Rhode Island Summer

I am a Rhode Island girl tried and true. When I was little; every Friday morning we would go to the beach. It was my absolute favorite thing. I would always look forward to those days, salty hair and sandy toes. We would arrive early, and some days be the last to leave. 

Last summer my husband and I worked our bums off, and shared one car, working an hour away from home. There were endless trips in the car and not much time in the sun. We didn't even get to go to the beach once. I wasn't going to let that happen this summer.

I didn't realize how much time I was not spending with my little lady until, I got let go of work and spent every minute with her. I have had more fun with her in the past nine months than I knew was possible. Do not get me wrong I would love to be working right now to help support my family. But I'm not. I'm working from home. Where my time is most valued. I love watching my little lady grow and explore new things every day. Since we are living on a small budget, I try to find the fun in the little things. Okay I'm gonna list off a few fun things we have already done, or that are our go to favorites. 

The beach- all day, pack a lunch, dinner and pj's (i mean you never know)

Sea shell, mermaid glass and rock hunting on the beach

Making jars or shadow boxes with treasures

"Hunt Treasures"around the yard, take it further and go around the neighborhood. - record your findings in a nature notebook, write what your little is drawing. See season by season how their drawings and notes come along.

Make mode podge leafs and dried flowers on canvases (I used an old picture I painted years ago. The mode podge part was a group effort, it's one of my favorite projects)

Playgrounds

Bike rides

Camp fires, (camping too, we just haven't done that with H yet) roast marshmallows 

Garden Rock painting- lay out a tarp  (or dollar store table clothes) and paint rocks to put in the garden

Paint with food- use the ends of lettuce, carrots, celery, herbs, kale leaves, really anything that's about to go bad, or that you would trash. This is fun and you don't need to wash the brushes, just throw all the painted produce away after use.

Make something, bake something

Grocery store trips- let your little bring a buddy, a little notebook and pen to document all groceries/ inventory. I always let H pick one ingredient out; she guesses how it will taste, inside color, and then helps me prepare it in a dish. Because of this she loves things like rainbow carrots, snap peas, lentils, and raw green beans. She really is such a good eater, my mini foodie. 

Outside mani and pedi - grab a blanket and paint nails and toes in the fresh air

Tea Parties- make sun tea, and have ice tea for a refreshing summer treat! Invite all your favorite stuffed (or real) friends! I let H set up the blankets and pillows for the party

Dandelion kitchen - we took H's smaller plastic kitchen outside to make dandelion soup. Use rocks, sticks, flowers, leaves. See who can find the coolest "ingredients"

Museums, aquariums and zoos- okay so I don't know if it's everywhere but in the great state of Rhode Island if you take a trip to the library and use your library card they give you discount passes to go to all the above. It's great and you get to go to all the good places for a fraction of the price. 

Check with your community too, we have movie nights at dusk at a few local beaches. Activities and fun for all ages. Last fall we saw frozen, and the Lego movie just played down the street.

I'm sure there are a bunch more, but that's a good start to get your summer going. I try to just have fun with my little lady no matter what we are doing. She is my little adventure buddy! You don't need any money to go enjoy nature, so get outside and try something new!

-cheers!

Charcoal hands and Chicken Pizza

I guess I am going to have to accept the fact that summer means less writing. I am working on a project right now, well supposed to be. I have been writing a lot less than I would like. One thing I have been doing a ton of is reading. I borrowed a few books from a friend and read about three in a month ( the last time I read a book was back in 2008, when I was obsessed with the twilight series). It only took me about five months to finally pick up one of these borrowed books, but once I did I haven't stopped. I need to find a good balance between reading and writing. 

My cell phone has also been on the fritz and that's usually what I write on. That will hopefully be fixed soon too. I have been cooking a quite bit. That's something I will never stop doing. I mean when you need to eat 4-5 times a day there are endless possibilities. Nothing makes me happier than H telling me she loves her food. I love that I have a mini me Foodie. 

She on the other hand has not been all peaches and cream. Raising a three year old is about twenty times harder than a two year old. Mere months make a world of a difference. Two was cute. Time consuming, but oh so loving. She just wanted to help, always around, but loved without a doubt. Three. Not at all. She is demanding, manipulative, and whiney. I describe her as a sour patch kid. But more sour than sweet. 

H has always been a sleeper. She was in a little leg brace up until she was six months old. The night we were able to take it off, she rolled over and slept through the night like a champ. She also was a good napper, 2-3.5 hour average. Now, it's a three hour fight to nap and she doesn't want to sleep at night. She needs a little one; I'm not asking for marathon naps daily, but an hour does wonders. She's a monster without one. 

I know all kids go through phases but I hope she shakes out of it. 

Sunday we had H playing out In the sun all morning, we filled up her little pool and even took a good walk. I thought a nap was without a doubt in our future. H is upstairs, after about the third time tucking her in and giving her big hugs and smooches, I think I finally hear silence. No thumping around, no water running. Then I hear rustling in the bathroom. 

((Now rewind about seven years ago, I got completely conned at one of those make up stands in the mall. Eye shadow that you can use as lipgloss, nail polish, eye liner - add coconut oil, clear polish, water- and probably more applications I don't remember. Well after making me look gorgeous I spent about a whole paycheck on powder, bronzer and ten shades of shadow. I didn't realize how much it would cost until she swiped my card and there was no going back. It really was a good product I still have the bronzer and all of he colors. Well I forgot about this little makeup box in the bottom cupboard of the bathroom. I thought it was empty and I probably haven't touched it since we have moved in. H found it. Guess what color was left in this box? Obviously black.))

I come upstairs and see H taking a running jump into her bed, hiding her hands. Then I look and there is black handprints smudged on the white door, her white bed frame, all over her dresser, yup that was white too. She finally shows me her hands, they were the color of charcoal. Not to mention smudged under her eyes like a football player. Then I peek into the bathroom. DISASTER. Black on the bathmat, all the cupboards, in the bottom of the shower, all over a towel, in the sink. 

At this point I calmly go into H's room and rip off her black streaked sheets, change her bed, wash her hands (they were tinted for at least a day), and tell her she is going to lay her head down and shut her eyes while I clean up the mess. After all that she finally passed out. I wanted to yell and scream and make her clean it up. I have never had such a hard time cleaning. The makeup smeared all over the shower walls and floor would not come out, even massive amounts of bleach didn't cut it. I had a sample of serious degreaser and scrubbed, it is so much better than it was but you can still see a black tint on everything. I am not sure how one ounce of black shimmer made such a disaster. My best friend asked why I didn't record any of it. By the time I thought it was funny, it was about three hours later. I was not at all thinking of Americas Home Video, but it probably would have won us the big prize. Shucks I missed my chance of winning it big.

That's a three year old moment. 

She will grow out of it, right? Maybe when she turns 25.

She's cute though right?

Okay any one who knows me, knows I love Racheal Ray. She basically taught me how to cook. On one of our first dates we went out and bought a cook book, we would pick a recipe and go shopping each date following. I really like her style of cooking; she makes fun easy meals and a variety at that. 

A while back I found an awesome recipe that I couldn't wait to try. Chicken Parm Pizza. But not chicken parm on a pizza. A chicken parm in the shape of a pizza. Yup! I think the recipe called for two smaller pans and a lot more freezer time but I got this brilliant lightbulb of a dinner idea mere minutes before I was going to cook. 

(Bare with my pictures for a little while I only have my iPad as of right now, pictures don't come out as well but you get the idea)

In a large mixing bowl I combined

2 stalks chopped celery, 2 shaved carrots, 1/2 bell pepper chopped, palmful of sundried tomatoes chopped, 1/4 grated yellow onion, hemp seeds, dried basil, garlic, onion, 21 Salute (trader joes spice blend), red pepper flakes, panko breadcrumbs, tomato sauce, squeeze of tomato paste, splash of coconut milk, Parmesan, one tablespoon of chai seeds mixed with water (I only had one egg and used it for the breading), one package of lean ground turkey.

Mix it all together with your hands, don't over mix or it will become tough. Pour onto aluminum foil covered pizza pan ( I used a perforated one). Shape into a giant circle. I left mine I the freezer for maybe 30 minutes, if you have time do it longer so it holds it's shape. 

Make your wet and dry mixes

Wet-  egg, splash of milk, Sriracha, tomato paste, flour, basil

Dry- panko, parm, basil, 21 salute, garlic

I poured half the egg mix to one side and spread it on with my hands (they are your best tools), and then sprinkle your dry mix ontop. Next is the tough part, flipping the chicken and do the same to the other side. 

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes then top with sauce, Mozzarella  and provolone. 

The only photo I snapped was before cooking so this is the naked chicken. It was delicious. Something totally different. 

I made it with lemon Parmesan Brussel sprouts the first night and leftovers with kale and pasta. Delicious, nutritious and almost carbless. H loved this she ate two pieces both times I served it, usually she's a leftover snob. I also realize I call this chicken parm but it's really turkey, turkey parm doesn't sound as good.

I haven't had poached eggs in a little while and was craving them after my gym session today. I made an Egg Salad. Fresh spinach with baby Bella's, broccoli, sausage, tomatoes, hemp seeds, goat cheese and Sriracha. I love eggs. 

H wanted a "cheers" picture. "Cheers lunch" 

Cheers,

K

Spring in full Swing

I haven't been writing on here as much as I would like, but I have been enjoying this beautiful weather an awful lot. By the time I put H to bed, I'm pooped. I unplug and have actually been reading a bit. 

So much happens in such a short span of time these days. Spring time is amazing. I feel like we were cooped up for so long, and the only weekly activity we really did, was the library. But oh my, the weather warms up, and the sun starts shining it's a whole different story. There are so many hidden gems in Rhode Island, places and things to do that you don't need to spend money doing. 

I love that my daughter finds nature so fascinating. She notices everything; new growth, array of colors, insects, birds, absolutely everything. We go on hunt treasures (two dyslexic parents equals a dyslexic three year old), collect all sorts of findings, go home and catalog all the treasures. H has an old planner and traces all of the leaves, flowers, rocks anything she can fit in her bucket. 

I love watching her when she's doing this. She has such a serious look in her face, she concentrates so hard with her colored pencils in hand. I love her determination, and imagination. 

I took her smaller plastic kitchen set outside, She loves making dandelion soup, and Rock cakes. I would have loved to put together a mud kitchen, but we don't have the room. On the bright side, wayy less messy. 

I thrive the sun; I want to be working so bad right now, but being able to be outside with my lady, soaking up all the Vitamin D I can- definitely has it's upside. Work will come when the time is right, I'm not taking any of these beautiful days for granted.

Im trying to teach my lady to be thankful and grateful for what she has. Every night we talk about our day, the simple "I had so much fun mommy" warms my heart. It makes up for those frustrating terrible three moments. I want her to appreciate this time as much as I do. It's hard for her to understand, because she is only three, but I know these days won't last forever. 

Okay okay enough about the weather, let's talk food. 

It's been a while since we went grocery shopping so we went double duty and hit up my favorite duo, Trader Joes and the Local Meat Market (Sandy Lane MM). 

Which leads me to this Aaaa-mazing creation 

Italian Naan Pizza with Homemade mayo and Italian Salsa

Okay I don't know if I didn't add enough oil, but my food processor didn't cut it for this one. It was a bit runny but it tasted pretty darn good

Mayo- 

I added, egg yolk, salt and pepper, lemon juice, a little pepperchini juice (instead of vinegar), Sriracha, and olive oil. Next time I will read some directions and maybe add a little more oil. The taste though, that was spot on, consistency not so much

Italian Salsa (I could eat this strait from the jar)

In your food processor add, one plump tomato (from the vine, or two smaller plum tomatoes), half a red onion, two cloves of garlic, a handful of sliced pepperchinis (banana peppers will do), two pickle slices or half a whole pickle, half a red bell pepper and half a green pepper (I actually didn't have any bell peppers this go around but I usually add them when making this delicious concoction), Italian seasoning, garlic powder, balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. 

When I was at Trader Joes I found this amazing whole wheat naan bread. I instantly thought I could make personal pizzas on these. 

When I got home from grocery shopping, that's exactly what I did. The first was a breakfast pizza. The next was Italian.

For the Italian Naan, add spinach first ( there are small holes I wanted to make sure nothing dripped through), drizzle homemade mayo then add Italian salsa, meats and cheese. I like to layer one piece of each; ham, salami, hot capicola, slicing pepperoni, provolone cheese- then roll up and slice. It makes it look pretty and you get perfectly proportioned meat bites. Bake on 400 for 3-5 mins and enjoy. I'm pretty sure I ate this in three minutes flat. It's that good. 

Winner winner Chicken Dinner

I truly enjoy when you can roast a whole meal in one pan. Sunday night I threw together a quick and easy dinner. 

I'm mostly self taught in the kitchen. I did a 14 week training program in which I learned an awful lot. However throughout the years I have learned most by reading recipes, cookbooks and Pinterest searching. Trial and error really. I have had way more than I can count absolute disasters, but that's how you learn. What I have found to keep chicken juicy when roasting is marinading it in an egg, milk mix. 

This time I made some buttermilk (add lemon juice to milk and sit for a few minutes), added the egg, Sriracha, 21 Salute (trader joes amazing spice blend, I use in Everything), parsley and garlic. I add this right to the bag I was defrosting the chicken in. 

An easy trick to quick cooking chicken is to slice the breast in half (Butterfly it).

Let it marinade in the buttermilk bath for an hour or so.

I chopped a giant sweet potato into rectangles (about half a steak fry), and few carrots (try to keep roughly the same size).

Toss with a lemon vinaigrette (lemon, honey, olive oil, garlic, shallot, cinnamon, nutmeg, 21 salute) and roast at 425 for 20 minutes 

After 20 minutes I added broccolini tossed in the same vinaigrette and chicken

For the chicken. Take out of the marinade and shake all the excess off. You do not want any liquid dripping off. Next dip it in a dredge of flour (I use whole wheat), parsley, lemon zest, dried garlic, 21 salute, paprika and Parmesan. 

Place in roasting pan with broccolini and roast for 18-20 minutes 

This isn't a true one pan meal because I made some Rice pilaf to go with our Roasted Goodness

Rinse one cup of white rice until water runs clear. 

In a small pot toast the rice in olive oil along with broken up pieces of angel hair pasta and garlic. Once it starts to smell nutty add two cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes

This was a very simple and delicious meal that even my little one loved. I try and offer some rendition of my meal for my little love. She definitely gobbled this one up. 

I don't always have such luck  

(I opted out of rice and had my chicken on a bed of arugula and baby spinach) 

The last recipe I'm going to share tonight is something that is clearly becoming a favorite 

Chai pudding

I didn't add any coconut oil this time just to try and it came out just as delicious. I think I actually like it better, I usually eat it cold so the oil hardens and is a little gritty. 

I whisked cocoa powder into vanilla coconut milk until it was combined. Next I added cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, a mashed banana and a handful of raspberries. I mashed it all together and poured in a jar over some chai seeds. Very yummy. When it was time to indulge in my sweet treat I stuffed some chocolate chunks inside raspberries and threw a few inside my pudding ( a few went strait to my tummy). Every time I whip up a new batch I dub it my favorite; this is definitely the best yet. 

Hope you enjoy,

Cheers!

-K