acorn squash, salad and oven fries

Jan 11
b-cereal
l-leftovers
d-salsa chard pasta and broccoli

Jan 12
b-toast, smoothies
l- leftovers
d-large salads with chickpeas, deviled eggs, broccoli and leftover oven fries

Jan 13
b-crockpot oatmeal
l- ham and cheese croissants (thawed from freezer) or sandwiches
d- spaghetti (thawed from freezer) salad and choc tapioca pudding (found in back of pantry)


Jan 14
b-toast
l- spaghetti
d- Quesadillas with homemade tortillas, sweet potato casserole (from freezer) and roasted cauliflower

Eat from the Pantry Challenge : Menu Week #1

Here is what we ate for the first week of January - the first week of the Eat from the Pantry Challenge. So far the only food I have bought is a gallon of milk. The rest I already had either leftover from my last shopping trip in December, my CSA subscription, or from my pantry or freezer.


Jan 1
breakfast-cereal
lunch-chicken rice soup (thawed from freezer)
dinner- spaghetti (sauce thawed from freezer), cauliflower


Jan 2
b-waffles and maple syrup
l-chicken rice soup (thawed from freezer)
d- adults date night and kids leftover spaghetti


Jan 3
b-cereal
l- bean burgers (thawed from freezer) and sweet potatoes
d- leftovers


Jan 4
b-cereal
l-sandwiches
d-bean burgers (thawed from freezer) and broccoli and carrot sticks


Jan 5
b-baked oatmeal, smoothies (I have lots of frozen fruit!)
l- sandwiches
d-pizza (sauce and cheese thawed from freezer) and salad


Jan 6
b-waffles
l- ham and cheese croissants (thawed from freezer)
d- leftover pizza and potato wedges*


Jan 7
b-toast and smoothie (I have lots of frozen fruit!)
l- mac and cheese**
d- bbq chicken (thawed from freezer) and roasted delicata squash and salad (both from CSA)

*EDITED - forgot to make the wedges, just had pizza
**EDITED - did not have this, had some leftover odds and ends instead!

Portland with Kids : Pearl District

The Jameson Square fountain is so neat and fun. The weather wasn't even all that good when we were there so we weren't able to get wet but it was still lots of fun. There are rocks to stand on and stay dry while the area fills up all around you, and you can always run from the filling fountain like you would the tides at the beach. We had a really fun time playing around and watching the water cycles.

We did not have a lot of time in the Pearl District as we needed to catch our train, but we also checked out Powell's Bookstore and the Pearl Bakery (yummy croissants!) We will definitely check it out again next time we are in Portland. We also went to the Whole Foods right near Powell's to pick up some lunch for the train and use the restroom facilities.

To get there, we took the streetcar and got off at the last stop before leaving fareless square (10th and Glisan)

*Note: I have written a bunch of posts about Portland so if you want to read more, click on the Portland Label at the end of the post, and you will see all the Portland entries.

Portland with Kids: Dining Choices

Well, we did not have that great a food experience on this trip. Meaning - it was fine but we did not get to try any of the interesting places I had researched before we went.

We were all tired by dinner time and did not feel like sitting in a restaurant. Frequently when we travel, I bring a lot of food, which would have worked on this trip since our hotel room had a kitchen. But since we took the train and were traveling lightly, I did not bring much, just some snack food and lunch for the train.

Our hotel provided an extensive breakfast each morning. One day we ate at OMSI for lunch. The cafe there was actually quite good and had some healthy options. One day we ate at the Portland Saturday Market. For our dinners, we ended up ordering delivery two nights - once Hot Lips Pizza and once Chinese food. The other night we stopped off and picked up some sandwiches and sushi and a little place we happened to pass on the way back to our hotel.

Near the end of our visit, I noticed there is a Safeway right on the streetcar line (1030 SW Jefferson). If we would have realized sooner, we could have used it instead of some of the dinner deliveries.

One fun place we got to check out was the Pearl Bakery. The croissants we had were really good. We also stopped at the Whole Food right by Powells Books to get some food for the train ride home.

Maybe next time we will get to try some more of the cool sounding places Portland has to offer....

*Note: I have written a bunch of posts about Portland so if you want to read more, click on the Portland Label at the end of the post, and you will see all the Portland entries.

Our Plan for Dining in Portland

When we travel, I generally pack as much as I can with us. Since we will be taking the bus and train down to Portland from the Seattle area, I will be somewhat limited in what I can take. I am planning to pack lunch to eat on the train on the way there.

Our hotel is supposed to serve a hot breakfast so I am hoping we will eat that each morning. I will supplement that with muffins and also bring other snacky items if we need something between meals. We will be eating lunch at our destinations, like the cafe at OMSI. Dinner we will try to hit some of the places that I have heard good things about.

I printed off this cool info sheet on the Pearl District and it lists several yummy sounding dinner options:
http://www.deliciousbaby.com/travel/usa/or/portland/itinerary/pearl-kids/

We might stop in somewhere that is not on my list, but I would much rather have some ideas before we go. I hate being hungry (or having hungry kids) and having trouble finding somewhere to eat.

I'd like to stop by Whole Foods before we leave and pack a picnic for the train ride home, or we may dine on the train. My general experience is that food is not good in that kind of setting but I have not ridden Amtrak before.

*Note: I have written a bunch of posts about Portland so if you want to read more, click on the Portland Label at the end of the post, and you will see all the Portland entries.

More Birthday Cakes

I absolutely love looking at homemade birthday cakes so I am really enjoying the Birthday Cake Round-up that FishMama is doing on her blog! The cakes are all so cute and I am getting some good ideas of themes to "suggest" to my boys. I love that not all of them are perfect but that everyone is taking the time to make these cakes for their kids and share them with the rest of us.

It has inspired me to share a few more imperfect but well-loved cakes from our family:


Lego Cake - Just baked a 9x13 sheet cake and then cut into blocks. Pegs are marshmallows.












Froggy Cupcakes







Sheep








Bunny - this is special to me because my mom made one just like it for one of my birthdays










And lastly, a construction cake and a fire engine one too. These were easier than the ones above but the birthday boy loved them just as much!

Birthday Cake Round-Up

When I saw FishMama was doing a Birthday Cake Round-up on her blog tomorrow, I thought it would be fun to participate. I am no expert cake decorator and don't usually get into many creative or artistic things like that but for some reason I have always wanted to make and decorate my kids birthday cakes. For me it really makes the birthday special.

So my problem was picking which cake to show in my post, seeing as I have made about 7 at this point. Some were better than others but my kids loved them all. This one was one of my favorites - for my oldest son's 5th birthday party.

Budget Tip - Cook More from Scratch

Alternate Title - Conquering your Cooking Fears

I am just so glad that I finally tried making tortillas today. They were not really round, but they tasted really good and it was so cheap to do. I have been wanting to try for so long, after I realized how expensive tortillas were at the grocery store, relative to other things that I buy. I was really scared that they would not turn out, either not cooking through or sticking to the pan. Neither of those things happened and really it was a pretty quick process.

Here is the tutorial I followed:
Tortillas at Cooking During Stolen Moments

I have also made yummy pita pockets like this:
Pita Pockets at Tammy's Recipes

It is also easy to make things like sandwich bread or hamburger buns, especially if you have a bread machine you got as a wedding present hiding in your closet.

I also conquered another cooking fear this week - Cinnamon Rolls:
Cinnamon Rolls at Pioneer Woman

I halved the batch and decreased some of the butter and sugar in the filling, plus I made my own frosting. They were so good in spite of the fact that my rolling was a bit uneven.