Easing back into blogging, I thought I'd share a recipe.  This is a great one for a few reasons.  It is really tasty, healthy, cheap, super simple to throw together, and you can serve it when you have your vegan or vegetarian people over. 

Here's the original recipe, but I triple it for us and then we have some leftover.  You can really just use any salsa you like or have in the house.  I cook mine longer than the 2- 3 hours (especially because I triple or quadruple it) that it says.  In fact, it's 8 am and I've already got ours going for dinner tonight. 

Inspired by one of my favorite blogs, I decided to join in their "Day in the Life" series.  So here it is, Wednesday, January 30th-

5:25 Kate wakes me up because her ear hurts and she wants some Tylenol.  I take care of her and go back to bed.

5:45 am I hear Pete's alarm and since I can't sleep and he's making the coffee I decide to just get up.  I spend some with coffee and the Word- always the best start to a day!


6:30 I get bread dough going and make the granola bars I've been promising the kids- since I told them I'm not buying them anymore.

6:50 Finish my coffee, eat some of my favorite black cherry greek yogurt (wondering if I really should because I think it may be dairy that irritates my system??), and enjoy the calm before the storm.

7am a parade of girls emerges from their room, excited about eating the granola bars, but first a cuddle on the couch.  I read the littles a story (not my favorite book, but they do love it) and encourage Kate to start the laundry- it's her day to do the girls' clothes.

7:30 I find Teshome doing his independent school work before our school day even "officially" begins.  He wants to be done so he can play. 



7:40 The kids eat breakfast and I go take my shower.

8:10 I have my second breakfast

8:40 I leave the four oldest home alone (for the first time!!)  to run a few quick errands. While I'm gone they do their "rotations." This is when they spend 30 minutes on each of 4 different things- piano, devotions, chores, and xtramath / typing.

9:45 Home from errands, I put the bread in the oven and spend some time doing reading and phonics with Ella and Charlotte. 

10:30 The kids have a snack, I take the bread out of the oven and make a batch of my FAVORITE salsa.

10:45 The 4 youngest listen to our monthly memory work playlist (math, geography, history, catechism set to music) while they color.
I have a snack- chips and salsa, of course!  Peter and Kate do their independent work.

11am Meeting with Maddie and Teshome- this is when we do spelling, grammar, writing (since it's Wednesday), their Tapestry of Grace map of the week, and anything else I need to help them with.
Peter and Kate do independent work, Ella and Charlotte play.

11:40 Peter and Kate make lunch for the kids so I can keep working with Maddie and Teshome.

12:10 Kids eat lunch.  I tackle the dishes that have piled up so far today

12:20 I help Teshome with a story he had trouble with in his Beyond the Code book (he ate REALLY fast today!)

12:30 I eat lunch, work on the dishes again and call a friend.

1:15 Meeting with Peter and Kate.  This is when we do grammar, writing (since it's Wednesday), their Tapestry of Grace map of the week, history/ literature discussion (depending on the day of the week), and just basically check in on all of their assignments.
Ella and Charlotte do xtramath and the other 2 play.  A certain someone always needs help in the bathroom during this time- and there are sometimes squabbles to settle, but overall it's time to focus on my 2 oldest.

2:30 I finish with Peter and Kate and gather everyone around the table to color while they listen to me read aloud from some of this week's history assignment.

3pm Snack time for the kids. 




3:15 Rest time for all of us.  The kids go to their rooms to read quietly for an hour and my brain gets a much needed break from answering questions.  It's a LOVELY hour!  I knit, have a cup of tea and some chocolate.

4:15 I decide to keep knitting.  I don't have to make supper tonight because we're heading to church in an hour for a youth group fundraiser supper.

7:15 We're home from the soup supper.  Pete leaves to do a piano move with a cousin (we gave the cousin ours and we are taking Pete's parents') while I send the kids to get ready for bed and finish the dishes I had left to soak. 

7:30 I read to the littles while the other 4 play then I knit (yes, when I have a project going I can be a bit obsessed.)

8:15 I put the kids to bed and call my mom to chat for a bit

9pm I hit the couch to chill with some Haagen Dazs and some yarn and some conversation with my husband. 

10pm (ish) I hit the hay.  It's been a good day- and by good, I mean exhausting.

When the bananas on your counter start to get a little more ripe than you'd like for eating, but you aren't in the mood to make banana bread, try this unique "dessert" from The Soul of a New Cuisine by Marcus Samuelsson.  I made them for a snack a couple of weeks ago and may just make them again this week as we have an over abundance of ripening bananas.

3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 cups of oil for frying (could use less if you have a small pan and do several batches)
2 Tbsp honey

Combine the bananas, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth.
Heat 2 1/2 inches of oil in a pot to 325 degrees.  Working in batches, add the banana mixture, a heaping tablespoon at a time (I used my Pampered Chef large scoop which made it really easy to get uniform
sizes and have less mess), and fry until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes), turning once. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.  Dip in honey and enjoy!

Someday maybe I will have a fabulous camera and take pictures of the food I would love to share with you.  For now, a recipe will have to suffice.  Seriously, make these tasty little banana treats and you will not be disappointed. 

Pre-packaged microwave popcorn will no longer be purchased by us.  I have discovered the most tasty- and healthy- way to make popcorn quickly. To make it you will need the following:

a brown paper lunch sack
microwave
aprox 1/3 cup popcorn kernels
coarse sea salt
olive oil

Easy as can be, you put the popcorn in the bag, microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes (although microwaves vary so just stop it as soon as it stops popping or it will burn and stink the house up- and your hair and clothing- (or maybe only the bionic pregnant mama nose notices that?) for the rest of the day.  Pour into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, salt to taste and enjoy!!

For the past three mornings my body has woken up naturally at 5:30 am.  There is something about the way I am eating and drinking that has given me the ability to wake up  at the exact time that, for about a year and a half, I would set my alarm for and drag myself out of bed.  The differences are, I'm not setting an alarm and I'm not dragging!  I wake up feeling finished sleeping.  Also, I didn't have the "Sunday afternoon crash" yesterday that I normally get.  I can't help but wonder which of the dietary changes is most affecting my sleep cycle and energy level.  I don't know, but I'll keep doing what I'm doing for now.  Here's what I've changed-

I have cut out most wheat, dairy, and eggs.  I haven't had meat in nearly a week (to give my insides a rest) but we are having chicken for dinner tomorrow.  I haven't eaten anything processed or sugary (the most sugar I've had is a little dark chocolate).  I've also been starting each day with a cup of hot water with lemon and only one cup of coffee (rather than the usual 2- 2 1/2).  I drink a cup of iced black tea each day as well as a nice warm mug of hot ginger and peppermint tea close to bedtime.  Apparently these are all things that my body is thriving with.