Color for your day

Happy Tuesday!

I can't help it. I'm addicted to 20x200. I'm finding so many fun, inspirational photos. I hope this photo brightens your day like it did mine!

Winter Flags by Younga Park

So the Gluten Free Goddess just posted a great recipe. I've made this before in various forms when I've been on a quinoa kick, and I got a rice cooker for Christmas this year with the intention of always having some brown rice, millet or quinoa cooking and ready to eat. Most of these wheat free grains/seeds can be eaten with just about anything (add sweet potatoes, beans, chicken to the quinoa etc) and are so easy and filling. I love this combo though because so full of color!

Quinoa Salad Recipe with Roasted Beets, Chick Peas, Baby Spinach and Orange

3 cups cooked quinoa
While the quinoa is cooking, roast the beets:
2 beets, trimmed and quartered
Olive oil
Sea salt

In a medium roasting pan, combine the cut beets with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of sea salt. Place the pan in the center of a pre-heated oven and roast until the beets are tender (roughly 45 minutes). Remove the beets from the hot pan and set them aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, rub off the skin. Cut the beets into bite sized pieces.

Meanwhile make your salad dressing:
1/4 cup fruity olive oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons wheat free soy sauce
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon agave or local honey

Combine the dressing ingredients and whisk. Set aside.

To make the salad:

Combine the warm, cooked quinoa in a mixing bowl with:
1 cup drained rinsed chick peas
2 handfulls of baby spinach leaves
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

Pour in the salad dressing and toss lightly. Season with sea salt and pepper, to taste.

Calm week ahead

I've been busy. Open house this weekend and another birthday party.  Feeling a little out of balance, but this week is low key and I'm going to take full advantage.

So I'm not in organizing mode right now but I've heard alot of chatter lately that there is an New Year's organizing trend happening, so I thought I'd share this photo. In my next house, when I have more pantry space (fingers crossed), this is what I will aspire too.  I love order, so ofcourse this is perfection for me.

I also love being able to use glass instead of plastic and the idea of buying in bulk, therefore saving money. I made a decision this weekend after chatting with a relative who is particularly good at saving money on food to buy bulk snack items instead of the prepacked snack foods for lunch boxes. Not to name names but snack packs of veggie booty are way over priced! So I'm going to try stick to raisins, pretzels,  fresh whole fruit, nuts and blue corn chips. We'll see if my kids get on board!

As for containers, I know alot of people who use the BPA-free Bento lunch boxes for kids lunches. I try to stay away from plastics altogether so I've been using LunchBots and Kids Konserve containers. They are a small initial investment but it's so worth not having to use plastic bags over and over. And there is no worry about chemical leakage from plastic. And they are dishwasher safe ofcourse.  Isn't it great we have all of these options! You can go to their direct website, but also find deals on Amazon.

What am I missing - any other frugal, eco ideas or products for school lunches out there?

H E L K A T

I was starting a post today about calendars for the new year when I came across these sweet homemade hand printed pillows from an artist on Etsy. Each one is separately hand printed and one of a kind. Aren't they great? This artist is from the UK. Here is a direct link to her Etsy shop:  HELKATDESIGN. They average around $54 and you will find over 124 different pillow designs on her Etsy site.

My favorite is the lone red wolf pillow below. Wouldn't he be striking on almost any piece of furniture?

birthday and balloons

My Henry turned 6 years old today.  We're so proud of his growth this year and ofcourse he is just over the moon about turning one year older, getting more presents and having a party.  Although I have to admit, having a birthday to plan so close to Christmas is difficult, and it can be overkill for Henry after the excitement and presents from Christmas. So I *try* to make it more about the birthday celebration than the gifts.

With that in mind, I had the idea yesterday to fill his bedroom with balloons, so when he woke up, he would see a sea of colorful balloons. But because he's been waking up coughing lately in the middle of the night, I thought I'd play it safe and keep the balloons downstairs. Which is what I did with about 25 balloons.

Peter said Henry was ecstatic this morning when he woke up and came downstairs to a sea of balloons, more so than I ever thought he would be. Success! 

Look at the color. Aren't balloons just the best?

So what do you think? I love the idea of making birthdays fun and exciting and creative for kids and less about the materialistic stuff.....any other ideas out there?

I miss you

"Can you have a crush on a city? Every now and then I can't help myself. I lower my guard and let New York City overwhelm my skeptical photographer's eye, my cautious intellectual side, and I end up with an unabashedly romantic take on the town that has been my home for twenty-six years.........when the summer sun is low and the streets are wet and the clouds are snagged by tall, tall buildings, I trust my heart and I wrap myself around these streets like I'm in love, even when I know this town is going to break my heart right around the next corner. " 

 

Well written by photographer Joseph O. Holmes.

Joseph O. Holmes. Central Park South

I couldn't resist this photo. I just bought this print from a site I found called www.20x200.com - every piece of art if just $20. Cool, new, accessible art. Very clever.

Nothing more to say about the photo. Mr. Holmes summed it up perfectly.

If only..

I lived in a cool loft in Soho/NYC like these lucky people. I would definitely have a trapeze swing in my living room!

Photo from Milk Magazine

Don't you love this? Ofcourse I'm already scheming on how I can work this into my house now. Ceilings a tad too low. But maybe from the huge tree in my backyard. Hummm......

Back to business

Happy New Year! 

Whew, didn't mean to be away from blogland for so long. Christmas festivities, travel, family visits and re-enty into a routine has kept me away. Lots of fun and quality time with family and friends, but now it's time to refocus and re-prioritize for the coming year. I think it's great we have this time every year to at least think about the changes we want to make in our lives. Even if we don't act right away, I think the process itself gets us at least closer to realizing the goal.

That said, one of my priorities will be better eating. So, for the month of January my goal is to cook more, and......eliminate sugar. I loved all the holiday food over the past few weeks, but from trials in the past, I know I feel much better when I go without sugar. So here I go again. Anyone else in? It's not that hard, I swear!

If you can get past the first week or two of withdrawl, literally, then you're home free (unless ofcourse you cheat). And I'm not suggesting a sugar-free year, only a month. As a trial. To experience the health changes.  When doing this in the past, although brutal for a few days, I felt incredibly calm, mood swings went awat, and I experienced way way better sleep. That's me ofcourse. I wonder how other people will feel?

So to remove sugar: remove honey, molasses, white and brown sugar and all the derivatives, chemical or otherwise. I allow myself stevia and fruit juice sweetened stuff. Here are some other tips....

A good book I found as a good reference the last time I did this.

GT Organic Raw Kombucha drinks are a lifesaver, especially when withdrawling from sugar. They actually use sugar to brew the Kombucha but the good bacteria eats it all up, so other than then fruit juice that's added, it's all good! And it helps with sugar cravings. Most natural grocers carry these, and Whole Foods or you can order them in bulk here.

And if you're in a real bind and crave sugar, Dagoba 87% dark chocolate works too. A wee bit of sugar but no big deal. I love this brand. The best.

Wish me luck! And ditto to anyone else who goes for it!