Crunchy Family Rising

Retro Post: Baby, it's cold outside!

Baby, it’s cold outside!

January 19th, 2008

It is really, really cold outside. In fact, in my area it currently feels like -9 degrees F and it’s only going to get colder this weekend. I think we’ll be spending the weekend inside, thanks. So, being cooped up with two toddlers and a hubby who is currently practicing Peanut Fu, I’m wondering: What are we going to do this weekend to keep from driving one another crazy?

There will be plenty of warm drinks. I’ll be limiting the hot cocoa since I don’t want Kairi (my 3 year old) bouncing off the walls. Tea is always nice. I have Kids Cuppa, Ginseng Peppermint, Sleepytime. I have an entire cabinet full of tea! Well, a box full of tea actually, since we’re living with the inlaws, it used to be a cabinet full though lol Another great winter drink is warm milk with a little real vanilla extract, very yummyful!

Board games aren’t really an option for us, the kids are too young for them. I tried teaching Kairi to play Candyland before we moved in December; she wanted all the cards to herself and had no interest in the board itself. I’m sure Gavin would love the board…. to chew on, throw, as a hat, a bed, a fort,etc. That’s ok, all the board games are in storage anyway.

Arts and crafts are generally a fun passtime with Kairi and even Gavin is learning how fun drawing and painting can be. Sadly, messmaking is rather frowned upon in my MIL’s home (she’s a huge clean-freak) so anything drippy, gloppy,sticky or smearable is disqualified. I think we may spend some time coloring. If I get really adventurous we might start on our valentine cards.

Baking. I think this may be the weekend winner. I’ve been wanting to bake cookies with the kids for a while now and I think we’l t least make a batch of sugar cookies before Monday. I love making cookies so I’m prety excited about it.

I’d love to hear others’ plans or the weekend! What does your family do when it’s just too yucky to venture outside?

(oh, and five points to those who “get” the Peanut Fu reference!)

Retro Post: Crunchify

Crunchify

January 16th, 2008

OK, so “crunchify” isn’t a real word, I’m going to use it anyway. I have been working on crunchifying my life for the better part of 4 years. I’ve never been completely mainstream,I was homeschooled for 7th grade, after which I became a bonafied “unschooler” which I very much enjoyed since I was able to “follow my bliss” as it were. I’ve always enjoyed being a little “different.”

Since becoming a parent it has become more and more my passion to live more naturally, more in the flow of life rather than against my instincts. I birthed at home - once with midwives and once unassisted, I breastfeed, practice child-led weaning (although sometimes I wonder if I’m insane for this… my 3 year old nurses more than my 1 year old), recycle everything I can (did you know that the polystyrene egg cartons are recyclable?), cloth diaper (I’m stalking the mailman for my Fuzzi Bunz bought 2nd hand off of DiaperSwappers.com ), babywear , co-sleep, use cloth menstrual pads and “family cloth” (that’s the nice way of saying cloth wipes instead of toilet paper), we use fabric shopping bags instead of plastic, my kids don’t eat anything with artificial additives, I made our laundry detergent (still looking for the perfect recipe), we use only compact fluorescent light bulbs (or we did before moving)…

Even with all of those things I want more crunchiness. There are still much healthier choices to be made within our family. We want to go solar, get a hybrid car (actually Mike wants a hydrogen-powered car), garden and eat our own organic veggies, buy local organic meats (no chances of us going vegetarian, we’re omnivores), raise chickens for fresh eggs and pest control, build our dome home, unschool the kids (ok, we’re starting on that already), put out a clothesline, get Mike to stop drinking Pepsi.

OK, if it were up to me we’d live in the mountains in a yurt on solar power (with satellite internet of course!), bartering for the food we didn’t grow ourselves, making our own clothes, while the kids play with all-wood toys and never watch TV again. Not gonna happen. But I am still striving to bring our family to a crunchier, greener way of life.

Retro Post: Crisp Rice Treats

Crisp Rice Treats

January 9th, 2008

A Feingold-friendly recipe for a really yummy snack!

I'll post my marshmallow recipe separately.

Crisp Rice Treats

ingredients:

3 Tbsp butter
1/2 homemade marshmallow recipe
6 cups crisp rice cereal (please note: Rice Crispies are NOT Feingold aproved, they use BHA in the packaging)

instructions:
1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
2. Add crisp rice cereal. Stir until well coated.
3.Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into alightly buttered or dusted 13×9 inch pan. Let cool, and cut into 2 inch squares.
Best served the same day.

Retro Post: Daddy's Feingol-Friendly Alfredo Recipe

Daddy’s Feingold-Friendly Alfredo Recipe

December 29th, 2007

Here’s the recipe I promised. I expected to post this much sooner, but we moved in with the In-Laws over the holidays, so everything was up in the air for a while.

Daddy’s Alfredo Dinner

ingredients

1 lb pasta (we like rotini)
1-2 chicken breasts cut up into 1 inch pieces
one good sized stalk of brocoli choped up into small pieces
about 1 cup mushrooms cut up
1-2 cloves of garlic

sauce:
2 Tbsp sweet butter melted
1 cup heavy cream, warmed
3/4 c parmesan cheese (fresh grated is best but from the can will work also)
salt and pepper to taste

~cook pasta and brocolli together in a large pot, drain and return to pot

~cook chicken and garlic together, add in mushrooms when the chicken is almost done.

~add all sauce ingredients together in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, mix sauce with a fine wire wisk.

~add chicken and mushrooms to sauce and serve over pasta.

We’re still working out how to store and reheat for best results with leftovers, if anyone has any suggestions I would *love* to hear about it!