Cucumber smoothie

Minty Cucumber smoothie


1 big cucumber, peeled
a handful of mint leaves
about 12 stevia leaves
7-10 ice cubes
water so the blender will blend

Throw it all in the blender and blend...
That's all, and the picky eater who will sometimes eat cucumbers gave the thumbs up.  He liked it.

Ceiling Fans! Part One :D

I'm so happy!  I've been searching for a decent ceiling fan that won't crack me in the head or chop off my fingertips every time I stretch (yes, occasionally I try to get a workout at home).  Well... hopefully they won't...

First, let me fill you in about what I learned while shopping for ceiling fans.  The most reliable, quiet, quality fans are Casablanca and Hunter fans.  I'm sure there are others, maybe Emerson, but these are the two I looked at.  Casablanca fans are more expensive, and I couldn't find one within my price range (as cheap as possible) so I looked at the Hunter fans.  Now, the fans are supposedly most efficient if they are 7ft-8ft above the floor, and since I have a 8ft ceiling, that gave me no room for "most efficient."  I considered a flush mount fan (also called hugger), but found the drop was similar, about 14-15".  And the one Hunter hugger fan I found had LED lighting which looked like a yellowy-greenish alien cave glowy thingie... uh... no thanks.  Also, flush mount fans are even less efficient at circulating air, due to being so close to the ceiling... I guess fans gotta breathe too :).   

Anyway, with my low ceiling,  I couldn't find a fan with a good light here that was less than 16" down.  Not much breathing room.  Oh... and I also wanted one with a matte nickle finish like our other light.  At last I found an affordable one ($169.00 each) with only a 14.5" drop.  That'll do... I'm short... DH doesn't workout, my kids are all short (for now).   So here is a pic of the fans I'll be installing.  Nice eh?

 Now, please don't tell me anything negative about this fan.  I know it doesn't circulate as much air as some of the other ones I've seen.  But I can't raise the ceiling, and DH insisted on a Hunter fan, so I had to compromise.  I know I'm gonna definitely need some help with this project.  Last time I installed a simple light fixture, I had to yell for help and my DH held the light while I wired it up.  This time, it'll be a little heavier, and more complex.  But I have better help...

I now have a good friend whom I do some sewing for who is also a handyman by trade.  :)  Yippee!  He's offered to help me install them on his next day off.  There will be another post with pictures when that happens, so I can remember what we did.  I might want to install a fan in our bedroom one day...

Pina Colada smoothie

Yup... it taste just like a pina colada (virgin version).
1 big kale leaf
2 slices of pineapple
about a table spoon of coconut oil
flax seeds
ice cubes
soy milk
Blend it up and you have a drinkable kale concoction. My kids don't like it because they don't like pineapple, but I couldn't even taste the kale.

Green Smoothies

Okay... I'm adding green smoothies to our diet.  After seeing an ND for the last 3 months, I've decided that a change in our diet is necessary.  I've slowly been adding more fruits and veggies, fish and healthier grains to our diet and have just started on the green smoothie path...

I'll start posting some recipes that the kids actually drink.  Unfortunately, DH refuses to try them.  But the kids are all willing.  I'm hoping my youngest will stop getting sick all the time, and my daughter is hoping her skin will be "BEAUTIFUL!"  I'm sure it'll help. 

This morning, I shoved a couple handfuls of spinach, two apples, a cup of ice cubes, a squirt of honey, and a splash of water (to get things blending) into the blender.  My son drank it up after an initial... "uh... I don't know if I like it...."  My daughter fell asleep in the car, so I ended up drinking hers (along with mine).  Edible, but not the best smoothie I've ever had...

I'll continue to post recipes and pics on my healthy foods adventures as time permits... 

Bento: Zippys

DH wanted a big meal and bought  everything he wanted for lunch AND dinner.  So all I had to do was pack tonight's Bento.  Chili and rice with Broasted chicken, a bit of kim chee and some carrot flowers.  The chili has a piece of wax paper separating it from the rice. Easy peasy...

That's a huge amount of food, but he'll be happy.  He's a big guy.   Must plan for more bentos next week.  The veggies only lasted two days last week...  This week I'll plan a little better....

Experimental Bento: SPAM musubi SUCCESS!

SPAM Musubi

Tamago (egg)

broccoli

bean sprouts

mandarin orange (Cuties)

soy beans

Tofu 

carrot flowers

I used the prepared naked SPAM musubi to make today's lunches, so 20 minutes was enough time to put these together.  The frozen musubi took almost 4 minutes to heat to make the rice soft again.  I wrapped them with fresh musubi nori and cooked some scrambled eggs.  Yes, they're a little bit overcooked, but they'll taste fine anyway.   I cubed some tofu (which I'll probably use the rest at dinner time tonite), and peeled some Cuties.  Stick it all in the box, and it's ready! 

Nori won't be crisp, but it won't be mushy either.  I think the only complaint will be... "one isn't enough!"  Yeah?  Well too bad,  'cuz this is a well balanced meal and is no more than you should have for lunch.  ;D

Experimental Bento: SUCCESS! (So far so good)

The kids are at school, DH went to work and they were all very happy to have a bento to take with them.  This one is mine...  DH and the kids have a little bit more chicken, there was just enough for everyone, if one person is a light eater.

On Today's Menu:

Mochiko chicken

3 small rice shapes or 2 Nori wrapped Rice balls (DH had ume inside his)

bean sprouts

broccoli

grapes

soybeans

decorated with some carrot flowers

DH also had kim chee as requested

The chicken and rice took up about 1/2 the bento, the rest of the space was filled with the veggies/fruits.  But OMG!  The chicken was delicious!  The soy beans were yummy, the rice balls were cute and the meal was balanced.  Everything looks fresh and tasty, you'd never know the beansprouts and broccoli were made 2 days ago. 

I woke up 30 minutes early to make the lunches.  It took about 25minutes to cook the chicken, but I'm sure if I had an appropriate sized pan and enough oil to fill it, it would've been cut down to 15.  Unfortunately, I have one that's perfect for one egg, and another that's perfect for a huge, daddy-size, filled with goodies omelet.  I need something in between. While the chicken cooked, I put together the rice balls,  and filled the bento.  Not so bad...

So here's a bento, wrapped in a napkin, packed and ready to go:

Some notes for next time:

• If I want to make those cute little faces, cut the nori the night before. 
• Make sure there's enough rice for me
• Buy a bigger Fry pan. 
• Cut grapes to serving size and store in a bag too. 

So what's on the menu for next time?  (someday soon, I still have beansprouts and other fruit/veggie fillers)
SPAM Musubi
Tamago (Egg)
And veggie/fruit fillers 

If all works out, I'll have to buy REAL Bento boxes and some of those neat little chopstick cases for us so they don't poke through my napkins... :D