Happy Mother’s Day!
May 8th, 2011 § 1 Comment
Happy Mother’s Day to my mom, my sisters, my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law, Peter’s GiGis, and all my mother friends! I hope you’re all treated like the queens you are on this special day <3 <3
I also want to say "Thank You" to my Peters for making me a Mommy. Thank you, thank you, thank you for making my life better than I ever imagined. I love you to the moon and back, a million times. xoxo
My Dark Secret
May 5th, 2011 § 4 Comments
First of all: Happy Cinco de Mayo! I hope some Mexican food and a margarita are on your agenda today. I was in Starbucks this morning and a man asked the barista “What’s today’s date?” The barista chirped, “It’s Cinco de Mayo!” and in an irritated tone the man snapped, “No, what is the date?” Um, yeah. Not his finest moment, I’m sure. Kudos to the barista for not laughing in his face when she answered, “It’s May 5th.”
Anyway, I thought I’d share one of my deepest, darkest secrets today. Here it goes: I’m a history nerd.
Yes, hello, my name is Amy and I’m a history nerd.
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I’m interested in all kinds of history, but I get especially nutty over Biblical history.
For my 30th birthday, I fled the country and spent 3 weeks working on an archaelogical dig in Israel. Each day, rather than finding proof of Saint Peter’s house in the sand, I found camels’ teeth, multiple mouthfuls of camels’ teeth… but those teeth were hundreds, if not a thousand, years old! Cool, right?! (Uh, right?)
Here’s a picture of me on my birthday, riding, you guessed it, a camel through the banana plantation on the grounds of the kibbutz I was staying at:
(Riding the camel was great fun until it came time to dismount. That was one of the most painful experiences of my life. I think even more painful than my natural childbirth experience.) I have many more pictures of my trip, but unfortunately, they’re all hardcopy. One of these days I’ll scan and share them. It was an awesome experience.
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Two weeks ago, after digging a hole in our yard to transplant a maple tree (which Peter insists is an apple tree), my husband came into the house to tell me that he found a bunch of pottery shards. My heart started pounding, my mind started whirling, and I broke into a sweat, imagining that our house was sitting atop a 17th century village. Visions of grids danced in my head while I wracked my brain thinking about how best to excavate the yard. But, sadly, the “pottery,” turned out to be broken china from the early-mid 20th century. It was still cool, but not as cool as living atop an old village. Le sigh.
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As early as the fourth grade, I was into old things. After a field trip to Old Sturbridge Village, I became so infatuated with the olden days that I wrote to the Village asking if I could work there in the summer. There was nothing I wanted more than to churn butter in 100 degree weather while wearing a bonnet and a calico dress.
That could have been me on the right side!
My application was rejected, but my dream never died.
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I spent most of my adult life working at a publishing company that archived primary source material (original books, photos, newspapers, sheet music, diaries, etc.) on microfilm. Supposedly, we had the 10th largest library in the world in our vault. To keep up with technology, we began to digitize the microfilm, which allowed the primary sources to be fully searchable online. For most of my time at the company I was enthralled, not exactly with my job, but with the material I was working with.
Hello, my name is Amy, and I love primary sources.
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I love antiques and artifacts of all sorts, but I tend to gravitate towards old books. One of my most favorite possessions is an old book titled “The Importance of Living,” which I found at a used book sale in Vermont. I started flipping through the pages and found underlined passages, pieces of fabric, news clippings from the 1940s, dried flowers, and even a feather, pressed between the yellowed pages. I couldn’t help but wonder who saved those items and why he or she saved them. I did find a name written in the book, Gertrude Miriam Potwin, but Google turned up nothing on her! Just for fun, here are some pictures of another person’s treasures, possibly Gertrude’s, saved in the pages of a book for me to find decades later:
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So, there you have it. I feel kind of liberated now that my secret has been shared! From this day forward, I shall wear my bonnets and calico dresses with pride!
My husband will be thrilled.
Pretty Things Tuesday: On Wednesday
May 4th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
(Better late than never!)
Hello! How are you today? We’re doing pretty well, despite fighting off another sore throat. Honestly, I kind of can’t wait for preschool to be over in a month. The germs produced and shared by those 14 adorable kids in that little classroom nearly incapacitated me this year. Clearly, I need to build up my immune system. But who cares about that.
Today is about pretty things, and I’m excited to show you my first Craigslist purchase:
A new made-in-America Ethan Allen coffee table! Can you believe it’s the first time I’ve used Craigslist?!? I’m so 2003!
As much as I love pretty things and home decor, I rarely (ok, never) buy large items for my home. Before I married, I was a vagabond, moving from apartment to apartment every few years and making do with whatever beat up hand-me-down furniture I could get my hands on from friends and family. Sure, I purchased pillows and other decorations to make the place of the moment look cute and homey, but I never bit the bullet and invested in good furniture.
In those days, I thought of money in terms of how many bottles of wine or how many trips it could buy. $1500 for a new couch? That could buy 100 bottles of wine or round trip tickets to visit my best friends in Vegas and Seattle! I also figured: why spend money on stuff that may not fit in my next apartment? For years my mattress was on a futon frame. It didn’t bother me–I liked, and still do like, the platform bed look! (Although, we have moved on up to a real bed frame, minus a headboard. It’s on the list of things to get.)
I was hesitant to invest time or money in decorating the house we’re in now because we thought we’d move from here to our “forever home” in 4 or 5 years. Well, as I mentioned in an earlier post, it appears that we’re on a 10 year plan here. With that reality staring me in the face, I decided that now is the time to put on my big girl panties and make this house a permanent home. The days of rolling stone youth, flowing wine, and frivolous trips are over, so there should be money in the budget for real furniture.
I’m not in a huge rush to buy things. The coffee table was first on the list because our old coffee table was just disgusting. It had a rattan top that had become encrusted with old food and play-doh. Since we do all of our entertaining in our living room, I was at the point where I was embarrassed to serve appetizers on it!
Anyway, I plan on buying as many items as possible (console table, end table, dining room furniture, etc.) from second-hand sources like Craigslist, antique stores, and yard/estate sales for 3 reasons:
1. Financial benefit- Second-hand items are less expensive than new items. I bought the coffee table for less than half of the retail price. There are a few small scratches and marks on it, but nothing really noticeable. I negotiated a little bit and got $20 knocked off the asking price. Honestly, the asking price was totally reasonable, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to haggle a little bit. (And I can use that 20 bucks to buy a bottle of wine! Just kidding.)
2. Environmental benefit - Why buy new things (most likely manufactured in a foreign country using questionable materials) that will just end up in a landfill someday, when there are plenty of previously loved, quality things in good condition? Save trees and create less pollution by buying second-hand.
3. Uniqueness benefit – I’m going for a beachy-cottagey look here and luckily that style lends itself well to second-hand shopping. I love Pottery Barn, West Elm, and Restoration Hardware as much as the next person, and I’m sure I’ll buy some things from a name brand at some point, but I don’t want my house to look like a catalog picture. I’m excited to go on the hunt for unique, great quality items that I truly love.
I’m indebted to The Nesting Place newsletter for inspiring me to go on the second-hand special hunt!
Have a good night!
Thoughts and Prayers
April 28th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Vegetarian Taco Night
April 27th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Hi~
How are you doing?
We had a pretty busy day today running errands (I think I’ve mentioned this before, but when I say “errands,” Peter thinks I’m saying “Erin,” who is his aunt, my sister, and he assumes we’re going to her house to see his cousins. When we end up at CVS, he’s always disappointed. That got me thinking about other words he may misconstrue, and I realized that when I say “Ugh, I’m draggin’ today,” he probably thinks I’m saying ”Ugh, I’m a dragon today.”)
My dragon avatar
Anyway, in the car on the way home from karate this afternoon I asked Peter what he wanted for dinner and he replied: “Moe’s.” I almost said “OK,” but then I remembered that we had corn tortillas, rice, frozen corn, salsa, cheese, olives, and plain yogurt at home. All we needed for the at-home-Moe’s- experience were black beans, guacamole, and lettuce. Off to the nearest chain grocery store we went.
Unfortunately, the store did not have limes or cilantro, so our guacamole topping was reduced to a plain avocado topping. The store also didn’t have any fresh looking organic lettuce, so I opted for organic broccoli sprouts thinking that they would add the cold, crunchy texture that is essential to a good taco. (Did you know that I can’t say “taco” without laughing? I don’t know why; it just sounds funny to me. And I absolutely cannot say “fish taco.” It sounds repulsive. They should be renamed ”fish enchiladas.” I also can’t say “moist.” I don’t know what’s wrong with me.)
In any case, Cinco de Mayo is next Thursday…perhaps you can celebrate with these tacos (hee-hee).
Moe’s-at-home Vegetarian Tacos
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked brown rice (you’ll probably have leftover rice. I cook my rice in vegetable broth instead of plain water for extra flavor.)
1 can organic black beans, rinsed and drained
6 oz. frozen organic corn
1/2 c. jarred salsa (or homemade if you’re ambitious)
1/2 c. goat’s milk cheddar cheese, shredded (or whatever shredded cheese you like)
1/2 c. chopped olives, black or kalamata
1 avocado, sliced (or make guacamole. I urge you to make guacamole because it’s awesome.)
1/2 c. organic plain yogurt
1/2 c. organic broccoli sprouts (or shredded organic lettuce)
6 5 1/2″ round corn (or flour) tortillas (preferably organic)
Directions:
1. Cook rice according to package directions. When done, place in bowl and set aside.
2. In the same pot you used to cook the rice, add black beans, frozen corn and salsa. Cook over medium heat until very warm throughout.
3. When the bean mixture is warm, heat up a skillet to warm your corn tortillas. In case you didn’t know, tortillas tear if you try to fold them while cold. Warm the tortillas for about 15 seconds on each side until they feel pliable.
4. Take a tortilla and place about one tablespoon of rice down the middle. On top of the rice, pile on one or two tablespoons of the bean mixture, a big pinch or two of shredded cheese and olives, a slice or two of avocado, and a large pinch of broccoli sprouts. Add a dollop or two of plain yogurt on top, fold into a taco shape, and enjoy.
They’re messy to eat–I had to help Peter eat his. But, all in all, I think they’re a fairly quick, pretty healthy alternative to fast Mexican-type food. I have to say, the plain yogurt really tied it all together for me, but I’m sure if I had guacamole I would’ve skipped the yogurt since I’m still limiting cow dairy in my diet.
Do you have a favorite vegetarian taco recipe?
Pretty Things Tuesday: Adding to the Collection
April 26th, 2011 § 2 Comments
Hi there,
I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend!
Peter had a lot of fun during an Easter egg hunt with his cousin, Matthew, and a slew of second-cousins.
So, I received a lovely gift from my husband’s grandmother, Peter’s “GiGi” (great-grandmother), this weekend:
…a couple of additions to my little owl family! They are actually vintage banks. My husband’s late grandfather, Peter’s great-grandfather, Peter, Jr., (did you know that my son is “Peter the fifth?” And did you also know that my father’s name is Peter? We’ve got a case of “Peter” overload up in here), well, years ago Peter, Jr. collected banks.
One day my thoughtful sister-in-law, Andrea, saw this pair in GiGi’s basement and told her about my thing for owls. Well, GiGi shined these babies up and gave them to me this weekend. Sadly, I never had the chance to meet Peter, Jr., since he passed away five years before I started dating my husband, but I feel very special to now have part of his collection in my collection. I will take very good care of them. Thank you Ange and GiGi 
Enjoy your day!
Happy Earth Day
April 22nd, 2011 § Leave a Comment
And while we’re at it, Happy Easter, too!
Please, at the very least, take a moment to be grateful for the earth today. Without it, where would you be? Here’s the post I wrote on Earth Day last year.
We need to save it for the next generation and all the generations yet to come.
While I’m not a religious person (spiritual, yes. “Religious,” no), on Sunday and, in fact, today on Good Friday, it would be nice if you thought about why we’re celebrating this holiday weekend. It really has nothing to do with a bunny and chocolate eggs.
With that said, enjoy the holiday and the time spent with family. And stay out of your kids’ Easter baskets. Really, that candy is nasty. Just read the ingredients label. If you need a sugar fix, find a piece of good quality dark chocolate, or heck, a bowl of chocolate chia seed pudding!
Have a great weekend!
Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
April 21st, 2011 § 2 Comments
Hello! I hope you’re having a fabulous day! Peter and I were nearly blown away when we went out to pick up some groceries. It’s so, so windy out there!
Chia pet
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 C unsweetened almond milk (or your favorite alternative)
- 2 tbsp agave, brown rice syrup, maple syrup or stevia to taste (Note: I used maple syrup – pwa)
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder *
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Directions
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover, and place in fridge over night. If the pudding is too thick the next day, you can add a little more almond milk to thin it out.
*If your cocoa powder is lumpy, put it in a fine mesh strainer and push it through said strainer with the back of a spoon. You’ll end up with lovely clump-free powder in your bowl which will be easier to incorporate with the other ingredients.
I hope you give this a try. If chocolate pudding isn’t your thing, you could always just add a couple of tablespoons of the seeds to your oatmeal, yogurt, or smoothies. The seeds are flavorless as far as I can tell; they just form a gel-like texture when mixed with liquid.
Let me know what you think!
Greens and Quinoa Pie
April 19th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Good morning~
I thought I’d re-post this recipe for Greens and Quinoa Pie for my friends who will be celebrating Passover this week.
For some reason, I haven’t made this dish since last year. It sounds so good, I think I’ll make it tonight!
Enjoy!
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Well, the March 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times (VT) has not let me down this week. I made another great dinner tonight. However, just to warn you, it’s not a 30-minute meal. Especially if one has to keep bringing a certain two-year-old upstairs for time-out. (He was in rare form today, fo sho).
But anyyywaayyy, the recipe, Greens and Quinoa Pie, is actually included in an article entitled “Super Seder.” During Passover “most grains and, in some Jewish cultures, all beans and legumes” cannot be eaten. In addition, “the symbolic meal features meat (a roasted lamb shank bone is traditional on the seder plate),” which is obviously not ideal for a vegetarian. Hence, Myra Kornfeld put together a vegetarian seder menu that “highlights the bounty of spring.” This pie is the centerpiece of her menu. Check out pages 50-53 of VT for the accompanying dishes.
[Ok, so my husband just came home, made himself a dish, and is now saying "mmmm" and "this is amazing." He's now asking me to report that Berkshire Brewing Co.'s Coffeehouse Porter is a great complement to the dish. And now he just said that the pie "may be his new favorite." And now he's going back for seconds. This is riveting stuff right here. I bet it's almost as exciting as the blog updates he posted during my 30-hour labor.]
If you’re part of CSA or are growing your own greens, this recipe is a great way to use them.
Greens and Quinoa Pie*
Serves 6. Gluten free
Technically, quinoa is not a grain (it’s related to spinach and chard), so it’s perfect for Passover. Here, spring greens are wilted then mixed with quinoa and cheese for a golden-crusted savory pie.
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 large bunch chicory (1 to 1 1/4 lb.), cut into bite-sized pieces (bottom 1 1/2 inches of hard stems removed) (Note: I used 2 bunches of Swiss chard instead)
1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
3 Tbs. olive oil, divided
2 medium onions, thinly sliced (2 cups)
2 green onions, thinly sliced (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, preferably Greek (1 oz.)
1/4 cup grated aged goat cheese or Swiss cheese (1 oz.) (Note: I used Swiss)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1. Place quinoa in small saucepan, and toast over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until almost dry. Add 1 cup water and season with salt, if desired. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and transfer to large bowl.
2. Heat large pot over medium heat. Add chicory, and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until wilted, stirring frequently or tossing with tongs. Add romaine, and wilt 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer greens to strainer, and squeeze out excess moisture. Transfer to cutting board, and chop into small pieces. Stir greens into quinoa.
3. Preheat oven to 350F. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, and saute 10 minutes, or until browned. Add cooked onions, green onions, dill, feta cheese, and goat cheese to quinoa mixture. Stir in eggs; season with salt and pepper, if desired.
4. Pour 1 Tbs. oil into 9-inch pie pan, and place in oven. Heat 5 minutes, or until oil is hot. Swirl oil to coat bottom of pan, then spread quinoa mixture in pan with spatula. Bake 20 minutes. Drizzle pie with remaining 1 Tbs. oil, and bake 20 to 30 minutes more, or until golden brown.
Per slice: 233 cal.; 10 g prot.; 13 g total fat (4 g sat fat); 20 g carb; 115 mg chol.; 149 mg sod.; 7 g fiber; 4 g sugars
- Greens & Quinoa Pie
*Again, I copied the recipe verbatim from the March 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 51.
I would say that this recipe gets 5 out of 5 “mmms.”
Carrot Raisin (or Cranberry) Cookies
April 18th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
If there were a spanking machine for bad bloggers, I would be first in line. Not only because I like to be spanked, but because I’m an awful blogger. (Ba-bum-bum!)
I’m mystified by my lack of posts. No, that’s a lie. I’m not mystified. I know what’s going on… I love to write and share information, but I suffer from writer’s block and a bit of an identity crisis when it comes to this blog. Here’s the problem:
I enjoy sharing recipes, even though the majority of the recipes I share were created by other bloggers (why read the recipes here if you can find them on another site?). I find it fun to share pictures of things that I think are pretty, but honestly, what value do those posts add to a reader’s life? I love sharing stories about Peter and the adventures of motherhood, but I’m cautious (perhaps overly cautious) of over-sharing.
Therein lies the existential question: who is purewellnessamy and what is her purpose? Ha ha – I’m sure you’re saying to yourself “Dude, all I wanted was a cookie recipe.” It’s coming up, I promise.
So, there’s that and there’s also the matter of time. Since becoming a stay-at-home mom I have developed abysmal time-management skills. I’ve become a modern-day Scarlett O’Hara who believes that “tomorrow is another day.” When friends and family ask about my blogging (or lack of blogging), I set down my mint julep, fan myself, and reply in a Southern drawl: “Why, I just can’t find the time.”
And that, my friends, is such a bullshit excuse that my eyes have turned from Bonnie Blue to deep cesspool brown.
If I wanted to find the time to blog, I would find the time to blog. Plain and simple.
So, that’s that. Ultimately, I have to decide whether I want to find the time to uncover the true identity of this little northeast corner of the blogosphere. Or not.
I think I’m going to give myself a little more time, do a little more soul-searching, and see which decision my gut spits out.
It could be that I simply got into a rut during the long, cold, gray winter and it’ll just take some spring sunshine, birds, and buds to get me inspired again!
In the meantime, as promised, here’s a cookie recipe that I’ve come to love and crave. These are cookies that can really be called a “healthy snack,” since they are vegan and contain fruits, a vegetable, and nuts! Like the banana sunflower seed cookie recipe I posted a while ago, these cookies could be considered a quick breakfast or a snack.
Oh, and I find that these cookies are not best fresh out of the oven. I think their taste and texture improve by the next day or even two days later.
Carrot Raisin/Cranberry Cookies
Makes approx. 30 cookies
Adapted from Big Girls, Small Kitchen
Ingredients
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup spelt flour (or you can use 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour.)
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup light brown sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
¾ cup finely grated carrots
1/3 cup raisins or cranberries
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (either pan toast, or bake in convection oven for a few minutes until they’re browned)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Mix together the mashed banana with the sugar, syrup, and carrots until the sugar is dissolved.
Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Add the raisins and nuts and mix until they’re distributed throughout.
Drop tablespoons of the dough on to a cookie sheet. Flatten each ball slightly. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies have darkened a bit – but don’t overcook. Remove to a plate to cool.
