Apr 13

March’s Crafts

I am way behind on posts this month. It seems like I barely have a minute to sit down at my laptop. I’ve got one kiddo home sick from school today, and my hubby is taking a much needed day off. I’m keeping a close eye on Dylan, as he is the poorly one. I really hope it is just a reaction to some bad allergies, and not something that is going to make it’s way through the household.

So on to March… I have a lot (a whole lot) of projects still in the works. I really need to get them wrapped up and completed.

I picked up some yarn for a blanket that I’m working on for Agnes, and a blanket that I’m working on for a Christmas gift.

I crocheted some colorful pony-tail holders for Agnes and I. These were very quick to crochet.

I made Agnes a chunky knitted scarf. While it is Spring in Kansas, the weather hasn’t switched all the way to Spring just yet. Also, black is her very favorite color right now, so she needed a new scarf. I’m getting a bit faster at knitting, and this chunky yarn knitted beautifully.

I’m gathering up a big basket of yarn for that Christmas gift that I was talking about earlier. I’m making a granny-square blanket for a very special someone.

One of the many yarn baskets that I keep around the house. I love to have a little knitting project to work on whenever I have a minute.

I finally finished knitting this seed-stitch scarf for my Mom. I meant to give it to her as a Christmas gift, but it took me a little bit longer than I had planned.

My craft-nook/craft-table is in quite a state. I have got to get this area of the house in a bit better condition. James has dubbed the craft area the Estro-corner, and that cracks me up.

I ordered myself a set of bamboo knitting needles. I absolutely love knitting with these. They also look cute on display too.

So this month has been crazy. I’m still working on ongoing projects, and trying to get the house in some state of o.k. before school is out next month.

 

 

Apr 11

This Can’t Be Right…

Tonight Thade and I are going to an enrollment meeting for High School… That’s right High School. I can’t believe it.

This kiddo of mine is growing up way too quickly…

 

Apr 5

Making Peace With: Kale and Tofu

As I’m venturing along on this vegan path, I noticed that I’m still afraid to use some plant-based ingredients. It seems silly, I shouldn’t be scared of plants.  I have even avoided some foods all together, just because I didn’t know just what to do with them. I’ve decided to break out of my comfort zone, and try a few new things.

I started off at the grocery store and checked to see what was on sale in the fruit and veggie aisle. I found Tofu for $2.49, and Kale for $.99 , so I picked them both up. I had a few ideas what to do with the Kale, but with the Tofu, I had no clue.

So I took the Tofu to instagram.

I had a lot of help with recipes, ideas, and even some prep tips too. I also checked out some recipes on pinterest. It is nice having a community online that can help out with vegan meals.

So here’s what I ended up making with Tofu.

Well I decided the best way to try out Tofu was in snack form. Not the healthiest, but it was quite delicious. I whipped up a batch of Not Sour Cream but Tofu and Onion Dip. I loved it!

I added in some of the dip, along with sauteed kale into a spicy burrito bowl. It was amazingly good!

I marinated some of the Tofu in soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and wasabi. I coated it in a little corn-starch and made a quick veggie stir-fry. The texture was fantastic, and the Tofu was very tasty.

And then I discovered Tofu Scrambles. Just in case you didn’t already know I am horribly allergic to eggs, and I love scrambled eggs. Going vegan cuts out the possibility of using eggs, and really helps my allergy. Tofu makes a mean scramble that tastes better than any egg.

I sauteed the Tofu along with Kale and Nutritional Yeast. I then proceeded to make this for just about every single meal for a week.

I made a Tofu scramble with Asparagus and Red Potatoes. It was unreal. The addition of nutritional yeast really makes the dish delicious.

The Tofu scramble is a great way to use up pre-cooked veggies in the fridge too. I could eat this dish for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, in the car as a wrap, and now I’m hungry.

I nerded out the other day when I found a coupon on the Tofu that was already on sale. Vegan win!

So let’s see what we can do with Kale…

First, cleaning it and chopping it. It needs a good swish under the faucet, and then I remove the smaller leaves, that don’t need a chop. Don’t forget to remove the woody stem. I then roll the Kale into a neat little burrito and get to chopping.

It is very versatile. You can bake with it, sautee it, stir-fry it, use it uncooked, and it blends beautifully into soup. I was surprised at just how much I really loved this green.

I thinned down a bit of vegan scalloped potatoes with veggie stock and rice milk. I added in the Kale and let it simmer. This soup was incredible.

I stewed them in a mixture of veggie stock, garlic, onions, salt & pepper, and lemon juice. I served them alongside a baked sweet potato. It was fantastic.

I added pre-cooked (sauteed) Kale into a burrito bowl. I ate a fair amount of chips and guacamole too. The Kale adds just that little hint of green, and the extra vitamins don’t hurt either.

I made some vegan French Toast and a Kale and Tofu scramble.

I also made it into a snack. I added in raw Kale to a mean and green Tofu and Kale dip. Oh man, this was really good. It was good on toast and crackers too.

I added Kale into a batch of vegan scalloped Red Potatoes. It was so good.

I blistered some tiny tomatoes, and sauteed some Kale for dinner. My kids thought it looked really good, but I couldn’t get anyone to try it… Oh well, more Kale for me.

Since I have tried both of these ingredients out, I have added them to my weekly shopping. I’m now keeping Kale and Tofu in the fridge ready to go! Vegetables are tasty, and not too scary when you give them a try.

 

 

Mar 31

Well At Least I Tried It

I’ve almost completed my third month of being a vegan, and I’m trying to branch out and try new things. We have more and more vegan items popping up at our local stores, and if they fit my budget, I throw them in the shopping cart. Some of the things that I have tried, I’ve liked. Some of the items that I’ve tried, I really haven’t liked. I thought I’d review some of the items, and see if you’ve tried them and liked them more than I did.

Again, this is not a sponsored post, I made zero dollars from my blog. It would be awesome to get paid doing this though, because then I could buy more yarn.

Well, at least I tried it… But I’m not a fan.

I’m always looking for snack foods that I can grab and go. I’m still hungry all the time, and I don’t always want to cook. I picked up these Vegan Quinoa Sticks in hopes that I would like them, but I really didn’t… They seemed to lack a lot of flavor, and they were a bit greasy. I made some mashed avocado, to try them with, and that did help a bit.

I think these come in a few other flavors, so if you’ve tried them, let me know if you liked them.

Yves Kale & Quinoa bites are a staple in my fridge. They are easy to throw together for a filling vegan meal. Well I went to get them at the store, Yves Vegan Falfel were stocked in their place. I have wanted to try Falafel, so I decided to give it a shot.

Dangit! I just wasn’t a fan of it… Maybe I would like them if they were homemade. I’m going to try and make them from scratch, because the seasoning was a bit strong.

I didn’t let them go to waste though…

I decided to shred them up, add some taco seasoning, and make vegan tacos!

It made perfect taco filling, and even fooled the family. I couldn’t get them to try it, but they all asked why I was eating regular tacos.

So I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Falafel, but my goodness the Falafel Tacos were unreal!

So if you have tried this brand of Falafel, let me know if you liked it. If there happens to be another vegan brand that you like better, let me know about it too.

Well it is Saturday, and the kids have cleaned out the kitchen of everything edible again. I am off to the stores today, and maybe I’ll find some more vegan goodies.