veggie lo mein

Well, the first attempt, without a recipe, making it up as I go along, was not horrible.  In fact, Carly had two helpings and Cooper liked it but didn't want to eat it again.  I'll take it.

This is what I did:

Start a pot of water boiling for the spaghetti noodles (I used Trader Joe's brown rice spaghetti).  At the same time heat garlic olive oil in a skillet and add red onion, carrots, red bell peppers, and scallions.

Photo Courtesy of Cooper

When the water boils add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 4 minutes.  At the same time add broccoli, kale, and cabbage to the other veggies.

Photo Courtesy of Cooper

I added ladles of pasta water to steam the veggies and a couple splashes of tamari (gluten-free soy sauce).  Once the pasta was done I removed it from the water with a slotted spoon and added it to the veggies.  My pasta stuck together and I didn't like the way it was turning out.  While my pasta water was still hot I added more noodles and cooked until al dente.  When it was ready I drained and rinsed it then added it to a hot saute pan with more garlic olive oil.  These noodles crisped up a bit which was the texture I wanted.  I added these noodles to the pasta & veggie skillet.  I tossed them with a fork and topped with cilantro.

Photo Courtesy of Cooper

It was good.  It did not satisfy my craving for Chinese food and I realized I need some kind of sauce.  I guess it's back to the drawing board.  Stay tuned.

Thanks, Cooper, for helping me make dinner and for taking great pictures!

new dawn, new day...

New Day by bradsworld

...a new life for me, and I wanna feel good...

Last April I went gluten-free.  I immediately noticed a difference in my chronic pain, intestinal discomfort, and energy.  After 8 months I was beginning to realize it was not all I needed to do for my body to function as it should.  Change is a tough road to travel.

2012 started with the Whole Living Action Plan, a healthy detox our whole family could do.  I made some great discoveries:  I love kale, I definitely am gluten intolerant, I can live a decent life without red meat, too much ginger is bad, I love roasted beets, and I can eat healthy and like it!

I think it's time to start sharing my gluten-free, fried-free, processed-free, sugar-free, meat-free adventures.

Some favorites from the cleanse:

Carly - almost any salad with a dijon vinaigrette: whisk together 1T olive oil, 1T dijon, 1t apple cider vinegar, sea salt & pepper.

Cooper - Vegan Creamy Potato-Leek Soup

Everybody - Kale Slaw

It's been a couple of months and I haven't eaten healthy the whole time.  When I'm feeling lousy I take a look at what I've been eating, add more vegetables, drink more water.  At this point I know I shouldn't steer too far away from the basics - fruits & veggies.

I have been craving Chinese food and so I am determined to make my own version of healthy, gluten-free Vegetable Lo Mein for dinner tonight.  Yum!  If it turns out, I'll post the recipe tomorrow.

sample

Don't you love the convenience of Starbucks being inside Target? Today, while I was at Target, Starbucks employees roamed the store asking people if they wanted to try a sample of Eggnog Frappuccino. Isn't that sweet?


photo courtesy of Lorianne DiSabato

day eight

I'm trying to remember to point out the acts of kindness as they happen. I love to see the smile on their faces when they realize they've been caught being kind!

Carly gave her brother her bottle of water when he was thirsty. Cooper let Carly use his DSi all day. Nice sharing with each other, babies.

It makes a mama proud.

days six and seven

We keep forgetting. But here's what I've learned. My kids are kind in general. This morning I asked Cooper to remember what intentional act of kindness he accomplished. He says, "does kindness in general count?". I let him know that kindness always counts but I'm looking for an intentional, thought out, planned act of kindness. His response was, "I keep forgetting." So, do I discount his general kindness? No way, Jose!

In general, Cooper showed kindness by making breakfast for his friend, Robert; sharing his sunglasses with his friend, Harli; getting blankets out for him and Robert for a sleepover; snugging and loving on mom after a really hard day; getting along with two friends over at the same time (HUGE!); not complaining because he couldn't see his friend, Luke; etc. I'm sure there is much more that he couldn't remember and I didn't see.

Carly, was a tremendous help to me while I was away from the family. She stepped up to the plate to help fill the void of mama being gone. She did it with love and grace, blessing many people who fortunately reaped the benefits of the service of this wonderful girl.

Does it matter that they don't remember to plan in advance their act of kindness or do they just need to know that the way they love and take care of their friends and family is super kind? I suspect both but mostly the latter.

I love my babies!

day five

Lunchtime at school usually lends an opportunity for Cooper to feel pressured to give up a delicious treat to kids wanting it for themselves. There have been many times Cooper has come home bummed he didn't get to eat a rice krispie treat or enjoy a whole bag of cookies. Today Cooper chose to share part of his lunch with a friend. How different it is when you get to choose to share rather than feel forced to give up. Good job, Cooper.

There's lots of activity at our house this weekend. As I was trying to get as much prep work done as possible today, Carly chose to jump in and help me. She made cupcakes and put away the groceries. I am grateful to be the recipient of Carly's kindness. Thanks, Carly.

I'm very proud of these two great kids!

day four

To show kindness today Cooper helped two friends work out their differences. He was really upset when two of his friends were fighting with each other. He stepped up to help them work it out and then they all three finished recess together.

Way to go, Cooper! You're an awesome friend!