See you this weekend!

Save the date if you haven't already, for our event: Diapers, Dads, and Drafts! Come for socialization, mini classes if you want to take advantage of them, and good food, drinks, and door prizes from our sponsors, which include The Ale House, Victoria Gastro Pub, Natty Boh, and Cookie Ride. We'll see you there!

Re-use: A $15 Patio Set Refinish

A couple years ago we picked up this old patio set from some friends who were moving and didn’t want it anymore. We figured we’d use it at our new place, but never did, it wasn’t really the “sit and relax outdoors” kind of neighborhood, so the already worn out set sat in the rain and the sun and the shed in rotation without any use, the handles getting a bit icker, the paint getting a bit chalkier, and the welding getting a bit rustier.  

We just moved again, and this time, I was thrilled to use the deck set finally, but upon moving it and trying it out, it was apparent that the set wasn’t just unappealing visually, but it would leave tracks of chalky worn out paint on your skin and clothes when you tried to move it or sit on it. Eww! I don’t want to be a chalky mess just because I was relaxing on the porch for a few minutes. Time to re-do! I   decided to do each piece a different color to lend a mis-matched but cohesive vibe, borrowing inspiration from peacocks and Fiestaware.

Needed:

Scotch brite pads

Rubbing alcohol

Old cloth

Outdoor OK Spray Paint with primer all in one

Drop cloth, tarp, newspaper, or any protector 

Spray off your old furniture to get rid of any grime, then let dry. Rub well over every surface with a scotch brite pad, buffing away anything that might interfere with the paint bonding to the surface.

Pour rubbing alcohol on an old cloth and wipe all the surfaces down, focusing on any dirt that might have escaped the spray down and the buffing with scotch brite. The alcohol will dry quickly and clean the surfaces to ensure the paint sticks well. 

Now you can start painting! My parents were in town visiting and helped me with the project. Dad reminded me to leave one spot open to let me turn over the piece I was working on. Work slowly and evenly, but not too close, paint will drip if you’re too close. 

Once you’re covered all the way, turn the piece over and get any spots you may have missed. Walk around the piece and look from every angle until you’re sure you’ve got all the spots covered. 

Let the paint dry according to the instructions, for our paint it was one hour of initial dry time, then 24 hours until use. The chairs aren’t sticky to touch and handled the rain quite well.  Now I’ll get a couple more seasons out of this set, and it cost me just a few dollars.

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Simple, Light, Refreshing: Infused Water

Infused water, it's amazing. Low to no calories while still being healthful, hydrating, and impressive if served while entertaining (or heck, impress yourself, I did! I made the photographed one as a reward for me, for transplanting a wild rose from the back yard to the front one.) There are so many variations, and they are a simple way to get myself to drink more water. What can I say? I think water is so boring! I know it's good for me, but I'd rather drink tea or kombucha or iced coffee or some other concoction. In the hot weather, I know I need just plain old water, but I don't wanna! So here's my compromise! Serve it in a large glass carafe or pitcher, in mason jars, in wine glasses, anything fun and fancy. It's like being little and playing tea party. :)

The one pictured is lemon and mint: to one gallon of plain filtered water (or whatever water you drink, ours is filtered from a well.), add a whole lemon, sliced thin, and a few stalks of mint, crushed gently. Let it sit and chill for 30 minutes to get a really good flavor to it, then serve over ice!

Other variations to play with: strawberry and basil, lime and mint, tangerine and cucumber, lemon and thyme, raspberry and rosemary. Fresh herbs, citrus fruits, and berries are all great items to start with. Nectarines, apples, pears, and other orchard fruits are lovely as well.  If you want to really live on the edge, try some edible florals, they all have unique essences to lend. The sky's the limit. Enjoy your de-boring-ified hydration!

Blueberry Muffin Mix Makeover

Duncan Hines is available at most national grocery chains, and is my choice for this mix makeover. We are always running low on time and high healthy ambitions these days. My goal is to make healthy eating easy on moms, while children consume with little or no protest. I have a 7 year old who fears seeds all of the sudden and a 2 year old who wants to only eat red bell peppers for every meal. Trust me, I have to take into account each child’s complaints each time I make a meal. Fresh baked muffins smell so good that even a picky eater might give it a taste test. When in doubt, tell the kids they are “cake muffins” and they will never know they are consuming the healthy additional ingredients that we are going to be throwing in!

You will need to preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl add-

1 Duncan Hines Simple Mornings muffin mix (there a few to choose from, I picked the Wild Maine Blueberry mix without the streusel topping.)
2 large eggs, whites only
2/3 cup Water
1/3 cup unsweetened natural applesauce
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon raw wheat germ
1 Tablespoon ground chia seeds
Raw walnuts optional

Mix well together

Carefully fold in 1 ½ cups of fresh blueberries. The mix comes with a can of blueberries but always use fresh if you have them on hand. I place the can on a shelf and save till can food drives and use them as donations or use them later in yogurt parfaits, smoothies, or other recipes when I am in a pinch.

Lightly spray muffin pan with EVOO cooking spray or line with paper liners. 

Fill almost to the top, yields about 10-12 muffins.

Vote to win!

If you missed it, we're looking for your voices to be heard on who the best local pediatrician is and why! Head on over to this post and vote, and while you're at it, let us know what category you'd like to vote on next! There's just 6 days left until we tally the votes for our pediatric care providers, and one lucky voter will get a greenberries gift certificate, you're entered just by voting!

Recipe: Tasty Taco Pasta

Our family usually eats leftovers as lunches, so we're always looking for ways to stretch a favorite meal (and a dollar) a little bit further.
Tacos are a favorite in our house, but they don't do leftovers well and they don't stretch very far. A few weeks ago I decided to try the traditional
taco flavors with a different twist and this is what happened. Since then, we've made it a few more times, tweaking and adjusting to get the recipe right.
This is the best combination we've come up with so far. My favorite aspects to this recipe are how much food it makes on a dime, easily lasting for a dinner and several lunches,
or a big potluck dish, and how easy it is to customize with fresh veggies, in a form my son will actually eat.

Tasty Taco Pasta:

1 lb. pasta of your choice, I use gluten free Fusili or Rotini, something that really holds the sauce in there!
1 lb. ground meat. I use a grassfed beef from my farmer, but any ground meat will do, or three cups cooked quinona or chopped cauliflower as substitutes
1 medium onion, diced
2 T. Olive Oil
1 T. minced garlic
2 t. Salt
1 t. black pepper
Taco seasoning enough for 1 lb of meat. I use a homemade blend: (2 TB New Mexico Red Chile Powder, hot. 1 TB. Oregano, or one drop Oregano essential oil. 2 t. Ground Cumin, 1 T. Salt, 1 t. Garlic, 1 T. Apple Cider Vinegar)
16 oz. jar of salsa, your choice! I use Green Mountain Gringo, either original Hot or Roasted Garlic
8 oz. can refried beans, I use Amy's with Green Chile
12 oz. beer or 1. cup of broth or water (yes, if you use a beer, the alcohol will cook out)
1/2 C. Sour Cream, with additional sour cream for topping and serving
1 lb. jack, cheddar, or colby cheese, or a blend, shredded
Toppings: (all optional) Lettuce, diced tomato, chopped fresh cilantro, black olives, avocado, chopped fresh peppers, corn, sour cream, salsa, taco sauce


Preheat your oven to 300 F

Cook your pasta according to their instructions, but remove and drain about 2 minutes early, really really al dente. The pasta will cook more in the oven

Pour your drained pasta into a casserole dish, I use a Pyrex 9.5 x 15 x 2. I don't grease my casserole and have had no trouble washing it, but you're welcome to oil your casserole dish lightly if you want.

In a large skillet or wok, saute the diced onions in the olive oil, they should cook to translucence

add your meat and cook through, stirring constantly. (*fun tip* for finer textured ground meat, cook with an old fashioned potato masher instead of a spoon)

Do not drain the meat, but add your taco seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic, and beer/broth/water. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.

Add the can of refried beans, fill the can with water and add that. Stir in half the jar of salsa, reserve the rest, and stir in the 1.2 cup of sour cream

Simmer and stir this until it is well mixed and hot throughout. Pour over the pasta in the casserole dish.

Top with shredded cheese and place in hot oven uncovered. Bake until bubbly at all edges and cheese is melted well.

Remove and let sit for 15 minutes, then top with remaining salsa, scoop and serve. I like mine served on a bed of fresh lettuce, topped with sour cream, fresh tomato, salsa, sliced avocado, and lots and lots of chopped cilantro, with a pinch of sea salt.

Recipe: Mom's Overninght Oats

Mom's Overnight Oats
 
1 crockpot
4 peeled and cut apples, any variety you choose (we love Fiji)
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup agave or raw sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup fresh apple cider, or pressed apple juice
1 1/2 cups filtered water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon or 4 sticks
2 tablespoons raw wheat germ (optional)
2 tablespoons chia seeds (optional)
1/2 cup Steel Cut Oats
 
Place apples on the bottom of the crockpot first.
Add ingredients as they are listed above.
Do not mix!
Apples will help oats from sticking to the bottom of dish.
Set crock pot to low and enjoy when you wake up.
For extra goodness, add fresh berries on top in the morning! 
(Not ice cream as my husband tends to recommend every time I cook this!)

photo credit: thecuriouscountrycook.blogspot.com