Juice Pulp: Doubling Down

Ken and I started a juicing regimen late last year.  We were inspired to eat healthier after watching Food Matters and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on Netflix.  We had made the switch to buying organic and cutting out a lot of processed foods from our diet six years ago after watching Food, Inc., but we wanted to take things up a notch.  We wanted to make sure we were getting the recommended 6-8 servings of fruit and veg every day.

While my husband is a little more hardcore about his regimen, I mainly have juice at breakfast with toast or oatmeal, and occasionally as a mid-morning or afternoon snack.  If I've eaten a heavy lunch, I might also have green juice in place of a meal at dinner.

While I like the idea of juicing, there is the dilemma of what to do with the pulp.  When we first started juicing, we composted the pulp in our barrel composter.  After that filled up, we stopped composting and felt bad about throwing out the pulp every day.

Pinterest has been helpful in solving the dilemma.  Ideas for juice pulp abound, and I've found some pretty interesting things to try.  Like adding it to mac n' cheese.  Or making fruit leather.  Today I've made this bread.

The pulp is a mix of strawberry, orange and grapefruit from my mid-morning snack, plus kale, apple and carrot from Ken's lunch.   Verdict:  A little too much kale, but with a bit of honey drizzled over the top, it's actually pretty good.  I'll definitely try my hand at this bread again, with a few minor adjustments.

Giving Thanks

My contribution to the feast. Cheese and butter well-represented today. #thanksgiving, a photo by littlemamaD on Flickr.

In the absence of family scattered across the US, my husband, children and I celebrate the holidays with dear friends we met while our children, now in middle school, were in pre-school. It's so nice to have a family-away-from-family!

Every Thanksgiving, my clan converges on these dear friends for a gathering of good food and good company. And a viewing of Nacho Libre, which has become our Thanksgiving tradition.

In years past I've been responsible for the baked sweet ham. This year, I'm responsible for the dessert and a side dish. Cheese lover that I am, I've opted to bring a honey chevre cheesecake and cheddar/gouda mac and cheese with a panko crust. Both recipes were cobbled together from various other recipes. I should write down my modifications so I can reproduce these dishes!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Happy happy mail day

I've been collecting vintage kitchenware for years.  Pyrex, Fire King and Federal Glass are favorites, but I don't do vintage pieces at crazy expensive prices.  It has to be practically a steal so I can feel triumphant about how I got it for next to nothing.

Recently, my sisters and parents got in on the act.  Thank goodness we're in different parts of the country so we don't have to compete with each other for stock!  Here's what arrived from my lovely sister, Donna, to round out my Atomic Flower luncheonette collection:

After the postman dropped these pretties off this morning, I immediately dug out some prints that were stashed a while ago for Donna's quilt.  I promised last year to make one for her birthday (didn't specify which birthday though, hehe).  This package is surely quilt-worthy, so let the cutting commence!
 

Blog Revival

Goodness, it's been a while since I've posted here.  I got a little distracted (one might even call it obsessed) by other things.  That distraction can be found at my other blog.  But I'm back here, and changing things up a little.

It's June and it feels like summer, but summer won't officially begin until next Thursday.  Until then, we are sending the kids off to school where they do things like have reading day field day, and go on field trips.  Like summer camp, only not.

I certainly don't blame the teachers... I think everyone is antsy for the school year to be over.  I read a funny post here that pretty much sums it all up for me.  So glad to know I'm not the only one who "tapped out" a while ago!

We've been pretty busy trying to get an organic garden started.  Here are the fruits of our labor thus far:

We actually have had a few more berries, but a certain little strawberry-loving three-year old keeps picking them as they ripen.

The garden was started with both seeds (non-GMO) and organic starter plants.  We seem to be gardening by trial and error, and I wish I had taken the time to do a little research on how to grow the different types of vegetables and fruit we've selected.  We didn't analyze any further than "Does it need full sun" and "How deep do we need to dig." 

We did make one decision that affects the garden.  When we moved into this place in November, we realized we had company:

 
A colony of honeybees in the bottom half of an old utility pole.  At first we thought to give them to a beekeeping friend, but we will keep them where they are for now to help propagate the garden.

Now that I have taken the trouble to read up on gardening, I'm finding that the soil is poor- very  compacted with a clay-like texture and with bits of concrete mixed in (!).  Ken says the concrete was most probably thrown into the soil when the fences were put up.  After this growing season I'm going to try my hand at lasagna gardening to amend the soil for the next growing season. 

Anyone out there with organic gardening tips, please feel free to put in your two cents.  I'm a newbie at this, and any tips or info would be greatly appreciated!

Slow down!

      I can't believe the little guy is almost two years old!  Come December, the big guy turns ten (!!), and little momma turned eight back in June.  How did this happen?  They are growing up way too fast.
     It's been fun for all having a baby in the house.  Antonio and Martina have been amused and amazed at the developmental stages that Kieran has gone through, and Ken and I have had a wonderful time re-living them.
     This poor little blog has been badly neglected the past few months.  I've been a bit busy with the older kids back in school and enrolled in soccer.  Martina's Brownie troop starts meeting again this month as well.  Plus, I've been blogging at Little Ms. Sew-Unsew, where I discuss my sewing, quilting and knitting projects.
     It will be a challenge to have fresh homemade dinners every evening with soccer practices twice a week for both older kids, but luckily I have a few dishes which are quick to make with a little pre-planning.  The quinoa recipe below is a family favorite.  It was inspired by Weight Watchers' Santa Fe Rice frozen dinner.  [Note:  I grill the chicken, cook the black beans, and roast the corn in advance so all I have to do is throw everything together right before dinner.]

Mexican Style Quinoa

1 cup black beans
water
salt (optional)

1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
salt, to taste

1 grilled chicken breast, cubed
roasted corn kernels
diced red onion
diced tomatoes
grated cheddar
1/2 avocado, sliced thin
plain yogurt

Soak the black beans in a pot for 6-8 hours, then drain and rinse with water.  Add water until the water line is 2 inches above the beans.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  Salt the beans towards the end of the simmering process.  Drain, then set aside.

Soak the quinoa in a bowl for 15 minutes, then rinse with fresh water a couple of times (this is to release and wash away the saponin, which can give the quinoa a bitter taste if not removed).  Drain and place in a pot with 1.5 cups of fresh water and salt.  Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down the heat to simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

To serve:  Spoon some quinoa on a plate and add chicken, red onion, black beans, tomatoes, cheese, corn and avocado.  Top with yogurt (or sour cream if desired).

Home again, home again, jiggety jig

     After a few days of playing in the snow near Bear Valley, we are now back home and settling back into our old routine.  It was quite an experience taking the new guy on vacation.  Some of our activities were cut short to allow for Kieran's nap time, and now that he's mobile, much of the vacation was spent keeping him out of trouble.  Still, the kids had a great time (I think), despite a few meltdowns (parents included).

    One drawback to the cabin we rented was there was neither trash nor recycling services.  We had to haul our garbage to the "refuse site" in the next town, and our recyclables came home with us.  Other than that, we liked the cabin and would consider renting it again in the spring or summer.  It sleeps up to 12, so we may do a joint trip with some good friends with kids the same ages as ours.
    Of course I had to check out the local thrift shops.  The shop in Angel's Camp huge, but the selection wasn't great, and it was overpriced for thrift shop merchandise.  I scored big at the Humane Society thrift shop in Arnold- small shop but a better selection and even better prices. 

Thrifted finds

    I've been looking for a big-ass glass juice reamer, and this one's the size of a boat (a gravy boat, that is).  And, yes, that is a vintage Vera Neumann scarf, as well as vintage Trifari Crown earrings.  Love! 

New dishware

Canonsburg Temporama

     Like my new vintage dishes?  This dinner plate was purchased at an estate sale last weekend.  It will be joined by three more from an ebay battle I won last night.
     I just discovered a wonderful blog near and dear to my heart (see previous post).  Jennie at Wedgwood Tulsa blogs about the return of her 1955 ranch house to it's former glory.  I want a ranch house!  Anyway, she's having a giveaway of a platter that matches my new dinner plates.  Sigh... I never win stuff.  Get the scoop here:

Wedgwood Tulsa: Temporama Giveaway
    Fingers crossed :)

Kitsch'n Bitsch

     Staying home makes you realize how tired you are of seeing the same thing day in, day out.  I'm over the black/espresso furniture.  It makes the house look so dark and depressing.
     So the kitchen and living room are getting a cosmetic makeover.  Gradually.  Like a child that's outgrown it's old clothes.  Which we replace piecemeal as we find things we like on Craigslist, or from thrift shops and estate sales.  
     In turn, we are listing what we are replacing on Craigslist or Freecycle.  The goal is to buy our furnishings used (and inexpensively), but keep our cast-offs out of the landfill.  Plus it's fun trolling Craigslist.  And I've already posted about my love of thrift shops and estate sales.
     Part of the reason we're updating our place is that we really like the mid-century modern look.  I keep finding pieces from the 50's and 60's while I'm out thrifting.  I guess we're really out-dating, not updating.  We're okay with that.  But the pieces I bring home have to play nice in our modern looking home.  Here's a preview of some of the kitchen stuff I've found:

Vintage tea towel

Georges Briard-styled enamel pot

same pot, another view

Dress Envy

     I heart this dress.  Love the color, love the pintuck ruffles, love the red shoes with it.  It appeals to the vintage lover in me, and I like that it looks somewhat demure librarian, yet somewhat naughty secretary.  All it needs is a cute little red handbag and a pair of bookish glasses to complete the look.
    Don't ask me where I would wear this ensemble.  Walking the kids to school?  Out picking up groceries at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods?  At home as I unload the dishwasher or change baby's diaper?  Perhaps out on one of my thrift store jaunts?  No, sadly, it would be a special occasion dress, i.e. hubby and I hired a babysitter so we can actually have a (gasp!) date night.  And I'd have to ditch the glasses so as not to look too Jane Hathaway. 
    But I do heart that dress.  I may have to thrift a dress and embellish with pintuck ruffles to achieve the look.  I think I've just been inspired to do my first up-cycle project.  Thrift shops, here I come!

Guilty pleasure: thrifting

     I have a confession to make.  I have a thrifting problem.  I believe my dear hubby has suspected as much, but has wisely kept silent.  Indeed, he's been my enabler, helping me find and going with me to estate and yard sales, though he seems to have drawn the line at going to thrift shops. 
     I think my hubby supports my habit because it's environmentally friendly (keeps stuff out of the land-fills), and he likes the retro stuff that I find.  Plus, it keeps me out of retail stores, which is a much more expensive habit.
     If you like vintage stuff enough to want to own it, then thrift shops, estate sales and yard sales are part of your life.  Here are some thrifting tips and tricks (none of this is new, but I thought I'd pass it along):

 Estate and Yard Sales:

• Craigslist is a good resource for finding estate and yard sales.  I like to use keywords (such as vintage, mid-century, pyrex to narrow down the list).  I like it even better if pictures are included in the listing.
• You have to be careful about "estate sales."  True estate sales are the liquidation of the contents of an entire house and garage.  I've gone to a few so-called estate sales which are really yard sales where the seller has purchased items from estate sales, and is now re-selling them for a profit.  Usually, the prices at this type are higher than at true estate sales.
• If you're looking for vintage pyrex and kitchenware, the best time to show up is right at the beginning of the sale.  These items sell quickly.
• The same can be said of vintage sewing and knitting paraphernalia.
• If you like something but are not sure you want it, pick it up anyway.  You can always put it down at the final tally.  But if you don't pick it up and then go back for it, chances are it won't be there.
• Generally, the more you pick up, the better the deal.  If you have a price in mind for what you've selected, don't be afraid to ask the seller if they'll take that amount for your lot.  Especially if it's towards the end of the day.
• Always bring small bills.  It's a faux-pas to bargain down a price, then whip out a big bill for which the seller will have to make change.

 Thrift Shops

• Consult yelp.com to find which are the better thrift shops in your area.  It helps to read the reviews about a particular shop, as yelpers usually point out the strengths and weaknesses of a location they are reviewing, and which shops to avoid at all costs.
• Be prepared to look at a lot of junk before finding your treasure.  On some days, you may walk away empty-handed.  The fun is in the search.
• Know your limit- you aren't really thrifting if you're paying more than you wanted to for an item.  In either case, pat yourself on the back for keeping it out of the land-fill.
• Find out what the sale days are for that particular shop.  Some shops have a discount on a certain department depending on the day of the week, or may have a certain day of the month when everything is 1/2 off.
• If you're buying clothes and are going to try on at the store, wear something like a t-shirt and leggings so you can try-on over your clothes, or a t-shirt and a loose skirt so you can try-on under your clothes.  Donated clothes are not always pre-washed!
• Familiarize yourself with labels.  I've seen Target merchandise priced upwards of $7.99, but labels sold at Anthropologie tagged at $3.99 (and yes, I jumped at the Anthropologie merch).
• If you find an independently-run thrift shop that you like, donate your cast-offs regularly.  It never hurts to build a rapport with the owner or manager.  And by keeping them in business, you get to keep indulging in your guilty pleasure.

A treat for Martina

     Martina has been wanting to learn how to sew.  This, coupled with my fondness for vintage pieces, led to this purchase from a yard sale:

     It's a Singer 257, and it is heavy- I think I pulled a muscle putting it in the car!  The operating manual and accessories which usually come with a machine (screw driver, feet, extra needles, cleaning tool, etc) were not available.  The machine only came with the carrying case and foot peddle, so I was able to talk them down from $50 to $35 .  I gave it a good cleaning inside and out, oiled it and played around with the tension.  She's ready to go. 
     The machine matches Martina's room (which, I must admit,  did have somewhat of an influence when I made the decision to buy it).  Now to find space for it.

Sewing mishap, lesson learned

     I usually remove the pins as I sew before the needle sews over the pin.  Then I heard in my quilting class that it isn't necessary, as the pin almost always gives way to the needle.  Almost always.

     Lesson learned.  Remove the pins.  Luckily, I just bought a pack of needles a couple of weeks ago because the needles hasn't been changed since I've had the machine.
     With new needle in place, I can continue on with a tote bag with these fabrics:

     It's destined to be a gift for one of Martina's friends.  We'll fill with either art supplies, or some fun little tchotchkes from a Japanese store.

Handmade Holiday

  
 Last year, I decided to personally make all the Christmas gifts we were giving out.  Because we had a new baby in the house, I kept it simple and baked cookies for everyone.  I wanted to do another handmade holiday this year, but oh, how quickly Christmas snuck up on me!  I had all these wonderful intentions but didn't realize that a one year old toddling around the house would take up so much of my time.
     I managed to get out some of the gifts, sending homemade shortbread cookies (found here) to my family with a cousin traveling home to the New Orleans area for the holidays.  I also sent with him a couple of VERY late birthday presents (we're talking March and August birthdays).
     As soon as I finish the other presents which are works in progress, I should start next year's gifts if I want to have a hope of finishing them in time!
  

     Here's our Christmas tree.  We had a small tree last year and liked it a lot.  We decided to have another small tree this year so we could keep it out of reach from baby's grabby hands.  
    
   

     


     
 

Snowy Surprise and a Sweet Retreat

     Ken and I decided to take the children on a mini-vacation, so we booked the most charming cabin in Nevada City, CA.  Hoping to enjoy the glorious colors of the fall foliage, we were dismayed when we encountered heavy rain on the drive up from the Bay Area.  We settled into the cabin, and were delighted when, a couple of hours later, little momma announced that it was snowing outside.
     Last night, the snowfall was heavier, and this is what we found outside our door:

Squeals of excitement ensued.  Since the light snowfall the day before, the kids were itching to go sledding down the hill behind the cabin.
     We absolutely adore our lodgings.  We booked this charming cottage.  The owners are wonderful and so helpful.  How sweet is this:

     Snow this heavy and this early is uncommon, and they seem to have anticipated almost every need.  They offered to lend us snow clothes for the children so they could go sledding and play in the snow.  They also offered to bring Ken into town to pick up provisions since we're basically cabin bound.  We will definitely book another vacation here, perhaps in the spring or summer.
    

Pants for the menfolk

     Brrr.... it's so cold in our house.  Because our house is so shaded by trees, we do not get direct sunlight on the ground floor.  It's always a few degrees cooler inside than it is out, which is great in summer.  In late fall and winter, not so much.
     Last night, the little guy got a new pair of lounge pants.  I could have gone out and bought some, but I was looking for an inexpensive footed pair to keep his feet toasty in our ice box of a house.  In the interest of economy, I made a pair, using Simplicity 2291.  I made View B, minus the pockets (I don't think he'll be squirreling anything away at this age).
     Kieran was so cute in his pants.  The only problem is he went sliding all over the floor.  I need to find something to put on the soles to give him some traction. 

    I also made some pajama pants for the big guy and the hubby.  Truth be told, I started their pants 2 years ago and only just finished them.  Everything was sewn except the elastic waistband.  I'm not sure why I was so intimidated by the thought of sewing up the elastic- it's actually quite easy.  I didn't have willing models, so here is Tonio's bottom half wearing New Look 6131, View B, with a closeup of the fabric.

And here are Ken's pants (Butterick B5153, View C), with a closeup of the fabric:

 

     

        I think a few more pair of pants in flannel are in order for all of us to keep off the winter chill.

     I finally dusted off the ol' sewing machine last week.  Little momma needed a small bag to carry essentials on a field trip to the Tech Museum, and she couldn't find the one she wanted to bring (her backpack was too big).  So I stayed up late the night before her field trip to make one for her.
     The pattern came from a wonderful little book called Sew What! Bags by Lexie Barnes.  I modified the size to fit a small child and left off the outer pocket.  Luckily, I had some really pretty pink and black fabric in my stash that wasn't earmarked for any project in particular.  Here's little momma modeling it:

 

     Feeling inspired to take on a more challenging project, I attempted another bag from the same book.  This time I chose a messenger bag and opted to use printed canvas, as well as line the inside for durability.  After spending the weekend sewing seams, then ripping them out and sewing them back together, I finally finished this evening.  Ta-daa!

Schoolbag

View under the flap- pockets!

Inner pencil pocket

     I made the following mods:

• scaled down to fit a young girl
• lined the strap with quilt batting for comfort
• left off the back pocket panel
• added a pencil pocket inside the bag     

 

A Happy Halloween

     Wow, it's been over a month since I've posted anything.  We've been up to much, but the most exciting to our household was Halloween, probably because it's the most recent outing we've had.  This was the first time that the whole family dressed in costume.

Scurvy pirate

Vampire baby

 

Zombie flamenco dancer
 

Vampire Daddy and bohemian Momma

     The big guy's costume was made from a thermal shirt (which we tattered ourselves with scissors), black sweats and boot covers I made from brown vinyl.  Little momma's costume was straight off a hanger from a tourist shop in Spain, and the little guy's cape was designed and sewn by yours truly.
     I'm not sure if I pulled the bohemian look off.  What you can't see are my knee high boots and bangle bracelets.  It seems if you wear something a bohemian might actually wear rather than an exaggerated version of it purchased in a store, people aren't sure if you're dressed in costume or in everyday clothes.

The organic conundrum

Over the past year, we have made some significant changes in the way we eat and the way we shop for food.   It all started last summer, when I first picked up a copy of Barbara Kingsolver's book  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  It chronicles her family's attempt to eat like locavores, grow their own produce, raise their own heritage turkeys and make every meal from scratch for a year.
Our decision to change our eating habits was further fueled by two movies: Food, Inc and King Corn.  Both movies reveal some disturbing secrets and practices in the US agricultural industry.  It's not a pretty story.
So we started shopping for our produce at the local farmer's market, buying the organically grown fruits and vegetables.  Shopping for food at the average grocery store, or even Whole Foods, presents some problems for us.  How hard-core do we want to get with shopping in an environmentally friendly way?
I may pick up an brand known for being organic or all natural, and having sustainable company practices.  I may feel good knowing that I'm supporting a business which is small, or local, or both.  But I may actually be supporting a huge company I am trying to boycott because of GMO's, lack of sustainability practices, or ties to the dreaded Monsanto.
Case in point: I love Kashi Go-Lean.  But did you know that Kashi's parent company is Kellogg's?  That's right, Kellogg's, whom I am boycotting because of their refusal to stop using GMO's in their product.  Another case in point: Cascadian Farms.  An organic label which has been purchased by general Mills, who have fought legislation requiring GMO foods to be labeled as such.
I  suspect the list of safe brands for me will be quite small once I'm done looking into this issue, which begs the question:  Do I buy organic labels because I want to feed my family organic food, or do I follow the food trail and make sure that these labels are not owned by large corporations whose values do not align with mine?

Homemade cleaning supplies

As we use up our store-bought bathroom and kitchen cleaners, we are replacing them with solutions made from natural ingredients that most households would have on-hand anyway, such as lemons, vinegar and baking soda.  We simply re-use the spray bottles once empty, diverting them from the landfill or from being down-cycled.  I found a great resource here for recipes: http://blisstree.com/live/25-safe-non-toxic-homemade-cleaning-supplies/. 

We've also invested in a good old-fashioned toilet brush (we used to use the wands with the disposable cleaning heads).  The hubby's old t-shirts and our old socks will replace the disposable swiffer dusters for cleaning furniture.  Shamefully, we've used many a paper towel to clean glass and windows.  I remember using old newspapers on the windows and glass, which did a pretty good job. 

Little momma and the big guy haven't really had to help to the major cleaning; they are only responsible for picking up after themselves.  Now's a good time to introduce housecleaning chores to them and explain why we're switching to homemade cleaning solutions. 

It's a family affair

We have settled into a nice weekend routine.  On Saturdays, we're up at 7 am and out of the door at 7:45 (7:30 if we decide to grab breakfast out).  At 8 am, we're arriving at whichever estate/yard/garage sale I thought was the most promising when I scouted them out on Craigslist.  We hit about 3 or 4 of them, and we're usually done by 10:00 or 11:00.

On Sundays, we're up at 7:30 am and out of the door by 8:30.  We grab a quick breakfast (usually a pastry and coffee, juice for the kids), then it's onto our favorite farmer's market in Campbell, where we have samples and buy our produce for the week.

This weekend's thrifting was quite successful.  We walked away with a fair amount of vintage Pyrex and other vintage kitchen items from one estate sale, thanks to the well-trained eyes of my family.  While I was happily building a small stash of kitchenware from a box I was digging through  on the front lawn, my industrious hubby was poking through boxes in the house.  Little momma screamed from the doorway that daddy found some "pay rex."

Here's what we bought for a mere $6:

Pyrex "Butterfly Gold" mixing bowls, casserole dishes, loaf pan, 8 inch baking dish and refrigerator  dishes

 Pyrex pie plate, Anchor Hocking custard bowls, Pyrex mixing bowls, glass juice reamer, scale,grater, Pyrex individual casserole dish

vintage sifter, Anchor Hocking baking dish