Quinoa with black beans, corn, and avocado.

Say it with me.  KEEN-wah.  Not Ca-no-a like I pronounce it in my head.

This recipe is vegan AND gluten free, so safe for the cleanse!  I feel this might be come a regular recipe regardless.  Gluten is what given stuff the "chewy" feel, like bagels.  This has not gluten, but a nice texture to it.

This is rather easy to make.  Check your quinoa before you start cooking.  Some need to be rinsed before you cook it.  It is rather small so make sure you have a strainer with TINY openings or you will loose it all.  Or, you can go the quick route like me.  Mine was organic AND prewashed.  Just read the bag to find out.  I think a few cents more is well worth the hassle.

This would be lovely with fresh corn, but I forgot to get some at the farmers market this past weekend.  If you forgot as well, go with frozen.  When you use canned vegetables there is always a bunch of salt thrown in there.  With frozen vegetables, the vegetables are picked and frozen right away so the nutrients stay in.  Some frozen vegetables could even be fresher than your fresh vegetables!

If you notice in the picture the quinoa starts out like LITTLE dots, but when you cook it, it has weird squiggly threads coming out of it.  Perfectly normal.  :)



Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 cup frozen, or fresh corn cut from the cob
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup lime juice (about 3 limes for me)
• a handful of chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 or 2 avocados (I am an avocado junky.  I used two)

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to package and set aside.
2. Saute the corn and black beans.  If you have green peppers that would be lovely.  I did not.
3. Once softened, add the lime juice and the cilantro.
4. Add quinoa to this and toss.
5. Top with the avocado and enjoy!  

This is yummy warm as is, or chilled in the fridge.  

Food and Nutrition: The Final Frontier

In my house, we have picky kids.  Super picky kids.  Well....one in particular.  Nate.  With all the kids they always were given what we ate.  Aidan use to gorge on Wheat Thins dipped in hummus.  Most of the time the Wheat Thin was just the tool used to shovel in the hummus.  Then something switched.  I have no idea what happened, maybe it was just the age, but everything seemed gross except the child basics: nuggets, fries, mac n cheese, and pb&j's.

Nate, he never even tried anything.  I can honestly say he has NEVER had a pea or carrot in his mouth, that wasn't baby food.  It is not that we haven't given then to him.  They were the first veggies we tried, he just will NOT eat them.
V seems to do well with everything we give her.  She even ate a raw green onion the other day.
This is going to make the next stage of my life a tad bit difficult. 
In about a month I am going to do The Quantum Wellness Cleanse, by Kathy Freston. I am starting after Aidan's birthday party, well because I am going to be making a big fat cake and I won a bunch of Blue Bunny Ice Cream.  I know me.  I won't make it through the day.
The cleanse is a 21 day cleanse where you "give up" the big five:

• alcohol
• animal products
• sugar
• gluten
• caffeine

Not gonna lie.  I am terrified of the no caffeine.  I need to start weaning myself soon.  In the past when I have given up caffeine, I get HORRIBLE headaches.    I think that is going to be my biggest challenge.  


I am currently reading my book and looking through other books for some good vegan, gluten-free recipes.    I have "The Kind Diet" by Alicia Silverstone.  Even if you don't go vegan it is a very good book to read.  Lots of compelling arguments and she writes EXACTLY as I picture her talking.  I have a tendency to write the same way and I like it.  It seems like you are sitting across from her, drinking a cup of Yerba Mate, and discussing all things healthy.
So...the big day for me is May 20th.  The day I start the cleanse.  Feel free to join me here and cleanse along with me.  The total cleanse is 21 days and 5 items.  I have brought it up to a lot of people and they respond by saying "I can do one or two...."  which is awesome.  But it is for ONLY 3 weeks of your life.  I think this is what is going to make the cleanse interesting.
Do you think you can hang for 21 days with me?

Homie...

Aidan:  Mom.  I know what homie means.

Me:  What?

Aidan:  Like a friend.  Run Homie, RUN!  Jump Homie!  Stop it Homie! RUN HOMIE RUN!

Man I love my kids.

Aww....buckets

My house really is turning into a cartoon.  The newest fun phrase?  

Awwww...buckets.  

It is REALLY close to something else and I was REALLY scared that was where Nate was going the other day.  I don't say "the other version" and was really shocked that he was going to say it.  Then f* it became buckets and I was super cool about that.

On an unrelated note, I just bought V a Cabbage Patch Mignon and it is ADORABLE.  It looks like a baby dressed like a  dalmatian puppy and V is carrying it around with her and biting it.  It is rather fabulous.

Push My Belly Button...

Yes.  Another post compliments of my middle child.  Today we were down to one car, the older one was in the shop and that meant I got to be Mrs. Taxi today.  I logged over 100 miles going to two different schools and downtown for my husbands work.

The car was taking longer than expected, so I decided to wait ,and get a break from the noise, while my husband went home with the kids. 

Literally the SECOND I walked in the door I heard "Yay!  Mommy!" as Nate came running and he pulled up his shirt.

"Push my belly button one time and you get Bee power!"


I also learned that if you push it 4 times you get small power and star power!


Yup.  My kids are Super Mario junkies.

The Bomba

My boys are addicted to Adventure Time.  If you haven't seen it ....you must.  Click the Adventure Time link and you can see the episode I am referring to.

Bombs are no longer bombs.  They are now...bomb-bas.  Apparently b's are no longer silent in my house.  I even told Aidan "Hey.  It is bomb.  You don't say the last b."  

Which he replied..."Some people do."

Hmmm.  Thanks Adventure Time! You have made my house more interesting.  :)

Wow. I suck

I really do suck at this huh?

So.  Since I am HORRIBLE at this I have decided to change the format a bit.  I have decided just to post random comments I hear from my kids throughout the day.  The logical thinking from my children astound me sometimes.  Like get a load of this one from Nate while getting ready to eat his lunch of grilled cheese and yogurt.

Nate: I have to take off my socks so I don't get cheese on them.

If you know my son this makes PERFECT sense.