fried peach pies {to make up for any healthy eating}

when we had our "state of the union" meeting a few weeks ago, we talked about how we always said we wanted to be "that house" where the kids hang out.  we don't believe for one second that it's normal and necessary for kids to hate their families and need to find completely independent social lives away from home (exclusively), and we realized, that time has come - if we want our kids to love home and bring their friends, we need to get more proactive about building friendships that support our family's value system... and are FUN!

thus, family nights.  we're going to try to make taco night more of a social event, inviting a family at a time (or two... call us if you're lonely!) for some quality time together.  this evening, we invited ourselves to our friends the w's.  we started with a variation of taco night - layered bean dip, homemade salsa, jordyn's roasted chickpeas (our version with cumin, coriander, garlic, chili powder, and sea salt), and sangria, of course.

julie's always good for some fabulous home-made fare, and i'd been craving my grandma's fried peach pies; it just so happens julie had a boat-load of peaches waiting more use (after she'd canned and jammed and all kinds of other good stuff, i'm pretty sure.)  thank you, w. girls, for laboring over these beauties before we even arrived!  on thinking about it, why didn't we all just grab spoons?!

julie's dough made for adventuresome times with kids and rolling pins.  and crazy dads!

i'll spare you the gory details of how we prepared these babies (i did say fried peach pies, didn't i?  read that again, only say it with a south tennessee accent!  now you can almost taste their hot, sugary goodness, can't you?!  so much for the "less white flour" mission... at least for one night.)  suffice it to say, they were mouth-wateringly, sweetly amazing.  'nuff said.

thank you, w. family, for a fun night!

spinach white bean soup (and how we're planning to survive our school year)

i've gotta say, while we've been fairly sure throughout our thirteen years of parenting that we've been called to homeschool our kids at home,  there have been lots of times i've been equally sure my Papa thought we could handle more than we knew we could.  he's pretty good at knowing, though, and so i try to dive in and figure out how it is He wants me to adapt and grow through each season.

this year we start off (having promised to school through summer again and, well, NOT having done so, at least formally...) teaching an 8th grader, a 7th grader, a 5th grader who's halfway into 6th, a second grader who's got middle child syndrome, and a blue-eyed-baby-boy who's adorable and up-to-no-good... and who likes to sing and talk at the top of his lungs... all.day.long.  we plan to complete this school year ahead of where we "should" be, and do it while running our photography business and sharing the job of teaching.  huh.

one way i plan to survive is getting back to menu planning.  i went to a party years ago (thanks, tami's cousin-in-law!) where all the ladies brought recipes and shopping lists to compile into massive recipe/menu planner notebooks.  i've adapted the concept to fit recipes that:

-are higher in whole grains and fiber and protein
-are lower in "bad" carbs (read: white stuff :)  )
-are primarily whole foods recipes (with some raw recipes thrown in and some "junk" recipes for fun)
-are fairly easy to prepare
-are reasonably priced
-are a good mix of "unusual" and familiar

in a three-ring binder i've placed sections of five "dinner" recipes for each week, with a grocery list in a pocket at the front.  there are three copies of each list, so i shouldn't have to reproduce them for a while.  my goal is to automate the process of meals as much as possible, so we can eat well but still "do" the rest of our lives.  weekends are a free-for-all, which will leave room for crazy creativity, too, if we're up for it!  friday nights are taco nights, so we'll have an extra recipe to make ahead or share.

the idea is that any of us can pick a recipe from the week we've chosen and throw together a quick, healthy meal  (and that my awesome hubby, who is rapidly becoming a true renaissance man, but who is prone to buy-one-get-one-free items that may not be our healthiest options, can grab the shopping list for and go!).

oh, good gravy, i've misspelled my own name in the above watermark.  don't look.  i told you not to look!  :)

then, and here's the part i think will really help us, i've assigned a different menu category for each day's breakfast and lunch, and a kiddo to be in charge of it, based on age and ability.

in the back of the binder, there are simple recipes the kids can choose from for their category, asking me to add the items they need to the grocery list.  (for instance, there's a "hot cereal" section for b. to choose from for his morning.)  this should help automate things, still giving our young chefs some creative license.  (and because we've taught them to love to cook independently, i have to be prepared for things like cinnamon added to yellow rice and chicken.  which was actually pretty yummy.  :)  )

there are also some "stock" snack items that they are ok to grab during the day - these will be permanent grocery list items.

if all goes well, i hope to have some batters and breads frozen to grab from for those days when we're in a huge hurry.

this week we tried it, and it was great for the days we stuck to our schedule.  looking forward to week two!  and here are a couple images from our recipe list this week (with the spinach white bean soup, especially for lori!).  enjoy!

the beginning of e's "grain salad."  yummy, crunchy cucumber.

we have a cool pot my mom got me for Christmas one year that has a strainer for cooking pasta, topped by a steamer basket.  we steamed broccoli, carrots, onions, garlic, and smoked lite turkey sausage (yes, i know, we have an obsession with sausage in this house...) while our whole wheat pasta spirals cooked.

the end result: we tossed all the ingredients with emeril's balsamic dressing recipe.  delish.

the proud chef.  pretty sure even emeril himself couldn't have done better!

and from j's day, the promised spinach and white bean soup.  (adapted from my next door neighbor's soup with arugula.  i like spinach better.  :)  )

simple spinach and white bean soup

2-3 cloves garlic

one onion

one bag fresh spinach

(we supplemented with frozen spinach, a good thing to have in the freezer)

1/2 cup white wine

2 cans cannelini beans, rinsed and drained (love the creamy texture)

sautee the onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil.  add garlic and beans and season to taste with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper (in our house there's almost no such thing as too much cracked black pepper!)

 add 6 cups water and the wine.  leave a lid to partially cover the soup, allowing it to reduce as it cooks.

stir in the frozen spinach, if using, and simmer for 30-45 minutes.  if using fresh spinach, wait to toss in until the last 15 minutes of simmer.

taste and adjust seasonings... enjoy!  (if you like, with whole wheat beer biscuits. heavenly!)

summer fun...

we're wrapping up our summer; really, we are! we had our friends over for a day and the boys built rockets (too busy to get good photos!), while the girls baked cookies.  could've been the other way around, but everybody had fun... especially the cookie-partakers! (of which i might have been one...)

i'm not gonna lie, i'm pretty nervous about diving back into school.  especially with an adorably-ornery blue-eyed almost-three-year-old.  but since we said we'd school through the summer and largely didn't, (well, formally, anyway!), we'd best get our buns in gear!  so it's planning week, and next week is officially get-back-in-the-groove week, and the NEXT week, well, we plan to start studying.  our curriculum.  for real!  but there will still be rocket-building.  and cookie-baking.  and the journey continues.  :)

datz deli {Gulfcoast Family Destination Dinner}

one of our favorite family pastimes is our monthly outing to a local restaurant; we write a dining out column for Gulfcost Family Magazine.  we're fortunate our kids are "little foodies," so they're as adventurous as we are.  i never remember to blog the outings, but this one HAD TO BE DONE.  Datz Deli in Tampa had my interest when everyone whom we know loves food, mentioned it to us.  we fell in love.

called a deli, it has more a pub-like atmosphere, with endless beers on tap, an amazing selection of nachos, sandwiches, and other delights.  self-billed as a "restaurant for foodies," they don't disappoint.  they spoiled us rotten, and our girl's still talking about the goat brie she loved - and we're still dreaming about the gjetost - a danish "caramel" cheese that amazed us. 

the home-made potato chip nachos were delish, but i loved the "plain" ones that came with the kiddos' sandwiches, drizzled with blue cheese glaze.  oh, my mouth is watering...

'though we went for lunch, they spoiled us and let us order meatloaf from the dinner menu, and may i please tell you that their meatloaf was better-than-you-know-what absolutely to-die-for yum?  (sorry no pic - it was gobbled up too fast...)

they have a gorgeous selection of wines, meats, desserts, and cheeses available for purchase.  i'm not usually one for cake at restaurants (it never tastes as good as homemade) but this... well, it was better.  my oldest partook, broke my heart :) by announcing that THIS red velvet cake would be his birthday request.  ah, well...

most of all, though, i loved the idea of their chef's table, where one can do a lunch or dinner pairing meal, prepared tableside... we're saving for a fabulous date night, i can tell you!

love that they have wiki-stix for the kids to occupy themselves...

fun family date... yay!

Fresher Veggie Pizza {With Jordyn's Whole Wheat Dough}

...so our sweet friends ky and jordyn loved on our kids for us while we shot a wedding over the weekend.  jordyn used her fabulous whole wheat pizza dough and the whole lot of them decorated pizzas.  YUM - and we missed it!  lucky us, jordyn left the leftover dough ( :) ) and today i whipped up a pizza for lunch.

first, a few dough-making images from baking day.

our friend was impressed that anna knew to scrape the flour with the back of the knife.  :)

can you smell it yet?

a little tip: we didn't bake ours right away.  we stored it in gallon-size ziploc bags, but be sure to pop it in the freezer to prevent premature rising (and subsquent ziploc bag explosion...)

chopping the veggies finely helps them get tender in the oven.

there is nothing that doesn't taste good with fresh ground pepper (almost.)

normally everyone waits for me to take photos before we eat, but not this time!  yummy, hot, delicious.

i have been reading a lot about raw eating and am intrigued; i think next time i might cook the dough first and then top with all the veggies; i do think i'd like it in the oven just long enough to melt the cheeses though... all about compromise!  :)  and here's the recipe...

Fresher Veggie Pizza on Jordyn’s Pizza Dough (recipe below)

2 small zuchinni
1 red pepper
6-8 cherry tomatoes
½ red onion
2 large cloves garlic
3 Tbsp fresh grated parmesan
¼ cup crumbled Queso Fresco
2-3 sweet-hot peppers (I like Peppadew but any will work)
Olive oil
Sea salt and pepper

Liberally brush pan with olive oil and press dough out with fingers, leaving “dimple marks” as you go. Finely chop all veggies and sprinkle evenly over dough. Next, sprinkle with dry herbs, if desired, and/or cilantro oil. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Top with cheeses and a liberal drizzle of olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes (watch for doneness of crust.)

And for Jordyn's whole wheat dough, click here.  DELISH.

Enjoy!!  {{hugs}} --angela

whole foods day with our friend Jordyn

so jordyn and kyle our our sweet friends who share our love for good food, good music, and So You Think You Can Dance.  they introduced us to Z Grille, a fabulous downtown St. Pete, where i ate the best meal of my adult life (trust me, if you're in the area, order their egg of the day and the Chicken Waffle with cheddar chipotle grits and pink peppercorn butter over a caramelized onion waffle, and life is golden!). 

with a little begging sweet talk , i was able to get jordyn to spend the day with us and prepare some of her favorite recipes with the kids.  it's our goal to get back to healthier eating and more whole foods, and this recipe fits the bill.  i think it will be perfect with some greek yogurt and fresh fruit for a weekday yogurt parfait!

 

delish if eaten warm...

 

it takes much to share.

isn't our friend jordyn pretty?!

Jordyn’s Homemade Granola

(When she and Kyle first got married Kyle would make Jordyn homemade granola every weekend because his recipe ended up being their favorite over hers!)

3-4 Cup Old fashioned oats

Peanut or other nut butter – approximately 2-3 Tbsp (opt.)

*To do this recipe without the peanut butter, use more honey)

¼ cup Honey

Sea Salt to taste

2 Tbsp Coconut oil (or vegetable oil)

Mix in a bowl and spread loosely on a cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until crunchy. Toss occasionally while baking!  To customize your flavor, add ingredients of your choice such as:
toasted nuts
dried fruits
dried coconut

if you'd like a taste of jordyn's excellent food sense and some delish recipes, visit her at her blog, The Healthy Housewife.

curriculum review - Blackbird Poetry Unit

Recently I was asked to do some guest posting for an awesome website I've loved called Curriculum Choice (moms who are educating at home, check out this site - it is a FABULOUS resource!).  The following is an excerpt that will appear soon on their site.  Check it out! 

Blackbird Literature has a poetry unit study that I taught this semester to my 12 year old son, his friend of the same age, and my 10 year old daughter. I thoroughly enjoyed the unit, and at the end, the kids didn’t want to be done. It was perfectly age-appropriate for these kids (who, for what it’s worth, are all reading well above grade level).

From Blackbird’s site description of the unit:

“Reading and writing poetry expands the boundaries of the imagination and intellect. Students who engage in writing poetry will develop confidence in their voice, strengthen their ability to communicate new ideas, and convey observations of their world.”



I love:

The book selection. These selections are both eye-catching and enjoyable to read, both for students and for me as the teacher. In addition, they offer a wide variety of poetry examples combined with words of advice from the poets themselves, without morally objectionable material (important to me as a Christian parent).

I wish:

There were more “hands on” multi-sensory type activities. While the writing exercises are both valuable and applicable, I wish there were more “experiential” activities that incorporated more than “fill-in-the-blank” style response. That said, I did appreciate the opportunity and exhortation to write, write, write. That the advice came from the poets themselves was even better; this approach is not text-book-ish, but draws the student into the heart of the poet who’s just captured their interest through their writing.



Cost: $48 for the set includes the textbook, three poetry books, a set of art cards to use for stimulating creativity, and a student journal. While this is very reasonable for what you get, the curriculum is only written for seven weeks. This would be quite pricey to repeat several times during the school year. That said, the poetry books themselves are books we would keep on our library shelves for repeat pleasure reading. We did not get The Aspiring Poet’s Journal, and on reading the description online, I would purchase it for the next go-round. It is a guided journal designed to help students actively write and practice the ideas and principles addressed in this thorough and enjoyable curriculum.



You can find this and other solid literature studies at http://www.blackbirdandcompany.com/.

For this full review and other useful reviews for home-educating families, visit

http://thecurriculumchoice.com/