Wednesday, January 26, 2011

New Listings!

Check these out and more at our shop, www.sophiemarie.etsy.com
Don't you just love the spring?
Shelter your baby from the rain with this sweet cover!


Check out these adorable polka dots!

And strap covers to match!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

To Be Organized...

This year I'm trying to organize a large pile of papers as I complete our taxes. What an overwhelming task! I found this site helpful: www.lifeorganizers.com/Office-Home-Office/The-Organized-Files/Records-Retention.html; it talks about what papers to keep and for how long.

Good luck to everyone battling the paper monster!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Waffles with Fruit or Veggies

I am always looking for new ways to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my family's diet, which led me to experiment with one of our favorite breakfasts: waffles. My mom shared the recipe that she uses with me; it comes from her well-used copy of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook and it is so tasty. We've substituted a number of different vegetables and fruits for the oil in this recipe, all with great success!

Recipe #2, adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook:

Waffles

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pureed squash, sweet potato, zucchini, cauliflower, applesauce, pearsauce, banana, etc.

Instructions:

1. Preheat your waffle iron.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together your flours, baking powder and salt.
3. Using a balloon whisk, add in the eggs, milk and pureed fruit or vegetable.
4. Spray a non-stick cooking spray onto the waffle iron if yours needs it (I use an old Belgian waffle iron, which always does).
5. When batter is well combined, pour a little less than 1 cup onto your waffle iron, or according to the manual.
6. Check waffle after a couple of minutes; leave it cooking until it's done to your taste. Repeat steps 4-6 until waffle batter is gone.

This morning I tried a combination of applesauce and zucchini in our waffles. My kids think these are delicious, which opens the door for me to talk about the yummy zucchini in their waffles and how good that is for their bodies!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Hamburger Minestrone Soup

Let's start this out right, with a delicious recipe! This is one of my favorites, an old-standby that I whip out when I need something hearty and satisfying on a winter's eve. My mom got this recipe from a family friend when I was a girl, and I've been happy to rediscover it's goodness now that I'm cooking for 6! It's true, my house is full; dinner is now served for my three young girls, husband, sister-in-law and myself. Hurrah - this soup makes enough for us all, and a doubled recipe means we can eat the leftovers for a couple of days! I hope you enjoy.

Recipe #1, adapted from a family friend:

Hamburger Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound hamburger (ground turkey also works well)
1 cup diced onion
1 cup cubed potatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme (or 1 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped)
1/2 tablespoon dried basil (or 1 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped)
4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup broken spaghetti (break it into pieces about 1/4 the length of the dried spaghetti noodle)
1 and 1/2 quarts water

Instructions:

1. Saute the hamburger/turkey burger and the onions in the bottom of a big stockpot till burger is completely cooked.
2. Add remaining ingredients (don't forget the salt and pepper or the noodles like I often do!). Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and keep at a low boil for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

I like the great flavor that the thyme and basil give to this soup, so if anything, I add a little extra rather than skimp on the herbs. The original recipe says to simmer for 1 hour, but I find that length of time rather unnecessary; I keep it at a low boil until the noodles are done and the vegetables are soft enough for our taste.

Note: the original recipe also calls for a #2-size can of canned tomatoes. If you feel that it's not minestrone without the tomatoes, by all means, include them! I love the taste of this soup without the tomatoes, so I'm happy to save them for another meal.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Hello!

Welcome to Nourishing Family, our blog devoted to our adventures in creativity, family life, cooking, cleaning and conscientious living. We're glad you're here; more coming soon!