Meatless meals

I always fall back on the favorite Lentil Casserole, but my friend Becky proposed a new stand-in that was surprisingly good. Both my husband and daughter ate two bowls of it each.

Apparently this is from Nourishing Traditions?

Barley and Broccoli Casserole

2 cups barley, soaked overnight, drained
4 cups chicken broth
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. broccoli, trimmed into florets
16 oz cottage cheese
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper.

Cook the barley in the chicken broth (I added the garlic midway through). Then mix together the remaining ingredients, minus the cheese, and season. Put into a 9X13 pan and sprinkle with the cheese. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Granola

Among our all things fall activities, Kate and I made an exceptionally good batch of granola the other day, using her fresh little pumpkin we baked.
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Pumpkin Granola

In a large mixing bowl, mix together:
9 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup each: coconut, sunflower seeds and pepitas
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice
1 Tbsp. ginger

Boil in a medium saucepan:
1 cup honey
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 c. oil
1 cup water
1 cup pumpkin puree
Once brought to a boil, remove from heat and add 1 tsp. each vanilla and almond extract

Pour wet over dry ingredients, mix thoroughly, let stand 5-10 minutes. Bake on 2 foil-lined baking 1/2 sheet pans at 325 for 15-20 minutes. Stir and rotate pans. Bake an additional 15 minutes. Continue this process until granola is lightly browned. Let cool completely and store in an air-tight container.

Enjoy!

Halloween

A spur of the moment trip to Old Navy got me this costume for Kate for $1...loving the coupon blogs...so we went with the theme. Kitty cats and Travis wore a "Hello. I'm ___" sticker as "Tom Kat..and those are my kittens". As you can tell, Kate liked the loot better capturing the event. Should have taken the pictures earlier.

Announcement

If you didn't catch it on facebook...Number 2 Baby is on their way-- due around late May.
I only had three weeks of feeling nauseous and fatigue--and at week 10 I am feeling much better. Sonogram pictures were done but the baby looks like a gummy bear, according to the sonographer, which is funny, but accurate. We'll get some better pictures around 20 weeks, as well as hopefully figure out if it's a girl or boy!

Kate at 15-16 months

We went to a late night party the other night...and she has NO problem staying up late when around other people. This is the cute shirt my brother gave her last Christmas...glad it got cold enough the other day for her to wear it before she grows out of it. These pictures show a little of her faces--the 'whoa" face she makes when something delights or surprises her. More teeth are coming in slowly: she has all four front teeth, one eye tooth, and one molar. We're working on the other molar on top. Maybe then she'll chew some meat. She has about 40-50 words, not clearly spoken but intentional, nonetheless. At her check-up she was 75th percentile for height and 60th percentile for weight, and her head is still a peanut.
Her favorite comedian is Mason, aka "Mace", who makes her laugh like no one else. You can view it here if you're on facebook. She has more attitude than ever, keeping us busy with her "mean" face and her opinions on what she does and doesn't want to do.
Most of all we are happy that she is a healthy, beautiful little girl who bring everyone so much joy!