Online Learning Games from Fisher-Price – For Infants, Toddlers & Preschoolers

Online Learning Games from Fisher-Price – For Infants, Toddlers & Preschoolers

Leftover Turkey or Chicken

After picking apart the remains of your Thanksgiving turkey or perhaps even a rotisserie or whole roasted chicken use the leftover meat and turn it into this zesty asian-inspired soup.

To slow cooker or crockpot add:
3 cups leftover turkey or chicken
3 cans chicken broth
1 can refilled with water
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup frozen, chopped spinach
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup instant brown rice
1 cup chopped cabbage

Cook in crockpot till done. Yummy!
Side note about the last four ingredients. If you like it less spicy reduce both curry & pepper by half the amounts listed.
Add the rice & cabbage during the last 3 hours, if possible. If they cook the whole time they'll be a little too mushy for my tastes.

Welcome back

I am back from my seemingly everlasting maternity leave/computer meltdown. I now have a working computer & two boys. I believe as of my last post I had a computer teetering on the edge of death and only 1 son. Kolter Gauge Burnside is healthy, fat & so happy.
Killian's allergies are news-worthy. His milk and egg allergies are almost non-existent according to the allergist's blood tests. His egg decreased from about 1.5 to .54 and his milk was at .98 at one year old and down to .49 at his two year appointment. Which means he is in the mild/sensitive category for those two. Unfortunately his peanut went from what we assumed was 0 to a whopping 7.74! Yuck. He is likely to have an anaphylactic reaction if he happens to ingest peanuts or peanut products. On the bright side we have made the family transition to almond butter to replace peanut butter and we all love it.
We remain hopeful for a cure and/or that he will outgrow allergies. Our allergist did say he expects a peanut allergy cure to be readily available in 5-10 years, as Duke University and others are having raging success curing food allergies through very slowly introducing tiny amounts of the known allergen into the system.
I'll try to continue to update this page with the lastest in allergy news, allergy-friendly recipes, short cuts, time savers etc. Thanks for reading!

Slow Cooker Carnitas (Re-posted due to popularity)

2lb. Pork Shoulder roast, or boneless loin, ribs etc.
1/4-1/2 cup water
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp curry powder
1 can seasoned, stewed tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup orange puree, if available, or throw in some chopped carrots
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Add water, seasonings, tomatoes and orange puree (or carrots) to Crock Pot, stir until well blended. Add roast and coat in seasoning juice.
Pour garlic over roast. Cover and cook on low until roast is done, 6-8 hours, turning & stirring occasionally if you can. The carrots will disappear as they turn to mush. Your family will eat secret veggies!
Once done pull out roast and cut netting off, then shred and cut up roast removing any fatty pieces. Return to Crockpot, add beans and continue to cook as long as possible, up to an hour.
Serve with tortillas, cilantro, guacamole, cheese, hot sauce and sour cream.

Rice Krispie Treats

What?! A recipe for Rice Krispie Treats? Surely she jests?
Yup, go all the way back to 7th grade home economics and remember that first recipe you tried on your own? That's what we're making. But these Rice Krispie Treats have super powers! They are very allergy friendly (Not for celiac sufferers, unfortunately) and they have some actual health benefits. They contain iron, fiber, calcium and protein. They will stay soft, even overnight. I didn't measure the standard ingredients, so I'll guess, but feel free to add the last 2 ingredients to whatever recipe you like.

1 Tbl. Parkay squeeze (or other non-dairy margarine)
1 bag mini marshmallows
8 (or so) cups Rice Krispie-like cereal
1 Tbl. wheat bran (Bob's Red Mill or other bulk bran)
1 Tbl milk or soy milk

Now melt the margarine, add the marshmallows. Just as the marshmallows are getting smooth add the wheat bran. It looks a little suspect at first, so don't let anyone catch you at this step! Once the cereal is mixed in, you'll never be able to tell there's anything in there, I promise. Once it's thoroughly stirred in, add the milk. The milk is what will make your Treats stay soft for days, instead of hours. Add your cereal and flatten into a large glass dish.
Because these are so soft you should wait at least 20-30 minutes before you eat them. After that, feed your family a deliciously healthy treat!

Make your own nursing bra

After a grueling search for a nursing bra that is comfortable and padded (reducing 'headlight' infractions) I found this site to make your own. I am now off to go buy a few bras. I plan to cut the clasps out of the bras I used while nursing Killian and re-sew them into the new bras.
I can't even begin to relay how excited I am at the thought of being able to wear a push-up and have some oomph while being a milkmaid!
Who knew you could put those giant things to good use in more than one way at a time?

Homemade Bread, all vegan friendly and everything

As usual I found this on Allrecipes and changed it drastically. The result was super-duper yummy fresh baked bread. I am still experimenting with other changes but I've listed the two recipes that have so far turned into the best baked loaves.

Light & Fluffy Bread

• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons, or 1 packet, active dry yeast

Using the order listed above, place all ingredients into the bread machine.
Set to dough cycle.
Once mixing is complete you can remove your dough from the machine.
Knead into a ball, then stretch to resemble a thick rectangle, approximately the same size as your loaf pan.
Punch dough into greased loaf pan
Set on counter and allow to rise again
Once dough is over the top of your pan place in oven
Bake 375' for 25 minutes

Seasoned Bread

• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tsp season salt
  
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  
• 1/2 tsp oregano
  
• 1/2 tsp basil
  
• 1 tsp dried onion
  
• 2 1/4 teaspoons, or 1 packet, active dry yeast

A Year of CrockPotting: CrockPot Rice Pudding Recipe

A Year of CrockPotting: CrockPot Rice Pudding Recipe

Anyone up tp make this vegan or allergy friendly? I'll let you know if I do. It sure sounds yummy, but I would need to use only soy milk and cut out the eggs somehow....

Pumpkin Pancakes (Veganized for your pleasure)

Adapted from allrecipes and thoroughly changed by Katy

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 1 & 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups vanilla soymilk
• 1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup applesauce
  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, applesauce, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2. Heat a frying pan over low-medium heat and add a bit of Parkay Squeeze (vegan!) margarine. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
3. Cook all batter and freeze leftovers. Microwave for about 30 seconds for a quick breakfast with hidden fruits & veggies!
   

Breakfast Cookies for Killian

Killian and I (and Preston, but that's a different post) started attending play group. It's very "feel good" and crunchy, focusing on non-violent parenting and establishing independence in your toddler. I hate it. Not because of what they teach but because Killian is forced to change activities every 15 minutes or so and he hates to sit still for story time. He will at home, where he can touch the book and help turn pages, but not in a group setting with so many other things to do.
In addition they serve snack which seems to consist of stupid Goldfish crackers! The playgroup is sponsored by the Idaho Healthy Families Initiative. How, exactly, do Goldfish crackers fit into that? Killian can't have Goldfish crackers, as I remind them almost every week, so he gets whatever I brought as a replacement and I am wracked with nameless bad feelings and guilt over my son's allergies. I hate separating his food like he's some little freak and I get so annoyed that they continue to serve these rainbow colored demons within arm's reach of him.
Last week I left Killian's graham crackers there so I wouldn't have to remember them every week. But someone stole them! Of course this week they were serving breakfast cookies with egg listed in the ingredients and I had no replacement. Granted Killian's allergies are mild enough that baked cookies with egg as an ingredient don't bother him but they don't know that and I try to keep the egg and milk intake to a minimum. He does get an upset tummy and we both pay the price if he overdoes it. The very, very kind lady that ran the group took the orange out of her lunch and served that for snack instead. I was extremely appreciative!
So this whole long vent leads to a great outcome. I modified a No Bake Cookie recipe from Allrecipes.com to come up with healthy, delicious Vegan Breakfast Cookies. They contain loads of anti-oxidants, oats, not too much sugar and protein in the form of peanut butter. Recipe follows:

Vegan Breakfast Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan over medium heat combine the maple syrup, oil, & cocoa. Boil for three minutes or until thickened and smooth, stirring constantly.
   
2. In separate bowl combine peanut butter and vanilla until well blended.
3. Add oats and stir as much as possible into peanut mixture.
   
4. Remove chocolate mixture from heat and stir in the oat mix. Stir until well blended.
   
5. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper and chill to set, about 30 minutes.

Never Know It's Healthy Chili

An easy and delicious slow cooker chili. It is allergy-friendly for most allergens. It has tons of hidden veggies and enough seasoning that you'd never guess it was low fat! I always make this large recipe and freeze individual servings for quick re-heats.

Ingredients

2lbs Ground beef, turkey or game

1/4 Onion, chopped

2 cans Black beans

2 Small cans tomato sauce

2 cans Diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon Chili powder

1 Red bell pepper, chopped finely

1 Yellow bell pepper, chopped finely

2 cups Baby carrots (about 20) chopped finely

1 teaspoon Paprika

Pinch of oregano

1/2 tablespoon Garlic powder

1 teaspoon Cumin

Salt and pepper

1/2 tablespoon Season salt

Preparation

Cook both meats through then add onion and cook until soft. Drain off grease and place meat and onion mix in a colander over your sink. Open both cans of beans and empty into colander over meat. Rinse everything thoroughly under hot water. Add to Crockpot.

Add all remaining ingredients to Crockpot and cook on low for at least 3 hours and a maximum of 10. Enjoy!

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