Flax Bread

I've got this in the oven and will post a pic when done, the kitchen smells amazing and it's healthy! Go flax go!

Flax Bread
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
•2 cups flax seed meal
•1 Tablespoon baking powder
•1 teaspoon salt
•1-2 Tablespoons sweetening power from artificial sweetener
•5 beaten eggs
•1/2 cup water
•1/3 cup oil

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare pan (a 10X15 pan with sides works best) with oiled parchment paper or a silicone mat.

1) Mix dry ingredients well -- a whisk works well.
2) Add wet to dry, and combine well. Make sure there aren't obvious strings of egg white hanging out in the batter.
3) Let batter set for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken up some (leave it too long and it gets past the point where it's easy to spread.)
4) Pour batter onto pan. Because it's going to tend to mound in the middle, you'll get a more even thickness if you spread it away from the center somewhat, in roughly a rectangle an inch or two from the sides of the pan (you can go all the way to the edge, but it will be thinner).
5) Bake for about 20 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top and/or is visibly browning even more than flax already is.
6) Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want. You don't need a sharp knife; I usually just cut it with a spatula.

Nutritional Information: Each of 12 servings has less than a gram of effective carbohydrate (.7 grams to be exact) plus 5 grams fiber, 6 grams protein, and 185 calories.

Menu for Thursday, 9/24

Breakfast:
Pumpkin Banana Oatmeal
(photo and recipe courtesy Brandi from Core Board)


1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 sliced banana
little over a cup of water
pinch of salt

Cook in microwave. Then heat up about 1/3 – 1/2 cup pumpkin and stir in with some cinnamon. Topped with some Trader Joe’s trail mix.

back to it!

Tonight's menu serves 3 purposes: fast, healthy, and sure to impress James after he arrives home from the school retreat. It also marks the night that my house gets back to Core (which WeightWatchers thoughtfully changed the name to Simply Filling...sigh...) I've weaned the baby and now can begin my Slimming Down Routine Version 3.0!

I've done it before, I'll do it again.

Truly Easy Tilapia Night
Frozen Mediterranean-style tilapia filets
Whole wheat couscous
1 cup diced tomatoes
3 green onions
Fat free feta, crumbled
2 cups chopped fresh spinach

Zesty Tomato Dressing
5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons good olive oil
1 garlic clove, diced
1 teaspoon capers, drained
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Thaw and cook tilapia according to package directions. Cook couscous according to package directions. Combine all ingredients for dressing in food processor, serve over couscous and fish atop bed of spinach.

Thought for the day...

On taking your time...

'No great thing is created suddenly.' Epictetus

It takes time to build a relationship, a career, a house. If we try to speed the process up, we're likely to become frustrated. Worse, we may build something that is less than what we had hoped for. As you put together the pieces of your life, recognize that you cannot -- and should not -- hurry the important things. Whatever you build should be sturdy and long-lasting.

Biggest Bro and Baby

Jacob loves to hold his sister, and gives us some of the biggest smiles we've ever seen while doing so! Maggie is 6 weeks old already, we've moved at a warp speed through the first month.

What a cool gadget!

Aunt Allison and "Mr. James", her boyfriend, gifted us with a baby food maker, the Beaba Babycook. Mommy tested it out today and made applesauce for the kids...what a huge hit! We used fuji apples and water, that was it, and the end result was warm, delish & fresh applesauce without the typical jarred food aftertaste. The machine itself is quite small and we were able to steam and puree 3 apples at once, not bad! We steamed the pre-cut apples, kept the steaming liquid with the yummy nutrients intact and then pureed the juice back with the apples. Mommy can adjust the consistency of the applesauce for younger vs. older baby, how nice! The cleanup was simple, just a few small items to hand wash and we were done. Baby Maggie will certainly have some yummy foods when table feeding begins, and the best part is that she'll be able to eat what the rest of us are eating at the same time, no more "this for us, now what for the baby?" game we always used to play. We recommend this product to all Moms, and consider this a great hand-me-down for future cousins....hmm....Allison planned it all along!

Ryan turns 2!

Our little Ryan turned 2 on Friday and we celebrated in a big way on Saturday with a party in the park! Good friends and family came and fun was had by all. We're so blessed to have such great people in our lives to share in these special moments with us!

35 Weeks

I certainly may not look bigger than last week, but I feel it! Just a few more to go. This picture was taken on my way out the door to a bridal shower for a friend, I hadn't dressed up like this in weeks and needed to mark the occasion with a photograph. Thank you, Lucille!

I So Want One

I stumbled onto Yarnmonster's blog and immediately fell in love with their drawstring bag, it looks so simple to make, and the possibilities with fabrics and size are endless. I would like to convert the bag into a water resistant wet bag for the diaper bag and the laundry room, every dirty diaper deserves a pretty bag to put it in, right? Maybe it's the fact that I'm having a girl and the crafty hormones are at their peak, but I can't wait for my Mom to give me a sewing lesson with this pattern.

90 Degrees in April

James' grade school celebrated its 50th anniversary with a fabulous carnival this weekend. The only problem was that the heat didn't bode well for such a pregnant Momma. We braved it for 2 hours though, long enough for Jacob to wear himself out on the various inflatable houses and for Ryan to work up a sufficient sweat. I was just happy to capture a nice picture of them together, which is rare considering that they move at hummingbird speeds these days.

Maggie's Room - feeling crafty!

It is almost ready for baby! Here are some photos of the nursery, just waiting for Maggie to arrive. Her brothers are very interested in the baby gear we've pulled out of the attic. Ryan's testing out the bouncy seat every 5 minutes, I'm waiting for the 32 lb. toddler to break it....




I stenciled the flowers onto an old lamp shade, and the bug tiles were a gift from a Wesleyan Mom. The wall letters are simply pre-cut letters from Hobby Lobby with scrapbook paper pasted on and sealed, so easy and budget friendly. My friend Tracy got me hooked on making hairbows, these are my first attempts:

34 weeks

I am quickly approaching maximum capacity with this baby girl. I haven't posted belly shots thus far since they frighten me, but so many people have asked. Here you go!

The Fuzzi Bunz have arrived!

I'm so excited! Arrived home today to a UPS package on the doorstep - our first order of cloth diapers. I have spent weeks chatting with friends, reading website reviews, etc. to find the best type of CD (that's Cloth Diaper in Cloth Diaper Lingo, ha) for our family. You might ask, "Why the heck would lazy James and Abbie want to tackle cd'ing?" Well, money and reducing trash were the main reasons. We're trying to save where we can, and the prices of disposables are shocking to me lately. Good quality, well taken care of used cloth diapers have a decent resale value as well. I wanted some that didn't require me to buy new sizes as Maggie grew, so we went with an adjustable one size. I also didn't want to deal with pins and velcro that might curl in the wash, so we did a pocket diaper with snap closures. These things are so stinking cute, pardon the poop pun. I've washed them all and have them in pretty rows waiting for Maggie's cute bum...

UPDATE! We are trying out the cloth diapers on chunky monkey Ryan and they're working! Swishing poop diapers in the potty isn't fun, but I'm on the lookout for a deal on a mini shower that connects to the toilet, making cleaning the diapers much easier. The best advantage I've seen after only a few days is that Ryan's everlasting rash is GONE. I love this. By the way, yes, Ryan is wearing pink and purple diapers until we can purchase more manly colors!

Thought of the Day

A Day in the Dirt

Last Saturday I took the boys to my parents' future homesite in Dawsonville. James was on chaperone duty at Six Flags with the middle school band so I needed a reason to get out of the house! Little boys get tired of being indoors with pregnant Mommy very fast. SO, off we went, fresh faced and eager to start the day. I'm not sure why I felt the need to bathe the kids before we left the house...

Here is Jacob and his dump truck moments after jumping out of the car. He pushed his truck around collecting rocks for about an hour...intense focus on the task at hand!

Ryan wasn't so sure about his frog boots. After 3.5 minutes he was back in tennis shoes, and boy are those dirty! He pretty much stayed close to the Kubota, his safe haven from the dump truck monster. He was an observer on this day, not a do-er.


As Jacob grew tired of the dump truck, his eyes were diverted to a convenient mud puddle and the rest was history.

Let me just say that Mary Poole rocks with the Oxy Clean! I will spare you the details on the rest of our day, such as the car battery dying, etc. but we had a wonderful time and J & R slept VERY well that night.