Tastes of Summer

I was cutting these tomatoes in half for the salad. Took a bite of one and was blown away. Never have I ever tasted a tomato so sweet, so delicious. It went like this: one for the bowl, one two for me. The mother's guilt started to set in as I pictured Henry at preschool while I ate my own healthier version of bon bons; that, and raw tomatoes are one of his favorite foods. No worries though as the feeling quickly passed. As I professed to Walter [the dog] how grateful I am for Minnesota summer produce, I just kept popping one gift right after another into my mouth.

Thank you, Mother Nature, for making life taste so good.

Meatless Monday: BBQ Pizza

BBQ pizza (cornmeal crust, BBQ sauce, pineapple, onions),
cole slaw with a dollop of chipotle Vegenaise, baked beans.

While transitioning to a plant-based diet, I never thought I'd actually enjoy pizza without cheese. I still miss it, but I'm definitely missing it less and less as time goes on; it's a different story for Eric, I think. 

We've discovered that using BBQ sauce or the pesto Vegenaise as a base makes a dairy-free pizza quite tasty! I know you're skeptical, but give it a shot. 

Summer Storm

Our sweet baby George came into our arms and left us one year ago today. 365 days. 

365 days of empty, aching arms. Of waiting to wake up from my nightmare. The worst nightmare. Of wondering why this happened to George. And Eric. And Henry. And me. Of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Of being sad and pretending not to be; of realizing that my friends know I’ve been pretending and loving them for that. Of being beyond thankful for nurse Jodi; she shared my pain and held me so close that day.  Of truly learning the value of family. Of wishing "grief" was still just a word. Of wondering if George felt pain. Of hoping to feel him move just one more time. Of making sure I remember. Everything. Of wishing my little boy peace.

Today we planted a Japanese Summer Storm Lilac tree for George. Its name, Summer Storm, aptly fits. The ivory flowers should bloom around his anniversary every year, commemorating our boy and all he taught us:  love, compassion, and respect for life.  

Rest in peace, George. Sweet peace. 

I See You In My Everyday

I see you in the peace of night

I see you in the bright sunlight.

You're in the breeze that gently blows.

You are the calm of fallen snow.

Magnificent are wings that fly.

I see you in the eagle's eye.

You're in the turquoise of the sea.

I can even see you in parts of me.

I smell you in the lilac trees.

I hear you in the bumblebees.

You are the colors of the fall.

You are the mountains soaring tall.

I feel you in the summer storm.

And in the springtime nice and warm.

You are the blossoms on the branch.

You're in the firefly's evening dance.

I remember you in all good things.

In the wondrous treasures nature brings.

Your memory will forever be.

The greatest gift you gave to me.

-Lauren Waters

Workers Working on the Job Site

Workers Working on the Job Site by Henry Thorkelson is an epic page turner, guiding readers through the tangled relationships between construction workers, police, and bad guys.  

Praise for Workers Working on the Job Site

"This literary thriller will keep you up at night wondering who's bad and who's good." (E. Thorkelson, dad)

"I have a new appreciation for pine cones after reading this book." (A. Thorkelson, mom)

"Bark. Woof. Howl." (Walter, the dog)

Note:  Please contact his agents, Mom and Dad, if you are interested in the movie rights.

Workers Working on the Job Site
by Henry

A dump truck at a worker site

The backhoe is putting dirt and rocks int he dump truck

The bad guy is trying the police...

After the bad guy gets caught he gets put in jail. He was trying to get the good guys.

*chaos*

Another bad guy is chasing some good guys into the construction site.

The police caught him again.

The construction site is safe. The pine cones are there to make it safe.

The end.

Hide & Seek

I always wonder what I will "catch" Henry doing at daycare when I pick him up. In a perfect world I could hide behind that tree unspotted and spy. But the kids can smell you blocks away and start yelling, "Henwee! Yer mom's he-ah!" That's who I am to these kids: Henwee's mom. It rocks.

Today's activity was hide and seek. Henry and Eleanor (above) were hiding from Leo and Addie. It was fun to watch it play out because when we do this at home Henry typically announces where he is hiding. "Dad, I'm in the shower!" "Mom, I'm under the desk!" and then he jumps out to find you. Yeah, the whole concept is a bit tricky; I get it.

Rhyme Time with Henry

Mom:  I feel like some guac.

Henry: I don't like guac.

Dad: Do you know what guac is? It's a nickname for guacamole just like how Hank is a nickname for Henry.

Henry: Do you know what rhymes with Hank? BANK!

Mom & Dad: It sure does!

*approving head nods by parents and ear-to-ear grin by preschooler*

Henry: and SKANK!

*silence*

lady killer

Henry's favorite song these days is The Righteous Brother's "You've Lost that Loving Feeling." He has the lyrics down better than I do and finishes it off properly with the "ba dum, ba dum, ba dum dum..." Adorable. I never thought I'd be able to capture it on video, but I did....

He also likes spinning in circles with his hands up in the air like a princess (like Ariel from The Little Mermaid). My goal is to get this on video too. He'll hate me when he's 20.

banana ice "cream"

Nausea hit. Again. Some women can't eat when their nauseaus. I, on the other hand, stuff my face.

Tonight's stomach-settling-food-of-choice: banana ice "cream". I've read this "recipe" on a million blogs and finally tried it for the first time. Ingredients? Frozen bananas and peanut butter. Choose your own proportions. Throw it in the blender. Wait until it's frothy, creamy, whatever. Delish. New freezer staple: frozen bananas.

[I did try this with just bananas at first and it was really good! I had a hankering for the Elvis combo though, so went all in with the PB. Thank you. Thank you very much.]

meatless monday: thorkelson take on vegan lasagna

It was one of those days where (a) the store two miles away seemed so, so far, (b) following a recipe would require too much attention, and (c) I felt like mashed potatoes. If you know me, you know I l.o.v.e. mashed potatoes. I was often found doing my own rendition of the "mommy's little piggy"scene from "A Christmas Story" as a child (with my sister's encouragement, of course).

We had a Costco size bag of red potatoes in our pantry, so I knew I was covered there. But then I was stuck. Mashed potatoes go well with your standard meat protein, which would then quickly disqualify this meal as meatless now wouldn't it? I also didn't have the goods in the house for some sort of meat[less]loaf. After an assessment of the fridge and other pantry goodies, I came up with a lasagna of sorts, which was of course inspired by moussaka with the potatoes.

Ingredients:

• No boil lasagna noodles
• 10 baby red potatoes, plus olive oil
• 1 stick of butter (I used the soy-free Earth Balance)
• Marinara sauce
• Baby portabello mushrooms (about two cups), sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cups of spinach
• 2 tbsp garlic
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

2. Toss baby red potatoes in some olive oil; put them in preheated oven to roast (I left mine in for about 35 minutes). 

3. While the potatoes are roasting, sauté the mushrooms, onion, and garlic; when the onions and mushrooms are nice and golden, add the spinach and sauté for another few minutes until the spinach is wilted down. 

4. When the potatoes are done roasting, mash them with the stick of butter until they are a creamy texture. Lower the temp of the oven to 350 degrees.

5. Get an 8x8 pan and get ready to assemble! Layer in this order: marinara sauce, noodles, mashed potatoes, spinach mixture. You should get at least three layers with the above amounts. Add one more layer of noodles and top with marinara sauce.

6. Put in oven uncovered for about 30 minutes (until sauce is bubbling). Let it cool for 10 minutes until slicing. 

Serve with a side of green veggies.

I was really pleased with how tasty this turned out! I'm definitely looking forward to left-overs. 

my next unnecessary purchase

When I started working last fall we knew there would be some lifestyle changes. And I use the word "some" loosely. The most challenging piece for us has been mealtime when both Eric and I are working up until it's time for chow. Hungry parents is one thing, but a hungry child is a whole 'nother ball of wax.

When I tell people of this mealtime woe the usual response is, "Oh just throw some stuff in the crock pot before you leave for work." Yes, yes, that's all good and fun. But think for a second about what you put in the crock pot that isn't meat...right. We do have some vegan crock pot recipes (chili anyone?) that have worked for us, but frankly, they leave a bit to be desired and still require monitoring. There's not much of the "set it and forget it!" variety. Anyway, why this ramble? Our "go to" on the challenging evenings has been sushi. Well, vegetable sushi...but still sushi. It's fresh, healthy, ready to eat, and oh so good.

Henry has really taken to eating the sushi with chopsticks because that's how mom and dad eat it. Usually this just means stabbing the squishy rice parts with one chopstick and inserting the piece into his mouth. This is typically in between the times when the chopsticks act as a stir stick for mom's water, drumsticks on the table, and Walter poking devices. But hey. He's into it. I'm thinking that I'll get him these chimpstick chopsticks to help him experiment with the utensil. Plus, it's super cute. At $6.99 maybe I'll get one in a different color for me.