Applesauce Tutorial - no peeling necessary!

We had the wonderful opportunity to pick apples at a private orchard this fall. Friends of my parents had grown a bumper crop and could not "possibly use any more." We went on a rainy Saturday and picked about a bushel and a half of cortland and honey crisp apples. They had been sprayed twice during the season and while not organic, they were as close as we could find locally and they were free! We had experimented a little earlier this fall making sauce with apples from our own tree and unfortunately overcooked it in our slow cooker. We later salvaged that batch by making apple butter. We also did a test batch in our pressure cooker and liked how that turned out but getting the skins out of the sauce with a strainer was time consuming. For my birthday I requested an attachment for my KitchenAid that would make applesauce and tomato sauce a breeze. The foodmill attachment hooks onto the grinder and seperates the sauce from the solids (ie skins). The end result was a bright pink sauce that was both sweet and tart. It's a good thing it's frozen in small batches or it might already have disapeared :)

Step 1:

Wash the apples. I used a scrub brush dipped in baking soda. The baking soda does an excellent job at removing dirt and waxy coatings (if using store bought apples).

Step 2:

Cut the apples into fourths. Leave the skin on. Discard cores.

Step 3:

Place apples in pressure cooker basket. Add approximately 2 cups of water. Start pressure cooker. After pot has pressurized, cook for 4 minutes. When time is up depressurize using your usual method (I run cold water over the pot in the sink until the pressure drops). Apples should look like this, they do move out of the basket. Use a slotted spoon to scoop apple solids out of the water in the bottom of the cooker. Cool for a bit.

Step 4: Turn KitchenAid to setting 4 and feed pressure cooked apple mix through the grinder/mill. The mill separates the sauce from the solids. We emptied the sauce into a large stock-pot to cool further and to mix all of our batches together (as to get the most consistent sauce). The bowls of "solids" were discarded in our compost bin. After cooling, we froze the sauce. The bushel and a half of apples yielded just over 4 gallons of applesauce, 15 cups of diced apples (frozen in baggies for making muffins over the winter), and a dozen apples for eating whole.

Reflections at the end of pregnanacy

In these final days of my second pregnancy I'm filled with thought and reflection. Before I gave birth to my daughter I never imagined how much having a child would change me. She has changed me for the better in every way. She's forced me to think outside the box, focus on improving my own short-comings, learn new things, play again, use my imagination in ways I admit I had forgotten. The biggest surprise in becoming a mother the first time was just how much my heart would grow.

As I prepare for our family to go from 3 to 4 I wonder what new ways I will change and grow. What ways will this little guy on the way challenge me to improve myself. Will he be mellow and slow to get excited like his dad? Or will he be intense like me and our daughter? Will he sleep any better than his sister? Will he have food allergies or health challenges? I hope not, but I know whatever comes our way we will face.

I've tried to prepare Sarah for the changes coming to her life. It's hard at any age to understand just how much time babies require and I hope our on-going dialog over the past 8 months or so has prepared her as much as you can prepare an almost 2.5 year old. She tells me all the time that she's going to get diapers for mama, she's going to share her toys, she's going to teach her baby brother to walk and use the potty, and when we give him baths she'll wash his toes. The truth is I have a hard time gauging how much a sibling is going to change her life. I know in the long term a sibling is one of the best gifts I can give her. I can't imagine my life without my 3 sisters, they all have such a dear place in my life; but I do remember feelings of jealousy, frustration, irritation, and anger from when I was younger. I'm trying to remember that while the sibling experience overall is very positive, that growing up sharing space and time and resources can be taxing. In preparation for myself I've read a wonderful book called "Siblings without Rivalry" I feel it has given me new insight to sibling relationships and what I can do as a mother to foster healthy relationships between my children.

As I feel baby boy rolling around in his increasingly tighter quarters I know the time is drawing near. I find myself wondering what my labor will be like, what his birth will be like. I labored for 60 hours with Sarah (naturally) and while it was possibly the most difficult process of my life to date it was also very empowering. Achieving my goal of a natural birth gave me a new-found respect for my body, its design, and confidence in my ability to focus and achieve my goals. The recovery was long however. Much longer than I anticipated and going into the end of this pregnancy I spoke with my midwife about my apprehension of recovery. I know now that I can handle the pain of labor, even over a long period of time. But how will I take care of a toddler and a newborn if I have a slow healing process again? She has been wonderful and I've been taking her advise that I have to remember this is a different pregnancy. My body has done this before and there is no way to predict what is to come but the best way of preparing for what I want is to imagine it being that way. I am working on focusing on the birth I want, which ideally would be another natural birth, in a calm setting (this will be our first hospital birth but I believe we are in good hands for a natural birth). As an added bonus it would be wonderful if the labor itself is shorter than several days this time.

I'm trying to cherish the last wiggles inside my stomach as these may be the last days of my life that I carry life inside me. We don't know how many children we will have but knowing this could be our last makes the ending a little bitter-sweet. I'm ready to end the heartburn and other pregnancy discomforts. I'm also ready to meet our son and get to know him. Yet a small part of me is clinging to these last moments before our life changes forever. I know it is going to change for the better but I also know there is no way to prepare myself for just how big my heart is going to swell.

Tex-Mex Polenta Pie

When we first became full-vegetarians I worried a little about future pregnancies. I knew how important nutrition was, specifically protein. After doing a LOT of reading. I felt much better. I already consumed on a daily basis almost as much as would be recommended during pregnancy. There is a huge difference between being a "junk food vegetarian" and eating a "whole foods plant based diet." Anyway, this is neither here nor there. I am going to attempt to add more of my favorite recipes to help out a couple of veggie friends that are expecting and want to add more variety to their recipe rotation. This is a very quick, warm, filling, great make-ahead meal.

(Picture below is the "pie" with filling, the top crust has not been added yet).

Ingredients:

Olive oil

2-3 fresh garlic cloves

1 medium yellow onion

1 pepper (any color)

1 can or approximately 2 cups black beans

1 can or 2 medium fresh diced tomatos

Corn - I use frozen (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup)

Polenta (can be purchased at health food stores in bulk, try to buy organic as most corn grown in the USA is genetically modified)

2 tablespoons of flour (for thickening of batter, can be omited for those needing gluten free

Lime juice (I like a heavy lime flavor so I use about 1/4 cup)

Cumin (1-2 teaspoons)

Salt (greatly depends on weather your beans and tomatoes were fresh or canned. Add slowly)

Instructions: (Everything is to your taste, modify seasonings to your liking)

Filling:

Dice the onion and pepper and mince your garlic. Saute in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until translucent and soft. Add cumin. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, lime juice, salt. I then stir in a tablespoon or two of flour to help the filling thicken. Let filling cook on low while you prepare the crust.

Crust:

I am lazy, I usually microwave my polenta with water and leave it sit for about 5 minutes after it's done. I then "grease" my pie plate or casserole dish with olive oil and press half the "crust" down along the bottom and sides. Then I pour in the filling and "glop" the rest of the polenta down over the top smoothing it out the best I can. I like to garnish wish a dash of hot red pepper powder before baking.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes (for a pie plate size) and longer for a deeper casserole. Keep an eye on the crust and when it is golden or a little browned you're ready!

This is great drizzled with a little extra lime juice or topped with salsa!

Wear your baby! Links for making your own ring sling!

My husband "wearing" our daughter Sarah in our homemade ring sling.

If you asked me what the single most important baby accessory we owned was I would tell you our ring sling. If you asked me what baby accessory has started the most conversations with random strangers, I would have to again tell you our ring sling. When I registered for my baby shower I had high hopes for an expensive name brand baby carrier; while I got it, it didn't live up to my expectations. I read rather obsessively about the benefits of baby wearing when I realized that I had a high-need infant on my hands. Not being in the position to spend $60+ on a store-bought variety I did research on making my own. I headed to the fabric store and browsed the red-tag section. I purchased two and a half yards of fabric and some heavy duty thread. It was my first sewing project in years and the one that got me interested in sewing for a hobby. Here are the links that I used to create my ring sling. Obviously safety is a very important consideration and you need to use common sense and make sure you have created a well-constructed sling and that you know how to use it properly. I highly recommend going to a La Leche League meeting or a local birth center baby-wearing class to get hands on help. I personally used on-line videos to learn how to use the sling and practiced with a doll and then with Sarah while leaning over a bed.

We started using our sling when Sarah was 4 months old and I wish I had made it earlier. She is now 21 months old and we still use it. I recently made a Mai Tai wrap based on a fabulous blog tutorial that I will write about later, but Sarah still prefers her ring sling. It has gotten me through cross-country traveling, cooking dinner, running errands, and as a bonus she has slept through a wedding reception in it (while I danced!), and has promoted so much bonding and happy memories for both my husband and I. I can't say enough good things about wearing Sarah. The tightness of the fabric is said to replicate the feeling of the womb and being close to our heartbeat is very calming for her.

Materials:


Rings! Do not use macrame rings or any other rings not specifically designed for the purpose of baby wearing, breakage and serious injury or death could occur. http://SlingRings.com has a great selection of rings engineered for the purpose of baby-wearing and tested for safety. I like the sleek look of the aluminum rings for everyday wearing but if I were to be in a position again where I was again a frequent flyer I would make one with nylon rings as well because the aluminum did set off the security machines at the airport.


Instructions:

I fell in love with the Maya wrap company for sharing instructions on sewing your own sling. They obviously promote baby-wearing above and beyond their own profit. This page includes their instructions: www.mayawrap.com/n_sewsling.php
If you do not wish to sew your own they have affordable options and super affordable options in their clearance section.


Alternate Shoulder Styles:

Because not one size/style fits all I've included a directory of styles that I found helpful. As a beginner on my sewing machine I selected to do the "hot dog shoulder style."



http://crafts.sleepingbaby.net/shoulders.html




Happy Sewing! Make your baby one of the lucky ones that get to be worn :-)

Mei Tai Baby Carrier

I made my first home-made baby carrier when Sarah was a little over 2 months old. My utilitarian ring-sling has carried Sarah many miles, soothed her to sleep on countless fussy nights, and served as the ultimate "don't touch my baby" contraption during flu season. (Store patrons pause before reaching for your baby when she is nestled closely to your chest :-). Alas babies grow. I used our ring sling was at my husband's mountain bike race in the early fall and I will admit, for the first time I was sore the next day after carting her around. The ring sling does distribute weight across your back but not enough for her as she got bigger. Lucky for me I ran across this tutorial: http://scandiute.blogspot.com

The Mei Tai is an Asian inspired carrier that is supposed to work wonderful for carrying toddlers. Mothers in my sewing group have mentioned wearing their toddler on their back while pregnant and how it is awsome for "balancing them out."

When I made my ring sling I was going for cheap cheap cheap. I didn't know if I would like weawring my baby so I checked out the red-tag fabric at Jo-Ann's. I made my ring sling for a grand total of $12 (If I remember correctly :-). This time I wanted to have some fun with fabric. A Mei Tai will set you back between $75-$125+++ if you purchase one so I gave myself a small fabric allowance. My total fabric purchase came to about 20 dollars after utilizing my coupons. I purchased chocolate duck cloth for straps and the inner "strong" layer. I then choose two coordinating home decor fabrics one chocolate, teal, lime poka-dots, and the opposite a green and brown floral. After I made my purchase it lived in a bag on my sewing table for at least 3 months. **I already had a large piece of fleece at home that I used for my strap padding.**

Fast-forward from the mountain bike race through a few teething nights and I wanted it done stat. Several nights at my kitchen table later a beautiful "octopus" of sling emerged. I didn't have the opportunity to use the sling until the new year when Sarah was closer to 26 pounds and I was pregnant again. It took a bit of a learning curve to put it on ( and unfortunately Sarah also fought it at first, not being as familiar as her old ring-sling). The end result however, was great!

Modifications to pattern: I omitted the hood. I made the carrier a bit bigger (following the author's suggestions for making a toddler sling). I opted to make the sling reversible. The pictures are of my husband wearing Sarah while we went snowshoeing in the winter of 2011!

Black Eyed Pea Spread/Dip

Let me start by saying this recipe was a complete accident - but an absolutely delicious one. I had a batch of black eyed peas in the pressure cooker and was planning on making spicy black eyed pea and sweet potato soup. Well, I left it on a few minutes too long and I was left with about five cups of slightly soggy beans. My husband recommended I make a sandwich spread and this is what I came up with. I have another batch of beans on the stove right now in the hopes of making soup but maybe I'll overcook these too and make a second batch of this spread. Use it on crackers, tortilla chips, or bread. It's just plain tasty. I will intentionally make this again :-)

Ingredients:

5 cups slightly overcooked black eyed peas

1 large clove (or 2 medium) FRESH garlic cloves minced

2 stalks of chopped celery

1 cup of sliced tomatoes (I used pearl tomatoes)

2 tablespoons of egg-less mayo (I love Trader Joe's brand)

small bunch of cilantro finely chopped

1 big squirt of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Mix it all together. Seriously it's that easy. All amounts are approximate and I'm sure you can use different beans and other veggies to suit your personal tastes.

Polenta Stuffed Peppers - campfire friendly!

We went on our first camping trip in five years this past weekend. It was our first trip with a baby, and our first trip as full-vegetarians. I scoured the internet for food ideas most of which revolved around highly processed veggie burgers and fake soy cheese. I was looking for healthier whole food options. I finally googled "Foil and vegetarian" and came across some decent options. My favorite meal of the trip was our Polenta stuffed peppers. I "veganized" a recipe to the following. I tried this recipe both at home in the oven and on the campfire, both methods of cooking produced very palatable results. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup polenta/corn grits
1 medium onion chopped coarsely
2-3 cloves garlic - minced
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms (fresh is best!)
2 cans diced tomatoes
4 cored and seeded green peppers sliced lengthwise***
fresh basil
1 teaspoon salt
olive oil

***Purchase organic if possible. Peppers are one of the "dirtiest" conventional produce items.

Preparation instructions:
In a small saucepan heat 3 cups water until boiling. Add polenta. Cook for instructed amount of time for your variety of polenta. Meanwhile in a medium skillet heat a small amount of olive oil and saute the onion and garlic. Add mushrooms and a can of diced tomatoes. When polenta is cooked fold vegetable mixture into the polenta and add your salt.

Fill your cored peppers with the polenta/veggie mix. Pour the remaining can of diced tomatoes into the bottom of a baking dish, sprinkle fresh basil into the tomatoes and nestle peppers face-up in the pan. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Then uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Mix-it-up: I think almost any veggie would be good in these peppers. Asparagus comes to mind as a particularly tasty option. Use what's in season!

Campfire variation:
If preparing ahead of time you can fill your peppers, put them "back together" and wrap tightly with foil. Put all wrapped peppers in a large plastic bag and keep on ice in the cooler. At camp pour tomatoes and basil in a disposable foil pan, add peppers and cover with foil. Cook on the grid of campfire pit. Add a little extra liquid to the pan when cooking over a fire and expect the cook time to go faster. Check frequently. I found that cooking further with the foil removed was not necessary.