Today is the day

that I use my waffle maker. My Mom would always put 1/2 pancake mix and 1/2 whole wheat flour in our pancakes on Saturday mornings. I am sort of doing the same thing but I am using Spelt and flax seed meal.

Oops it took a couple tries to get the batter not to overflow. I love Spelt Flour it has a wonderful nutty flavor. I made some waffles with the berries and chocolate chips. Then I made some with not so much Spelt and Flax seed and just chocolate chips (the boys loved these). After that I made some with just the berries- these were my favorite b/c they came out purple, my favorite color.

Zach is still sleeping so..... his stack is waiting in the kitchen. I am going to freeze the rest for the coming week. They are the perfect size to fit in the toaster.

ANOTHER SURGERY

WE FOUND OUT TODAY ZACH IS GETTING HIS TONSILS REMOVED ON MARCH 23RD! HE IS HAPPY B/C HE GETS 7 DAYS OR MORE OUT OF SCHOOL AND ALL THE ICE CREAM AND POPSICLES HE CAN EAT!

HAPPINESS IS....

UNEXPECTED FLOWERS FROM YOUR HUSBAND AND A NEW WAFFLE MAKER! I AM SO EXCITED, I HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE ONE AND WANTED TO MAKE "HEALTHY" WAFFLES.

WEEKEND PLANS

I AM PLANNING TO TRY LOTS OF NEW RECIPES TODAY :) I WAS SO EXCITED TO GET THIS MAGAZINE-BUT I HATE TO SEE ABUSE OF ANIMALS. IT HAS MADE THIS VEGETARIAN THING EASIER WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS. IF YOU WOULD LIKE A VEGGIE STARTER KIT VISIT --GOVEG.COM--I AM NOT SURE HOW TO LINK IT.

DADDY TOOK THESE THE OTHER MORNING WHILE I WAS GONE SHOPPING. I DIDN'T EVEN SEE THEM UNTIL THIS MORNING-

SNEEKY FELLA

morning star vs. boca

well we had a taste test this morning! one fake Boca sausage pattie vs. one fake meat morning star pattie we all agree that MORNING STAR WINS!! they were slightly more expensive but worth every penny! we love the Boca burgers and SMART DOGS were a HUGE hit at my house. This vegetarian lifestyle switch was so easy with these wonderful fake meat products :)

Boca is on the left and morning star is on the right!! I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO POST SOME REALLY GREAT MEALS OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS AS WE HAVE HAD SOME SICK KIDDOS! IT IS ZACH AND LOGAN'S TURN TO BE SICK THIS TIME!!

COLLAR FREE

WE WENT TO THE DOCTOR TODAY AND HE SAID GREGG DOESN'T HAVE TO WEAR THE NECK COLLAR ALL THE TIME ANYMORE- AND THAT HE COULD START DRIVING AGAIN IF HE FEELS COMFORTABLE! YEEEHAAW!! THEY WERE VERY HAPPY WITH HIS RECOVERY AND HE WILL BE STARTING PHYSICAL THERAPY SOON. I LOVE LOVE LOVE MY MAN AND PRAISE GOD THAT HE IS RECOVERING :)

Tortilla soup

Last summer when I was in Tulsa, Tara shared her crock pot tortilla soup. It was soo good it became one of our regular meals. We ate it all the time b/c it was so easy to make and b/c it was delish! Well with this vegetarian thing- I can't use the chicken that is called for in the recipe so... I replaced it with the fake ground beef and soyrizo.

I cooked the soyrizo on high until browned-it added wonderful flavor!! Normally you would just add2-3 frozen chicken breasts. I change this recipe all the time according to what I have on hand so here is what it was yesterday

1 c. fake ground beef

1/2 package soyrizo (browned)

1/2 yellow onion

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 green pepper

1 tomato

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can black beans

1 can enchilada sauce (check to make sure ingredients some have MSG)

1 can green chili's

1 can of corn (I use frozen corn)

1 can chicken broth (I used vegetable juice and a little water)

1 tsp white pepper

1tsp chili powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp black pepper

sprinkle of salt

Dice up all veggies and mix everything into the crock pot. Let all this simmer on low all day 6-8 hours. We top it with cheese, chips, sour cream, cilantro or whatever you like! Last night Gregg and I just ate it with a whole grain bread. It was so good! Thank you Aunt Tara for this recipe -I know I have changed it from the original hope you don't mind :)

Parenthood

"PARENTHOOD" Does anyone remember this movie? Logan is the typical 3rd child- if we had a bucket he would be walking around with it on his head and running into walls! He was cracking me up this evening when he was running back and forth on the balcony with this blow up chair as armor. He doesn't talk as much as the other boys did but he really doesn't have to. A couple grunts, a finger point and he gets what he wants from someone waiting on him. I signed up for a vegan cooking class at our local health food store :) I am so excited tonight we are having cheese pizza with spinach, mushrooms and red onions. The boys will just have cheese!

Macaroni and Not Meat

This is how dinner turned out tonight!! It was good (everyone ate it) and will replace Nana's Macaroni and Meat!

I feel amazing ;)

Tonight we are having "Eggplant and Tomatoes with Pasta"! My crock pot cookbook has a huge vegetarian section woohoo so this is what we will be having tonight.
Here is today's recipe
3/4 c yellow onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic

1/2 C SLICED MUSHROOMS
3/4 pound eggplant cubed
2 tsp fresh basil chopped
1 (16oz) can Italian plumb tomatoes with juice (I USED FIRE ROASTED)
2 tbs olive oil
2tbs balsamic vinegar
1/2 veg. broth or chicken broth
1 tbs tomato paste
12 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
12 ounces whole wheat pasta shells
saute the onions and garlic in olive oil for 3-5 minutes- drain and place in slow cooker. Put all other ingredients (except pasta) into the slow cooker. Cook uncovered for 3-4 hours until sauce is thickened. reduce temp to low. boil pasta with salt for 10 minutes. drain and stir pasta slowly into cooker. cook on low setting for 30-60 minutes until pats is soft.
PICTURE TAKEN THIS MORNING!
Zachary really is the only one complaining because he loves meat!! He is very sad there will be no more "Pat McKee" ribs. Really I have found this transition very easy and I encourage all of you to eat meat free every once in a while. I really can't tell you how much better I feel- I have no signs of gallbladder pains what so ever for the past 4 days! I am so excited and I wake up feeling great every morning!!

becoming vegetarian ?!?

Lately I have been having gallbladder issues (anyone else)! Tara, Mom and several of my friends have already had theirs removed and I am just trying to avoid surgery! So I have been doing research- over the past few months I have been doing cleanses. This fast cleans out my gallbladder but after few weeks I start feeling bad again. I had an gallbladder flare up (I call it) a couple days ago and I did more research- well, the meat we eat we take in that cholesterol (chemicals and whatever else) which is building up in my gallbladder. I eat meat at almost every meal!! It feels like if we don't get our meat we will not get any protein. I don't know why I think this, I worked at Wild Oats for 3 years I should have learned then!! Gregg is happy with this as he was a vegetarian earlier in his life. The boys are having a harder time with it, but there are so many cool options that I think they will end up liking it. This is going to really challenge me in the kitchen. Last night we had red beans and rice (instead of our normal ham and beans) I must say I liked it better! This may just be a phase (says my hubby) but I am going to try it. We will still have eggs and cheese and some milk in our diet (I am not vegan)but I am planning on cutting out all other meat products and see how my body likes it! Gregg's body may like it too as he has had high blood pressure since the surgery.





I love having all these fresh fruits and veggies :) My grocery bill was about the same as usual, so the fake meat wasn't that much more expensive. Aunt Tara do you have any good recipes from your vegetarian days?We have done this for exactly 2 days and I am feeling really good so we will see...

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY WEEK CONT.

Max was feeling better after lying in his room playing video games all day on Tuesday! So he was up for some cake after his favorite dinner of chicken strips and french fries.

I can't believe he is 9- seems like not too long ago he was toddling around like Logan.

Today I am bringing cupcakes to the class they match the cake we had on Tuesday- Chocolate cake and cream cheese icing yum! Then Saturday we are going to the movies :)

Logan just thought we were celebrating his birthday again. He didn't want Max opening any presents without him- thank goodness some of the packages were late and they had his gifts in the box too!! We got Max a bike (pictures soon) and Logan thought it was his, it was so funny to watch.

Happy Birthday babies :)

BIRTHDAY BARF

Max got sick at school yesterday during lunch! He threw up all over himself and his friend Austin!! He is very upset that he can't go to school today- he was looking forward to Mom bringing cupcakes to class. Mandy is having her party on Wednesday so it will have to be Thursday when Mom brings the cupcakes to school. So... Max will stay home and relax on his 9th Birthday playing video games :) He really isn't feeling that bad but he has a low grade fever and a cough so it is just best to stay home! We are taking his friends Justin and Austin to the movies on Saturday! So the celebration continues for the rest of the week!

Happy Birthday to my MAX in the Middle!! I love you and can't believe you are 9!!