One of my new year's resolutions is to laugh more. And as I sat thinking about just how I would go about doing that, I remembered a valuable reminder I got from my friend Lesley last year.
In November, hubby and I spent a weekend down in the US visiting one of my best friends. Lesley and her husband live in a terrific town where they are raising their beautiful 18 month old twins. We went down to see our friends, and to get in some retail therapy (I don't like shopping, so I only go about twice a year and do some major damage). We had a terrific weekend where we got to spend some time with Lesley and her family, and we spent some time out shopping on our own. My friend is a dynamo. She used to be an executive, but now stays home with her beautiful babes and does an incredible job managing them and the rest of her household. It's incredible, she has everything down to a science, and her kids are happy - and they all really enjoy being a family. It made me realize that I don't enjoy my kids as much as I should, that sometimes I tend to see parenting as a job and not as the blessing and privilege that it is.
Watching her with her babies made me realize that I don't actually play with my kids anymore. With the exception of a few minutes in the kitchen prepping their meals and snacks, my friend was 100% present and active with her kids while they were awake. She read to them, played with their toys with them, chased after them..... it was inspiring. Please don't get me wrong, I too read to my kids, and play with them, and go on outings, but my philosophy on toys is that they are there to entertain the kids, not me. But watching Lesley taught me that I have to take the time to get down on my kids' levels and play with them, with their toys - something I haven't been doing as much since they have gotten older. So instead of setting out their crayons and paper, I will sit and colour with them. Instead of setting up their play dough and letting them play, I will sit and create with them. Okay, who am I kidding, maybe not all the time - but I will certainly do it more often!
Now, I have to admit that some of my friends warned me not to post this - because in their mind all parents play actively with their children from the time they get up to the time they go to bed........and that by posting this I am admitting to some huge parenting flaw. Well, I don't think I'm alone on this, I think that moms like Lesley are the exception rather than the rule. So, thank you my good friend, for the valuable reminder. I think it will go a long way in helping me laugh more.
Now that I have put this out there, I am afraid the next thing I will "learn" is that when I schedule play dates for my kids, that I am actually supposed to play with them? Nah, I am certain that the point of play dates is so the kids can entertain themselves for a few hours (while I provide the odd snack and referee any arguments), right?
Friday, January 7, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Go-to Lunches: Hearty Nine Bean Soup
Lunch stresses me out. Breakfast is easy, dinner is a planned event - but lunches..... they just get on my nerves. So, to combat this flaw in my domestic skills, I have come up with some go-to lunches, that either live happily in my pantry, or that I can make once and eat several times during the week. Today I am going to share one of my favourites, which I make once a week (especially during the winter), and enjoy for several lunches throughout the week, my Hearty 9 Bean Soup.
Hearty Nine Bean Soup
Soak your 1 cup of bean blend for several hours (I just throw them in a bowl, cover with water and leave in the fridge overnight).
Heat 2 tbsp of oil on med-high heat and add onion, celery and garlic, and cook for approx 5 minutes until celery and onion are translucent. Add your beans, tomatoes, chicken broth and water, and turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once at a boil reduce heat to low and simmer soup for 1.5 to 2 hours, until beans are cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste (I do this at the end because adding salt to raw beans makes their skins tough). When ready to serve, ladle into a bowl and for an extra little treat, sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese. YUM! The best part about this recipe is that it keeps quite happily in the fridge for a week, and whenever I want some, I just heat up a bowl and lunch is done! If you really want to pack in some extra nutrition, try adding a handful of spinach leaves when you are re-heating.
**BEAN BLEND - I go out about once a year and buy a bag of each of the 9 beans, mix them all up in a very large storage jar/container, and I have them on hand, already mixed and ready to go whenever I want. You could probably even buy a bag of bean mix that they sell in the store - use whatever beans you want! Here are the 9 beans that I use in my mix:
- whole green peas
- red split lentils
-whole green lentils
-small red beans
-pinto beans
-black eyed beans
-light red kidney beans
-black beans (don't over-use these, they tend to make the soup too dark)
-small white beans (I think I used navy beans in this batch)
But like I said, use whatever beans you have/like. It's a simple, satisfying and healthy recipe!
This is the bean blend after it has soaked overnight. It triples in volume!
Ok, my food photography skills could use some work, but trust me, it's easy and delicious. Here is my most recent batch ready to go into the fridge, where it will be waiting for lunch anytime I want!
 |
| Ready to eat with a handful of spinach thrown in, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. YUM! |
Hearty Nine Bean Soup
- 2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
- 1 onion coarsely chopped
- 0.5 cup of chopped celery
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup of bean blend *
- 4 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you want to make this purely vegetarian)
- 2 cups water
- 1 28oz tin of diced tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
Soak your 1 cup of bean blend for several hours (I just throw them in a bowl, cover with water and leave in the fridge overnight).
Heat 2 tbsp of oil on med-high heat and add onion, celery and garlic, and cook for approx 5 minutes until celery and onion are translucent. Add your beans, tomatoes, chicken broth and water, and turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once at a boil reduce heat to low and simmer soup for 1.5 to 2 hours, until beans are cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste (I do this at the end because adding salt to raw beans makes their skins tough). When ready to serve, ladle into a bowl and for an extra little treat, sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese. YUM! The best part about this recipe is that it keeps quite happily in the fridge for a week, and whenever I want some, I just heat up a bowl and lunch is done! If you really want to pack in some extra nutrition, try adding a handful of spinach leaves when you are re-heating.
**BEAN BLEND - I go out about once a year and buy a bag of each of the 9 beans, mix them all up in a very large storage jar/container, and I have them on hand, already mixed and ready to go whenever I want. You could probably even buy a bag of bean mix that they sell in the store - use whatever beans you want! Here are the 9 beans that I use in my mix:
- whole green peas
- red split lentils
-whole green lentils
-small red beans
-pinto beans
-black eyed beans
-light red kidney beans
-black beans (don't over-use these, they tend to make the soup too dark)
-small white beans (I think I used navy beans in this batch)
But like I said, use whatever beans you have/like. It's a simple, satisfying and healthy recipe!
This is the bean blend after it has soaked overnight. It triples in volume!
Ok, my food photography skills could use some work, but trust me, it's easy and delicious. Here is my most recent batch ready to go into the fridge, where it will be waiting for lunch anytime I want!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Not the kind of purging I had in mind....
My mother had graciously offered to take the kids early in the afternoon on New Year's Day, so that hubby and I could enjoy some peace and quiet while we put Christmas away, and found homes for all the new toys that came into the house over the holidays. Nothing gets hubby more randy than the prospect of a good purge (he loves getting rid of stuff) - but New Year's day had another type of purge in mind.....My stomach was rather unsettled (and it wasn't from drinking the night before), and by evening it was official, I had a stomach bug that had me in bed (or hugging the toilet) for the rest of the night. Not quite the type of purging I had in mind....
Luckily before I felt sick, we did manage to put all of the holiday decorations away, pack up some toys to donate, tidy my daughter's room and go through some boxes we wanted to get rid of in the office. Still pretty productive - but not everything I wanted to get done with the burst of New Year's resolve that I have to get rid of all the crap that clutters my house.
Now, I figured the bright side here was that with the stomach flu I could get a start on my passive aggressive weight loss strategy (see my new year's resolutions). Hey, if I am not eating for over 24 hours, I am bound to lose some weight, right? WRONG!!! Seriously??!!! Are you kidding me???? I gained 5 pounds.
Excuse me while I go inhale a cheesecake, looks like my body needs some reverse psychology.
Luckily before I felt sick, we did manage to put all of the holiday decorations away, pack up some toys to donate, tidy my daughter's room and go through some boxes we wanted to get rid of in the office. Still pretty productive - but not everything I wanted to get done with the burst of New Year's resolve that I have to get rid of all the crap that clutters my house.
Now, I figured the bright side here was that with the stomach flu I could get a start on my passive aggressive weight loss strategy (see my new year's resolutions). Hey, if I am not eating for over 24 hours, I am bound to lose some weight, right? WRONG!!! Seriously??!!! Are you kidding me???? I gained 5 pounds.
Excuse me while I go inhale a cheesecake, looks like my body needs some reverse psychology.
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