Apple Crisps and Bagel Bites

On a recently library trip I came across a cookbook that I just couldn't pass up, Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: Easy, Organic Snacks, Beverages, and Party Food for Kids of All Ages By Lisa Barnes. After flipping through this book I knew I needed to take it home and give some of the recipes a try. If I am honest with you I feel like I feed Monkey the same things (especially snacks) over and over and over. She is a toddler after all and although I want her to like a wide variety of foods she sometimes uses her new found independent streak to make her own decisions about what she will eat.

So here are the couple of recipes that we have tried out so far, I have included my notes and changes in italics. If you would like to see what the Evolving Family thought about this kid friendly cookbook you can read my review of Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry at Evolving Mommy Reviews.

Apple Crisps


*I am a little paranoid about feeding monkey additional sweets and sugars because I know the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and I have a major sweet tooth so I used 1 tablespoon of sweetener instead of 2.

2 large organic apples such as Fuji or Braeburn
2 tablespoon evaporated cane juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 200°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Stir together evaporated cane juice, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl.

Using a mandolin or a steady hand cut the apple vertically in to 1/8 inch thick rounds. You do not need to core or peel the apple. The seeds will fall out or can easily be removed from apple slices once cut.

Place apple slices on baking sheet in a single layer and sprinkle with cinnamon mixture. Bake in the middle of the oven and cook for 1½ hours. Rotate pan and cook an additional hour. Turn off heat and leave pan with apples in the oven overnight if not dry and crisp.

Loosen chips with a spatula to remove from parchment paper.


Bagel Bites


* I had mini bagels on hand so that is what we used. I also upped the cinnamon to a full teaspoon.

1 large whole wheat bagel (1 1/2 to 2 inches thick)
2 teaspoons organic unsalted butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and set aside.

Using a serrated knife, carefully slice bagel lengthwise so you have 4 to 5 (1/4 to 1/3 inch) slices. A bagel slicer or mandolin makes for a safer and cleaner cut if you have one. Lay bagel slices on baking sheet.

Brush bagels pieces with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for 10 minutes, until crisp. (If using mini bagels cook for 8 minutes). Let cool on pan for maximum crispness.

Okay I admit it...

I did in fact pull on my wedding dress yesterday. The dancing around the house portion of yesterday's post is still just a maybe.


It all started when I decided to organize and clean up my closet. I decided to change around where some things were hanging and of course this brought the huge white dress bag hidden in the corner to my attention. My original intention was to just peak into the bag and make sure that everything was still doing okay in there.

After laying the dress in its bag on the bed and opening it up I of course proceeded to put on the veil, just to make sure it was still in okay shape of course. My plan was to just go ahead and put the whole thing back in the closet, but before I new what I was doing I was pulling the puffy sparkly white thing on.

I was instantly reminded of why I picked this dress for my wedding day. Even wearing it yesterday with my messy hair and no makeup made me feel beautiful. Is it not amazing that a dress can make me feel so beautiful and glamorous and perfect?

Luke and I had been together for almost 2 years when we decided to get married. The story of deciding to get married is not a great story but I will say it had nothing to do with being pregnant or needed a green card.

So we decided to get married and set a date for about 7 weeks out and Luke officially proposed a week later. Yes, I said 7 weeks. No, I never thought that my engagement would be that short. Either way by the time Luke had proposed we had already put a deposit on the ceremony location, decided where we would be having the reception, notified our wedding party that they were going to be in a wedding and I had picked out my dress.

My dress did not technically fit in with the rest of my wedding, which for the most part was a pretty informal and relaxed event. We had the rehearsal dinner at my in-laws house, got married in a park, invited our siblings to be groomsmen and bridesmaid/man (haha), had our reception in my parents backyard, fed our guests a big pasta buffet and had a friend take all of our pictures.

Even though we planned our wedding on a budget I couldn't help myself when it came to my dress. I spent more on that then it cost to clothe the rest of the wedding party combined... and then some.

I have felt some guilt since then about spending so much money on a dress that I wore for one day of my life but wearing it yesterday reminded me that no matter how much I spent on that dress I love it. And although if I were to do it over again I might make a different and less extravagant choice that dress was a part of one of the most important days of my life and I cherish the memories that go along with it.


I still debate about what I should do with my dress, save it, sell it, alter it and wear it for a vow renewal? It is hard to think about letting it go since it does partially represent such an important and emotion filled day in my life.

Here is my question where is your wedding dress and what are plans for it? have you come up with a way to use it again or keep it around without it sitting in a bag or box in your closet?

I Feel Pretty Oh So Pretty

Cleaning my closet might have just turned into me dancing around my house in my wedding dress. Maybe.

My Wobbles Return In August

This past weekend I had a birthday. I don't care that I am getting older, I am not one of those women. I actually like getting older and wiser. There is something about this time of year, back to school season coupled with getting older and an impending change of season that always sets off a wobbly feeling in me.

The wobbliness I am feeling is hard to explain. I know without a doubt that there is something that I am supposed to be doing with myself besides what I am currently doing. Don't get me wrong, I know that being a mother is the most important job in the world, but I know there is something outside of that for me. Call me selfish but I know that there is something out there just for me, not for Monkey or Luke or my house, my friends or my family. Just me.The problem is that I have no idea what that thing is.

Some people in this stage of life ache for a baby or even a second baby, but I find myself aching for a calling and a little bit of a life outside of my family. I am not talking about running away from Luke and Monkey because I need them like I need air to breath. I am talking about a career, a path, a passion.

I find myself laying awake at night trying to decipher my hobbies, interests and traits trying to create an "aha!" moment. An aha moment where I suddenly know what path I need to take.

I have read stacks of books full of personality tests and career discriptions, I have pestered people about why they chose to do what they do. I have gone to information sessions for fields I might be interested in and yet I still feel as wobbly as ever.

One thing that Monkey has given me besides her beautiful smiles, unconditional love and the title of Mommy is the desire to become the woman that I am supposed to be. I just hope I can figure out who that is and erase some of this wobbliness inside of me.

So do you have any suggestions for me?

Why A Goalie Mask, and Bubble Wrap Are In My Future

So it seems as though I misinterpreted my coupon omen this morning or misunderstood...maybe I wasn't meant to open that box of tea until tomorrow? Either way today was not exactly a good day.

It was the sort of day that seems like it is going to be good and then throws you a curve ball. For me this curve ball came in the form of a toddler, my toddler, falling face first over the edge of a shopping cart. It goes without saying that her face met the floor with a very loud smack which was followed buy a very large, loud, and long scream and a lot of crying. Oh, and a crowd of women converging on me and my injured daughter with looks that said "she shouldn't have been standing in the cart."

And yes I know she shouldn't have been standing in the cart. I also know that she knows she should not stand in the cart.

No matter how many times I blame myself for this incident or how guilty I feel over it, the reality is that it was not my fault. My sweet, independent, fearless almost-two-year-old decided to go against my instructions to SIT ON YOUR BOTTOM! and instead decided that trying to climb out of the cart was a better idea. Um. It wasn't. At all. I think she knows that now. At the very least I hope she knows that if she is going to climb out of the cart it is a better idea to NOT fling your upper body over the edge and go over head first. I hope.

Half of her face is bruised and swollen and somewhere in there, if I remember correctly is her right eye, currently there is just a big puffy purple bruise.

I was lucky today. Well I guess I was lucky if no broken bones and very little blood is luck.

So here is the public service announcement folks: duck tape your kids' bottoms into the cart. Trust me their unhappy screaming about being stuck and wanting to move will be much more pleasant then the screaming they will produce after having their sweet little face smack the floor with a force that makes you cringe to think about. The sound Monkeys head made on impact with the floor has been ricocheting around my head all day and it is less than enjoyable to say the least.

And to think I was this close to grabbing her little leg as she fell towards the floor but gravity won out. Toddlers will be toddlers and this is why am investing in a helmet and goalie mask, rock climbing harness and a bubble wrap body suit.

Thank You, Celestial Seasonings!

You know it is going to be a good day when you open a new box of tea and find a coupon.

Should Toys be Gender Specific?

Alright friends, I have a quick question for you. Watch the video and tell me your thoughts.

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Corn on the cob rocks. When it is in season around here we eat it at least a few times a week. Monkey is a big time corn fan and usually finishes off a cob on her own and then asks to eat mine.

We grill a lot year round but in the summer we seem to grill at least every other night. When we grill we try to grill as much of the meal as possible because after all what could be better than meal full delicious food without having to wash pots and pans afterward. Grilled corn is great with every meal but we especially like it with our very favorite burgers.

Grilled corn = delicious, yummy, easy and delicious (yes I meant to say delicious twice.)

Here is how we grill up our favorite summer side:

1. Cut off excess silk hanging from the end and remove loose husks. I like to leave about 2 layers of husk covering the cob. If you like a more charred cob peel off more of the husk. Don't worry about peeling back the husk and pulling of the silk because it comes of much easier after cooked.

2. Heat grill to medium high heat. You can tell if your grill is at medium high heat if you can hold your hand five inches above the heat source for three to five seconds.

3. Soak cobs in sink full of water for 5 minutes. This will help to keep your husks from completely burning up and add a bit of moisture for cooking.I like to place a plate over the cobs to make sure they are totally submerged in the water. When you remove the corn from the water it is a good idea to shake the excess water from the cob before grilling.

4. Place cobs on grill for 10-15 minutes turning every 2-3 minutes. The husks will brown and char just continue to turn the cobs to make sure that they cook evenly. (We generally have luck if we through the corn on with whatever meat we are cooking that night for dinner and cook them for the same length of time.)

5. Remove corn from grill and let sit for 2-3 minutes to let cool enough to handle. Just before serving peel back husks and silk and rinse off any charred husk that may be on the corn.

6. Garnish as you like and enjoy!

As always, I am happy to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

Other Evolving Mommy Recipes you might enjoy:

• Lime Grilled Chicken and Chili Home Fries
  
• Tangy Citrus Shrimp
• Chermoula Marinade
  

5 Little Things I Learned This Week - Aug. 16

There is a reason they call it a crackberry. I'm going to be honest with you, Hi my name is Catherine and even though I just got my Blackberry a week ago I am a Blackberry-aholic. I love tweeting with everyone while out and about, being able to check my email anytime, IMing with Luke while on the go and did I mention that twitpic is awesome!

Baking zucchini bread with toddlers is fun, and messy. Monkey and her friend Boo took turns adding ingredients and stirring. I have two more gigantic zucchinis to from my grandma's garden to make more, I can't wait!


Lazy weekends are a thing of the past. No matter how much you work to keep your weekend free, open and unfilled it never happens that way.

Potty training is interesting. I'll say interesting because of the continuous possibility that my couch, floor, pillows and feet could get a dose of pee at any moment. So far so good though, it is just the possibility that is making it interesting. *edit- I spoke too soon, things were great until this evening when she pooped in her pants...twice*

Even though I have been a less than stellar farmers market patron this summer all the delicious foods still welcome me with open arms when I do make it there. Man, I love the Farmers Market. Look at all this beautiful food.
So, tell me, what did you learn this week?

Like a Lizard on a Hot Rock...or Something

In the middle of a 95 degree day it is totally normal for my hands and feet to feel cold to the touch. I regularly wear a jacket around my house in the mornings before bed through the summer , the AC is just to cold for me most days. It is not out of character for me to put Luke wool ski socks on to wear around the house, or to sleep in, year round. I am cold. I have become my mother, but that, my friends, is for a different days discussion.

So I don't feel it should have been much of surprise to my husband, of all people, to catch me in the act...of laying in the warm fresh-from-the-dryer sheets. *gasp* Okay, to be honest it was less laying in the sheets and more fully cocooning myself in them.

Look at that warm Laundry, don't you just want to curl up in it?

When I started pulling the warm sheets from the basket to be folded I just couldn't help myself. My cold hands were in heaven and I knew that my cold feet would love the warm sheets too and well if my cold hands and feet loved the radiating warmth than the rest of my body would too. So I did what any (slightly) sane, and cold person would do, I wrapped my body from head to toe in the jackpot of warmth that was my sheets straight from the dryer.

For some reason it did not seem all that strange to me. At least it did not seem strange up until the moment I got caught and then I felt like I had been caught in the act of something elicit and secret.

I can't help it if I am cold. It is like a lizard on a hot rock, or at least that is how I explained it to Luke. I am not sure if he really understands though since I never seem to see him wearing his fleece jackets around the house or putting on thick socks in the winter much less the summer months.

Lesson Learned: Always dry the laundry when Luke is gone. Then there will be no one home to snicker and roll their eyes at me when I dump half of the warm basket of clothes on feet to keep me warm while I fold the other half.

Eating Locally

I have a confession to make. The watermelon in my refrigerator right now is from California. So are the raspberries. I have barely been to the farmers market this year. Life has been so busy and off this summer that our usual weekly trips to one of our local farmers markets have not been happening.

Near the beginning of the summer I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and felt so inspired that I planned to try and eat as locally as possible this summer. I figured that at the very least with all of the farmers markets in my town I should be able to do a decent job for the summer. I was wrong because well, in order to do a good job eating locally by shopping at farmers markets you have to go to them.

Last year we had piles of veggies and fruits covering our kitchen counters after our weekly market trip. These piles of beautiful food were supplemented by the piles of beautiful food coming out of our small garden. It was great.

So what is the difference between this summer and last? Well I guess the biggest difference is the lack of Luke around here. It doesn't take nearly as much food to feed the family when Luke is gone. Our shopping routine and meal planning have been thrown out the window a lot of weeks because of hectic schedules and randomness has ensued. My cooking has been thrown, as I am sure you have noticed from the lack of recipes posted here.

I am hopping to get my butt into gear and get into the farmers market groove this weekend. After reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle I really was inspired to feed my family healthy locally produced foods and I would definitely recommend the book to those of you who care about what you feed your family. It makes sense to me that local foods are the way to go for health, environmental and economic reasons. Besides by the end of the farmers market season last year my freezer was stocked with veggies of all kinds ready and waiting to be used throughout the winter months and we all know how I feel about having a fully stocked pantry, refrigerator and freezer.

So have you been hitting up your local farmers markets and supporting locally grown veggies and produced goods and foods?

What is your favorite thing to buy at a farmers market?

Personally I love the gigantic onions and potatoes that start to show up later in the season and the juicy peaches, cherries and melons that are grown so beautifully in Colorado.

Chili Mac

A few months ago I shared this yumminess over at Moms Without Blogs. It is delicious and easy and totally a pantry meal and since I didn't share it here at Evolving Mommy I thought I should now just to remind you to make it.

Seriously. Easy. Peasy.

The following recipe is full of pantry items and can be made very quickly and to suit your families tastes. The ingredients are easily changes to fit your needs and schedule and best of all it reheats wonderfully so you can get multiple meals this pot full of food.


Chili Mac

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 Serrano or jalapeno pepper minced (optional)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 8oz can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach (optional)

Cook Macaroni as directed on package.

While macaroni is cooking, cook beef, onion, garlic and pepper in a 4 quart sauce pan over medium-high heat stirring occasionally until beef is brown; drain.

Stir remaining ingredients including the macaroni into the beef mixture. Simmer uncovered until the spinach is thawed and the mixture is warmed through.

** As I mentioned above this recipe is flexible. Play around with it, use what you have on hand in your pantry. Feel free to try ground turkey, buffalo or elk instead of beef. If kidney beans are not your favorite try black beans or pinto beans, and if spinach won't fly in your house you can substitute frozen corn or bell peppers...or leave the veggies out all together.

As always feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions.

Other Evolving Mommy recipes you might enjoy:

• Hotfish (Spicy Tilapia with Spinach and Tomatoes)
• 10 Minute Tuna, Tomato and Spinach Pasta
• Ethiopian Beef Stew and Spinach Poori

Congratulations - A Thousand Words Thursday

Monkey is so proud of her grandma, the college graduate. We all are.

For more ATWT visit Jen.

Hotfish - (Spicy Tilapia with Spinach and Tomatoes)

Did I ever tell you how Luke and I met? We were both servers at an Italian restaurant, working our way through college. The first time I saw him I thought he was adorable and knew that I was totally not his type. The first time he saw me he thought I would exactly his type. Fast forward a few months later and we were the mascot couple of the restaurant. Fast forward years later and we have a beautiful daughter, a home, and a wonderful marriage.

Besides our wonderful relationship we got the inspiration for one of our very favorite quick, easy, and healthy meals. We often ate a version of this dish loaded with pasta, cream, butter and even some flour in the restaurant. Sometimes we would torture the poor cooks asking for veggies instead of pasta and to have the sauce on the side. Then one day we decided to try and make something similar at home, something that would give us some of the wonderful flavor that we loved without all the extra fat and unneeded calories. Surprisingly our recipe has not changed much since that first night we made it, but I fall in love with it more and more each time we make it.

I would consider this a quick and easy recipe because it only take about 25 minutes to complete, including prep time. The heat level in the Hotfish comes purely from the jalapenos and can be adjusted for your personal preferences. This dish is also a great pantry meal, feel free to substitute frozen cooked spinach for the fresh spinach, and drained canned diced tomatoes for diced roma's. We love our Hotfish served up with brown rice and a side of steamed veggies although it would be great with whole wheat pasta too.



Ingredients
3 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Butter
1/2 diced onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon Lemon juice
4-6 Tilapia fillets
3-4 cups uncooked spinach leaves
1-2 tablespoons diced pickled Jalapenos (fresh would also work)
1 cup diced tom (roughly 2 medium roma tomatoes)
salt and pepper to taste.

Heat oil and butter over medium high heat in large saute pan.

Add onion, garlic, and spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add lemon juice to pan. Once spinach leaves are almost wilted add jalapenos and tomatoes to pan and mix, then nestle tilapia fillets into mixture in pan to cook.

Cook fillets for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until fillets reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

To serve place cooked tilapia fillets on plate and top with garlic, spinach and tomato mixture.

As always feel free to shre your thoughts with me! Happy Eating!

Other Evolving recipies you might enjoy:

• Soy Garlic Marinade
• 10 Minute Tuna, Tomato and Spinach Pasta
• Ethiopian Beef Stew