"Explorer Spirit…Servant Heart…"
Mar 22nd, 2013 by leigharev2
A wonderful Spring day, complete with friends and a snow shower of cherry blossoms!
This is sweet. My friend Shanti has five kids. Her son, J, was in time out. (Actually all three of her boys were in time out…each one separated throughout the park. Their sisters (N &G) wanted J to enjoy the cherry blossoms they were playing in, so they filled their knit hats with them and brought them to J to keep him entertained while in timeout.
Mar 22nd, 2013 by leigharev2
I love to go through magazines and tear out recipes, then adapt them to suit our family’s preferences or us what we have on hand. This recipe is just that. It “made the cut” and is something we want to have again.
The original recipe had grated cheese, tuna, zucchini, and white beans. I omitted the cheese and tuna, subbed broccoli for the zucchini, and used pinto and kidney beans instead. I also changed up some of the prep process to save steps. Lastly, I added some optional toppings.
We all love the result and will definitely make again. Fresh and perfect for Spring…
1/2lb. whole wheat pasta (I used penne)
3c. packed baby spinach
1/2c. packed fresh mint
1 clove garlic, minced
Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon
1T. olive oil
1/3. c. toasted sliced almonds
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 can pinto beans, rinsed
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
salt and pepper
Optional Toppings: Chai seeds, Hemp Seeds, Flaxseed, Nutritional Yeast
1. Cook pasta according to package. For the last five minutes of boiling, place the broccoli in with the pasta. Drain together. Set aside.
2. Put the spinach, mint, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil in the food processor (I use a Vitamix) and mix until a pesto forms.
3. Place the almonds and beans on the pasta. Add the pesto and mix together. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle additional toppings (see above), if desired. Serve.
with toppings. (I use them all…)
without toppings.
Mar 22nd, 2013 by leigharev2
As a part of our endeavor to healthy eating, we just began to receive organic produce delivered to our door. You’d have thought it was Christmas! The boys loved going through the box and thinking about how we are going to prepare each item.
Baby baby carrot…
Mar 22nd, 2013 by leigharev2
I made these years ago and knew they would be a great introduction back to to plant based menu. It is from Dr. Neal Barnard’s book, “Food for Life”. For more nutritional information on the recipe, go here:
http://support.cancerproject.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=10921.0&printer_friendly=1
I doubled the recipe and froze half.
Makes 12 muffins
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats or oat bran
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large apples, finely chopped
1 12-ounce can apple juice concentrate
1/2 cup raisins
vegetable oil spray
Preheat oven to 325 F.
In a large bowl, mix flours, oats or oat bran, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda. Add apples, apple juice concentrate, and raisins. Stir just enough to mix.
Spoon batter into lightly vegetable oil sprayed muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes or until tops bounce back when pressed lightly.
Mar 22nd, 2013 by leigharev2
Until further notice, this house is meat and dairy free! Now, does that mean we won’t eat meat or (most) dairy? No. But, it will not be an everyday thing nor will it be in the house (unless we are entertaining.) This is a lifestyle DH and I have enjoyed during our younger years and have occasionally brought it back for limited times. But, we both realize how much better we felt and how we need to make wiser choices in regards to eating. The Napa trip was a launching point for us and I spent that weekend getting the menu and pantry in order.
Here is an overview of our week. I have decided that I will post here the recipes that “made the cut”. The ones that we all liked and want again…
Mar 21st, 2013 by leigharev2
Kendra, the boys, and I hit the trail prior to rain. It was perfect! The Stagecoach Trail is a part of the Auburn Recreational Area. It is close to the Lake Clementine Trail we went on last time. Within 30 minutes of our home, this area is a terrific spot for hikes and river time.
A grove of manzanita trees…
Manzanita…
Impressed with myself that I caught this butterfly picture…
Mar 21st, 2013 by leigharev2
The kids made a lapbook that contains information on the state flag, seal, history, etc.
Mar 21st, 2013 by leigharev2
…’R’ was up on the rock with other pals…
Mar 17th, 2013 by leigharev2
For DH’s birthday, I decided to go all out and treat us to a couple of days together in Napa.
We dropped the boys off with Eric and Crystal. I had created seven custom notes/envelopes for DH to open during our “adventure”. First envelope was for us to stop at Nugget Market for some delicious fresh squeezed juice. The drive in the Jeep was full of Kim Walker-Smith music cranked loud and smiles.
Envelope two contained the treat of a 90-minute couples massage appointment. It was at the same place we were staying, The Poetry Inn. This place is off the charts incredible. It is owned by the Cliff Lede Vineyards, and sits on the hill overlooking their vines and winery. Each room is named after a poet/ess. Ours was the ‘Walt Whitman’ room. It’s an understatement when I say the pictures do not do it justice…
Pur own private patio…
Our own private outdoor shower. This is the view from our patio…
The desk and mini bar. Everything in the mini bar and fridge was free and replenished everyday. The only think you’d pay for was the wine and apparel…
Bathroom door leading to outdoor shower.
The custom envelopes/notes for my love…
The massage room for the couples massage…can I make a suggestion? When you go on a couples getaway, make a 90 minute couples massage your first stop. Not a 60 minute…a 90 minute..at least. It totally set the tone for relaxation for the rest of the getaway. We were so relaxed and able to thoroughly enjoy our time together to a deeper degree that would not have been possible in that short amount of time without it.
After the massage and getting settled in our room, we drove down to Yountville for lunch at Bouchon Bakery. This is owned by the amazing Thomas Keller of Bouchon, Ad Hoc, and another Bucket List place…French Laundry. We sat outside their place and enjoyed sandwiches and desserts…
Back at our room to enjoy the view and the weather for the rest of the afternoon…
We had planned on having a personal chef serve our dinner on our patio, but it was actually too warm to eat there. So, we ate inside instead…
The Amuse Bouche (French for mouth-amuser) is a single bite appetizer served to whet the appetite. This is a piece of smoked salmon over creme fraiche and cucumber…
Appetizer: Seared Dayboat Scallops, with Cauliflower Puree, Golden Raisins
Main Entree: Filet Mignon with Truffle Pommes Puree, Market Vegetables, Demi Glace
Cheese Course: Homemade Ricotta with Truffle Oiled Honey
Dessert: Brown Sugar and Maple Syrup Creme Brûlée
Another little gift for my love: a homemade decorative pillow that I sewed…
Overlooking Yountville at night…
The first night we were there was Wednesday. There was another couple staying at the Poetry Inn, but they decided to “spend the night in the city (SF)..”, so we had the place all to ourselves. Literally. The innkeeper went home at nine. This is the beautiful lobby…
Nightcap bar. Free for guests…
Early morning fog…
Breakfast. Bacon -cheddar scones from Bouchon Bakery, fresh squeezed orange juice, homemade granola, yogurt, and huckleberries…
DH had poached eggs with prosciutto and a vegetable hash. I had the smoked salmon plate…
Day two was a day of wine tasting. We decided to stay on the Silverado Trail and the Napa Valley floor. We visited three new properties. First stop was our host property, Cliff Lede Vineyards. As guests of the property, they treat you to a complimentary tasting…
…this is the view of the Poetry Inn from the winery…
…our view from the patio at Cliff Lede…
Our Cliff Lede host, Ryan (great guy), suggested a couple of places to visit. One was Regusci Winery. When he mentioned it, I was reminded this was a property we intended to visit a few years ago, when the Smiths were with us. We missed their driveway and discovered their next door neighbor, Chimney Rock, instead. A delightful error.
So glad we decided to visit Regusci. I love everything about this place. A third generation family property, with small yields. The grounds beautiful, the staff casual and personal, and the wine wonderful.
Midweek, early spring in Napa is a great time to go. Although the vines are all pruned back and not much to look at, the surrounding hills and trees are all green, and there are shocks of yellow with the mustard plants throughout some of the vineyards. Better still, midweek means few tourists, and more individualized attention from the hosts. You are able to connect on a deeper level than if you were there on a harvest weekend, or really any weekend.
Because it was quiet, and we were enjoying our conversation with our host Alex, he decided to treat us to a barrel tasting of the 2011 Patriarch (we also tasted the 2007 and 2009 in the tasting room. It was a highlight of our trip. While in the barrel room, we met the owner, Jim (3rd generation), but did not realize it was him until later.
Alex, entering a small door to open the bigger door…
We picked up salads and sandwiches at the Soda Canyon Store. It’s not my first choice to eat, but there really is nothing else in that area. Decent food, but not outstanding. We took the food back to our room to save for later, then went to Goosecross Cellars for a private tasting that I had made an appointment for. Goosecross is another small, family owned property. It is much more casual than the other properties we visited, and off the beaten path. Our host, Jose, took us on a short tour, then into a private room for the tasting, cheese and crackers. Jose has been with the property for nine years and did a great job of educating us. When we went into the private room, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that a tour group had arrived and the tasting room was packed. We were whisked away and still had Jose to ourselves. We felt like spoiled little celebrities. We also got to meet one of the owners of this property. It was really neat to get so personal.
David and Jose
We had thought we’d go out for dinner, but the lure of our room was great and ended up spending the rest of the evening there.
Our final morning was a magnificent breakfast on the property… crab benedict…the yolks were bright orange. These were directly from the innkeepers own free pasture range chickens…
…the drive home…mustard among the vines…
Mar 16th, 2013 by leigharev2
DH has been talking to the boys about creating their own individual style. We took them shopping to buy a couple of outfits that represent themselves as individuals. I was able to get a few shots of ‘A’ showing off his new duds. Will get ‘R’ a little later. (‘R’ is the baggy shorts, graphic T’s, and plaid shirts worn open as a “jacket”…) ‘A’ actually inspired DH to wear his vest more 🙂
