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I Made It Monday: Super easy Hummus

 I love to eat hummus!  It has been an acquired taste for me.  I remember trying it for the first time in high school and thought people were crazy for liking it, but now I love it for a dip with tortilla chips, veggies, tortillas, and ANYTHING that needs some dipping.  This is the recipe I have been playing with, but I haven't totally perfected it yet.  I've been adding roasted red peppers which is fun, but I haven't found the right balance of cumin and garlic yet.  The recipe is good, but I am still working with it.  Once I used sesame seed oil in place of some of the olive oil and that was pretty yummy!  Next time I might try adding paprika or ginger...

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor combine garbanzo beans, garlic, cumin, salt and olive oil. Blend on low speed, gradually adding reserved bean liquid, until desired consistency is achieved.

Flashback to a week in June

Thanks to the incredible generosity of my Uncle Kevin and Aunt Janet my Mom and sister were able to fly down to visit for a week.  It was SO wonderful and SO needed and SO fun!  I needed some Mommy and Me and Sister and Me time.  And EVERYONE got Charlie-Marie time and she LOVED it!

We had a lot of fun watching the food network channel and cooking and getting fun ideas since most of the week we were getting the peripheral rains and storms from Tropical Storm Alex.  We also got to do a little bit of shopping.  Luckily there were about 2 really beautiful days and one of them Tori and Mom actually got to enjoy the bathwater warm emerald waters.  It really is paradise here!

It was so fun and wonderful to have them here and I can't wait to see them again! 

6 Months!

Last Wednesday marked 6 months of life with Charlie-Marie.  What a joy it has been to watch her grow.  I keep thinking she was just born and then I realize how much time has passed.  Lately when people at church see her they comment on how big she is getting.  I didn't realize just how much until I held a friend's 5 day old baby who was the same length as Charlie and only 7 ounces more.  I held him thinking there was no way Charlie-Marie was EVER that small!  But she was!

Today was her 6 month check up and she is weighing in at 14 lbs 14.5 oz. (50th percentile!) and 25.5 in (25th percentile!).  She also got shots and this was the first time she seemed to recognize someone was causing her pain.  She did really well until that very last shot (a big one), even then she calmed down as soon as we left the room, but she had one giant tear in the corner of her eye as I watched Dan carry her out.

She is developing so fast and strong.  She is rolling, sitting, laughing, and a new development is screaming.  She loves to do short little shrieks - happy ones, but still shrieks.  She doesn't do it to get attention, she is just finding her voice and using it weather she can tell if anyone is around or not.  Sometimes I hear her in bed just shrieking, laughing, and talking to herself...or maybe her mobile friends.  She has been getting up onto all fours for a split second and just today she got right up onto her hands and knees and started rocking, I couldn't believe it!  True mobility is right around the corner and I don't think she even knows what she will be cabable of.  I do and I am thrilled and terrified!

We've been been introducing solid foods for breakfast and dinner over the last month and she is getting pretty good at eating from the spoon.  Her favorites are carrots, sweet potatoes, and peaches.  She'll even take the peaches cold.  Her least favorite is squash and peas.  I don't blame her.  I love squash and peas, but in baby food form it kind of stinks and tastes, honestly, a little nasty!

She loves to see everything, and NOTHING gets past her.  Her favorite spot lately is in our hiking backpack while I move around the house.  She loves the view and to see what I am doing or turn her head and see around the room.  She is VERY interested in our food and especially the cups that go up to our mouths.  Today we let her knaw on a mango and she LOVED it.

It is so exciting to watch her grow and I hope you enjoy reading about it too.  I feel so blessed to be her mother and witness her life.  I love her SO much!

I Made It Monday: M'Jaddara (Palestinian Rice with Lentils and Browned Onions

Note:  I did not take this picture - I found it online!

In an attempt to find hearty, satisfying and nutritionally balanced foods I have been trying to cook more with rice and lentils.  My Mom had this wonderful recipe.  It is SO good (especially the onions)!  It is relatively easy, it just takes some forethought to remember to soak the lentils and rice.  I made it once adhearing strictly to the recipe, then I made it again with some of my Mom's suggestions and preferred her additions.  Let me know if you try it and if you like it or not.

Lentils are high in protein and are a great source for iron, contain dietary fiber, folate, and vitamin B1.  When mixed with a grain, like rice, it becomes a complete protein (meaning it contains a sufficient amount of all 8 of the essential amino acids that support the human body and biological functions).  They are a great source of protein and iron for vegetarians and are a less expensive alternative to meats.


I have to admit I ran into a few challenges in regards to this recipe.  Not because of the recipe's difficulty, but because of my sometimes shut-down brain.  I was in the grocery store looking for lentils, but I kept thinking I was looking for Legumes.  I couldn't find Legumes anywhere and not a single store clerk knew what to direct me to.  I kept thinking, hasn't ANYBODY ever heard of Legumes?  Then when talking to my mom on the phone I realized my mix-up.  The other issue was forgetting to drain the lentils.  I had poured most of the water out, but I didn't think I really needed to waste the time and dishes in draining thoroughly...yeah...do you know what happens when water hits hot oil?...It spits like the 4th of July!  Luckily I had quick reflexes and feet, just wish my brain could be too...

Palestinian Rice with Lentils and Browned Onions (M'Jaddara)
1 cup (6 oz) lentils, picked over, washed, and drained (I like the green lentils, but they can be harder to find)
2 cups basmati rice, washed in several changes of water and drained
1/2 cup olive oil
2 medium onions (8 oz), peeled, halved lengthwise, and then thinly sliced crosswise (This is the BEST part of the recipe!  You cannot have too many, I would even do more the next time I do it.)
1 tsp ground cumin (my mom suggests more and I agree)
freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
4 cups of water (my Mom suggests adding some soup base - like chicken or vegetable, I agree, it adds a little more flavor to the rice and lentils).

-  Soak the lentils in water to cover by 3 inches for 3-4 hours.  Drain
-  Soak the rice in water to cover by 3 inches for 30 minutes.  Drain
-  Put the oil in a wide, heavy, medium pan or pot and set over med-high heat.
-  When hot, put in onions.  Stir and fry for about 12 minutes, or until onion is dark brown and crisp.  Lower the heat by degrees as they darken.  Remove with a slotted spoon and spread on paper towel lined plate.
-  Turn heat to med and add drained lentils and rice into remaining onion-flavored oil.
-  Add cumin, generous amt of black pepper and the salt.
-  Gently saute rice and lentils for 5 minutes
-  Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil
-  Cover very tightly, turn the heat down to very low, and cook gently for 25 minutes.
-  Fluff rice and lentils and spread on serving plate.  Sprinkle the onions on top
(serves 6-8)

Flashback to Washington Trip April 2010

I've realized there is no way to catch-up on everything I had hoped to in the last several months so I will just do flashbacks now and then as time and motivation arise.  I often think up these great, intricate, time-consuming ideas for my blog.  Then when I realize the time it would take and that it isn't realistic to accomplish I just don't blog at all, so instead of feeling pressured to blog EVERYTHING, I will blog what I can when I can.  I have been wanting to blog for a LONG time about our trip to Washington in April.  It seems so long ago, but it really wasn't.  Charlie-Marie and I flew out together then Dan joined us the last week and we all flew home together (which was so nice!).  Flying out was pretty crazy.  Not because of the baby, she was an angel, but I started to get Mastitis near the beginning of the 6 hour flight and had a fever, chills, and achiness.  The little screen in front of my seat gave an estimated time of arrival depending on our speed, wind, etc. and I kept checking it hoping time would go faster (which it never does when you watch it).   The ETA stayed at 30 minutes for an hour!  I thought I would go crazy.  BUT we made it and it made the flight home with Dan heaven.

We had an amazing time with family and a few friends.  I didn't get to see everyone I had hoped, but we did the best we could at the time.  It was so fun to introduce Charlie to some of her aunts, uncles, and even 2 cousins.  Brandi came with her two boys to Charlie-Marie's baby blessing.  It was a big sacrifice for her, but it meant so much to us.  We did a lot of firsts and Charlie loved it all.  She loves her family very much!  I think she missed all the excitement when we got home and she only had 2 admirers.  I couldn't possibly tell everything in the entire trip so I will just show pictures and hopefully they can better show how much fun we had.

Flashback to April 18th, 2010

Charlie-Marie's Blessing Day

In our church we have what is called a baby blessing.  It is in some ways a name giving ceremony.  It is a ceremony of sorts where the baby is given a name and given blessings and guidance by a man holding the priesthood authority (which in many cases is the father).  In our case it was Dan.  It was a very special day for us and a very beautiful blessing.  It was very special to see Dan so lovingly holding and blessing his daughter.  It just increased my love for them both.  It was so special to share it with family and friends.  We were able to have it done when we visited Washington so that the majority of our families would be able to be present.  It was so wonderful and memorable.  Mookie made the blessing dress herself with a matching headband and of course a little bling (bracelet).  Brandi and David made the cutest pale pink silky shoes.  

She truly looked like an angel!  

After church we had a family luncheon and kept trying to get pictures, but our little angel was quite sleep deprived and as tired as she was she would not sleep, but when she was awake she was crying so we missed our chance for a group picture so here is what we have.

I Made It Monday returns!

Mel was right!  It is time for a come back of the "I Made It Monday" posts.  This time around you will be seeing a lack of milk, eggs, and wheat.  At least until I find out more about what exactly I am allergic to of these foods.  I don't know if it is wheat, gluten, milk, all dairy, or what have you.  I am determined to find fun, tasty, nutritious, and hopefully not too complicated recipes to meet my nutritional needs and the needs of my taste buds.

This week is starting simple with something Dan and I have been trying the last few weeks...

GREEN SMOOTHIES!!!

It is your basic fruit smoothie with a little twist - spinach.  I know, it sounds disgusting, but it ISN'T.  You can't even tell there is spinach in the drink at all!  (I've heard you can do kale, but it is a little more noticeable - spinach works just fine for us).  It has been wonderful the last few weeks with so much fresh fruit at great prices in the grocery stores.  Lately we have been using blueberries, strawberries, sometimes peaches, sometimes raspberries, or whatever fruit we have on hand.  We were using bananas until we figured out the bananas were giving me stomachaches.  You can use the fruit fresh or frozen (if you like an icy smoothie).  So just put whatever fruit you want, then add a handful of spinach (usually about one per person), add orange juice, blend, then enjoy!

A little bit of this and that

Wow, I have not been much of a blogger lately. Dan is currently working nights which has been challenging in many ways, but we are getting through it. In the last month I have been up to this and that. Mostly I have been happily distracted by

THIS:

And we also had some of a much needed

THIS:

In order to keep my Florida nursing licence I have been doing some of

THIS:

And I also got to see

THIS:

And I've also been going through

THIS:

(allergy skin testing - NOT my back!)
and THAT:

to find out I am a very allergic person. Some allergies I knew about others I didn't.

So I am trying to not eat any of

THIS:

THIS:

or THIS:

which is much harder than I thought it would be.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July from our little firecracker!