Monday, November 21, 2011

Very boring...

Here's a post about colds...  (NO ONE will care about this post... As it should be.  This is to assist my failing memory.)

oNe had one during our trip.  She had actually gotten it before our trip, but she kept coughing our entire trip and it took her a week after we returned home before she was better.  I don't think she was "sick" the entire time, but given how busy we were she couldn't shake it.  She was NOT getting enough sleep.  Poor girl!

Three-a may have had a very mild version of the cold with the emphasis on VERY mild.

MWH got the cold pretty sufficiently and was kind of sick Monday through Sunday.  He has been recovering steadily since Thursday/Friday and seems quite a bit better today.

The end.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Quick and Easy Black Beans...

My recipe for made-from-scratch is here.  I started making my black beans from scratch and did for about 6 months because I didn't want to get black beans in BPA-lined cans.  When I found organic black beans in BPA-free cans, I sort of stopped making black beans from scratch because it is easier to buy them mostly cooked.

I like making things from scratch, but it's been so crazy around here that it's been hard to even cook much.    (I wish I had the time to do the from scratch thing, but I just don't.) In the spirit of the season, I'll say I'm very thankful for canned black beans!  We're eating lots of them. I thought I'd share what I do with the canned ones to make them taste SUPER YUM!

It's quick!  It's easy! Everyone in our family will eat them!

I use 3 cans (and it usually gives us almost 2 meals for all of us).  I put in 1 - 2 Tablespoons of ground cumin, ~1 teaspoon of salt, and garlic.  Note, I tend to go light on the garlic, but season as you like.  You can use 1 teeny clove to 3 big cloves or if you're using dried and minced use 1/4 teaspoon to ~1 teaspoon.

Bring to a boil and then turn down simmer for 15-20 minutes.  (Note, you can just boil them for 10 minutes and they are good, but they do get tastier the longer you can let them simmer.)

I serve these so many ways:
with brown rice
in a tortilla wrap
in a bowl
in a bowl mashed up (the girls LOVE them this way)
with salsa
with kale
with salsa and kale
with salsa and kale in a wrap
with broccoli
with broccoli in a wrap
with broccoli and salsa in a wrap
with spinach....I think you get the idea.

Beans and veggies are delicious and nutritious!  Add a little carb if you like.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Back...

oNe and I took a trip.  I had to go teach for OLU and she came with me.  She and I got to see my two best friends from high school, and their kids!  Super fun!  We also got to tour around the city and do more stuff with my class.  She had opportunities to learn things you don't get to learn in school. It was super.  It's documented at "the other" blog.  I'll be back here with food thoughts and other stuff soon.  Oh, yea, and to tell you about the good craziness in our life.

Saturday, November 05, 2011

Slinky


Don't you hate it when your slinky gets tangled?  Why does it have to happen?  

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Now this is bad...

And a little embarrassing.  Last year, I missed my 5th blogoversary by a couple of weeks.  This year, I missed my 6th by a couple of months.  How embarrassing.  I can't even blame forgetting on my Mom's death because my blogoversary was in August and she didn't die until September.  I'll blame teaching at OLU.  I'm having fun teaching at OLU, but it's kicking me in the pants.

Okay, let's reflect on the year of blogging since that's the purpose of this post.  I am proud to report that I have already blogged more in 2011 than I did in all of 2010.  I'm still torn about whether I keep this blog or not.  I don't have tons of time to blog, and I don't have tons of readers, but having tons of readers was never the point of this blog.  I just wanted a little corner of the Internet to make a homey place for recording my thoughts and memories.  I'm delighted I get to share those thoughts and memories with some of my friends from real life and some new ones I've met along the way.  I share my thoughts and memories with others 'cause they are sometimes funny, sometimes a good lesson, and sometimes just something that may make someone else think, "Gee, I'm glad I'm not her."  That's fine.  I'm happy to be me.  I love my little family and my life--even when it's crazy.

My blog is sort of all over the place.  I'd like to make the focus more about health and nutrition, but to do that, I'd probably have to give up my day job and teaching at OLU.  I am not a professional blogger, nor do I have the desire to become an accomplished amateur.  I like to spend time hanging out with my kiddos, working at my other job, and teaching at OLU.  Crazy but good is my motto.

So what's in store for the next 12 10 months until the next blogoversary?  Lots.  I can promise you lots of insanity!  We have a new life-changing event beginning.  (No, I'm not pregnant... And it's good!)  I'll fill you in, soon.  In the meantime, leave me a comment and wish me a happy blogoversary.

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

The best lunch bags!

I've been meaning to write about the lunch bags I got for the girls this year.  I got bags that are made from plastic bottles.   We got the pink one, the dark green one, and the light green one.

I LOVE THEM.

When I was looking for bags for the girls, my two required features were that the bags were 1) durable and 2) easy to clean.  To me, a dirty lunch box is disgusting.  We had insulated lunch bags last year, from Land's End and they were neither durable nor easy to clean.  After we had used them a couple of months, I wanted to toss them.  They were disgustingly dirty on the outside and their insulation was ripping.  Their ripping insulation made them a lot harder to clean inside, too.  UGH!  I managed to talk myself out of tossing them because it seemed wrong; it seems like a lunch bag should last for at least a year.

This year, I wasn't going to make the same mistake--I wanted bags that would last and not make me cringe when I looked at them.  I spent lots of time looking at choices.  I considered another brand of lunch bags that were made from recycled bottles, but they had insulation in them.  They looked easy to clean on the outside, but the insulation on the inside looked like it would rip pretty quickly.  I decided to look for a bag that was made from recycled bottles without insulation.  I don't care much about insulation; the girls don't take food that has to be kept hot or cold.  By choice, they take PB sandwiches pretty much everyday.  twoK will sometimes take hummus or black beans, but she eats them at whatever temperature and they aren't likely to spoil in 3.5 hours of sitting at room temperature.

So back to the bags, it took me a while to find them, but I finally remembered Google was my friend and I typed in "plastic bottle lunch bag."  I found the  Clean Conscience bags as the fifth link down.  As soon as I saw these bags, I ordered them!

We've had these bags for about 2 months.  The girls take their lunch every day, they throw them around, and they eat on wood picnic tables that aren't very clean.  The bags are holding up GREAT!  I washed them about a month ago when they were getting a little dirty and they came out of the washing machine looking brand new.  I'm planning to wash them once a month (getting time to do the second washing).  I'll let you know at the end of the year how well they last, but they look like they are going to do really well!  I'll keep you posted.