Moana's Fish Dinner

If you have not seen this video yet, click here

When I decided to make this dinner I certainly did not intend on naming it after Disney’s new release, Moana. However, the kids (who had just seen the film for the first time) would not stop singing the songs or reciting their favorite lines. We had a great time making this (even if I did get a little tired of everyone's singing) and we all enjoyed eating it too. Here is the recipe if you want to give it a go.

Ingredients:

Roughly 2 lbs fresh Asparagus

Between 1 and 1 ½ lbs of Tilapia

1 C Quinoa

2 C Chicken Croth

2 Bay Leaves

Salt and Pepper

Avocado Oil

Coconut Oil

Optional: Cajun Seasoning

Process:

There are several options when preparing this dinner so let's discuss.

Option 1: If you stay at home you can prep this in the morning by preparing the asparagus and fish on your baking sheet, covering, and storing in your fridge until you are ready for dinner. About thirty minutes before you want to eat you can turn on your oven and start the quinoa. They should finish about the same time and you should have a very small mess to clean up once dinner is done.

Option 2: If you work during the day or didn’t have time in the morning you can prep this dinner in about 10 minutes or less. The more hands you have cutting the asparagus and the more piece you cut at a time will definitely help speed up the process. Once everything is cooking you can quickly clean up

You will want to rinse your quinoa to remove the bitter coating on the outside. In a medium saucepan bring the quinoa, chicken broth, and bay leaves to a boil. Once it is boiling you can cover and reduce the heat to low for about 15 minutes or so. Then turn off the heat and let it continue to sit, covered on the stove for another five minutes. At this point you can fluff it with a fork. I like to add a little butter and salt as well.

With the asparagus you will want to remove the hard, woody ends and slice into thirds. I tossed mine in avocado oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. I used a small amount of coconut oil on the fish (because I like the taste of coconut oil and Tilapia). I seasoned Olive’s with just salt and pepper and if your kids are not accustomed to spicy food I would recommend you do the same. If you want a little kick, you can add some Cajun seasoning, but be careful not to add too much! I roasted it at 400 degrees for about 12-15 minutes or so until the fish is cooked through (depends on how thick your fillets are) and asparagus is tender.

Survival Mode Omelet

If you have not seen the video yet click here. Olive's lipstick job is killer.

Well there is not much to say about this omelet. My kids love it, it takes about ten minutes to make from start to finish, and we lived off of this for the first two months or so after Dove passed away. We love switching up the cookie cutters for different holidays or just for fun. It is super simple and super yummy!

Recipe:

1/2 Sweet Potato or Yam, washed and grated
1/2 Tbsp Butter
5-6 Eggs (depending on how large they are)
Salt and Pepper
Light sprinkle of Garlic Lovers Seasoning (Flavor God Seasonings, link bellow)
2 Tbsp grated cheese

Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet. Add potatoes and cook for about 2 minutes on medium heat. Add seasonings. Make sure they are spread evenly on the bottom of your pan before adding scrambled eggs. Cook for another 2 minutes or so then "sprinkle" the top with cheese. Place under the broiler for about three minutes and enjoy!

If you are interested in the garlic seasoning I used you can find it on Amazon or the Flavor God website

Butternut Squash Medley

Haven't see this video yet? Click here to watch.

When it comes to dinner I am all about preparing my food ahead of time, especially when my husband is out of town or working late. The reason why? Well, here it is:

Cooking dinner usually involves two steps: preparing the food and then cooking the food. I find that both of these steps require some amount of time and create some amount of dirty dishes, how much will depend on what you are making. Now I don't know about your kids, but speaking from the experience of my own, they have a really hard time lasting forty to fifty minutes in the kitchen both preparing and cooking dinner at the same time, especially when it is the end of the day and they are hungry and cranky and sometimes tired. Also, now that my kids are getting older and have extra curricular activities I do not have an hour to give to dinner every night.

However, when I break up the preparations and the actually cooking of the meal into two separate activities (one in the morning and one in the evening) I find that young children are more willing and able to help and that their attention span can usually last for two twenty to thirty minute sessions without too much of a challenge. I have also found that my older children are very motivated to get in and help for those twenty or thirty minutes at night because they know that their assistance creates more time for me to go outside and play with them. Whether its shooting hoops, swinging a bat, playing hopscotch or going for a short bike ride we can create meaningful relationships as we both work and play together.

I have also found that this method of preparing dinner in the morning prevents a huge, huge mess come dinner time because the dirty dishes you created from preparing the meal have already been taken care of in the morning. When I prepare my dinner ahead of time I am usually looking at one pot, occasionally two that require my attention after dinner, plus everyone's dinner plate (which my kids now take care of themselves). I think for a homemade meal that is pretty minimal and I mentally feel better when I don't feel like I have been in the kitchen all day. When I do not prepare my dinner ahead of time I typically find that the mess has gotten out of control and requires more than just a few minutes to quickly clean up. This I truly dislike.

Now, perhaps it is the recent loss of a child that is making my life feel even more unpredictable and less stable than ever, but I think regardless of your circumstances life has and always will be unpredictable. Life happens and often the day just gets away from you, at least it gets away from me more than I would like it to. With kids, anything and everything can happen. However, with all of the instability, there is one thing that usually never changes: the need to eat and the guarantee that come dinner time everyone is going to be hungry. You can hate it, you can try to hide from it, but like it or not dinner is coming for you every single night. Sure, you can try to not think about it, to procrastinate it, but unlike that paper in college that you saved for the eleventh hour there is a little army of hangry children to be reckoned with, and we all know that nothing quite compares to the fury of a tired, hungry child.

Am I prefect at preping my dinner every day? No. But I always regret it when I do not prepare my dinner ahead of time. There are a lot of things in life that you cannot prevent, but I know that when my life is falling apart at 5:30 in the evening, when it feels extra chaotic and I am flustered trying to throw something together that I could have prevented this chaos if only I had taken a few minutes earlier in my day to prepare. When I split up dinner between morning prep and evening assembly I sigh a huge sigh of relief because I can now handle the unpredictability and the instability of the day with a little less anxiety, a little more patience, and a feeling of freedom to do the parts of motherhood that I love and live a life that feels just a bit more free.

Of course I know that mac n' cheese, a five dollar pizza, and premade meals exist, but I feel like crap when I eat crap and I am sure my kids do too. Although it takes more work to cook, more mess, more time, I will gladly accept the short term consequences for the long term benefits of health and energy, and the meaning and purpose that cooking with my kids gives to the every day mundane, a meaning and purpose that a meal in a cardboard box will take away. I am not just a provider of food. I am a nurturer, I am a teacher, I am an example of hard work, productivity, and perseverance. The time my children spend in the classroom at school, on the ball field at practice, and in the dance and music studios we attend only serve as an enhancement of values and principles we are already learning at home, lessons that can be learned not once or twice a week, but every day, multiple times a day as we gather together in the heart of our home: the kitchen.

So, this is my substitute for mac n' cheese when my husband is out of town. If you do not have the time to cut up a butternut squash you can buy it pre-cut at many grocery stores. I only like to cut it because Olive and I enjoy washing and counting the seeds (a super fun activity if you need to kill some time).

We usually cut everything up first thing in the morning. I can fit a large baking sheet in my fridge so I will just put the food right on that, cover, and refrigerate until dinner time. I toss everything in a bit of coconut oil (I've also used avocado oil, my kids just like the flavor with coconut oil) and season with salt and pepper. I cook it at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes or so and serve with a fried egg on top.

The best part about the meal is that I can put it atop a bed of greens and eat it as a salad and the next morning I use the leftovers in our breakfast omelets (life saver when dad is out of town since we are not a cold cereal family).

Tips for kids:

Onions. Most kids do not like them. However, after about a year of making this on a regular basis my six year old son loves them. My eight year old daughter does not. Olive just tried on for the first time two weeks ago. We'll see if she will try them again. However, I still make it with onion, I still put it on their plates, and when they are young (about four and under) I just give them a toothpick to easily pick up the other vegetables and not the onion.

As with any chopping, your child will have better success with flat surfaces. This is why I give Olive the center pieces, which are totally square. Your child will get frustrated and be more likely to hurt their fingers if their food is rolling around or wobbling.

Sprinkle Song Brussels Sprouts

If you haven't already seen this video click here.

Many people call Olive my clone and if you have seen this video you will know that she definitely takes after me in two ways: she loves to sing and she loves Brussels Sprouts.

When I was a kid I can remember my mom cooking up a big pot of Brussels Sprouts from the local farmers market. She would serve them steamed with salt and red wine vinegar. Evidently I loved them so much we would fight over who got the last one. Although now days I prefer roasting to steaming and balsamic to red wine vinegar this food remains on the top of my favorite foods list. They make such an easy side dish and some nights when my husband is gone they take center stage with a fried egg. However you choose to serve them these little vegetables provide great sensory and fine motor skill development for your child and, who knows, they might even grow to like them along the way. It took some convincing on the part of my husband and older children, but I do believe I have won them over (after cooking them weekly for about six months). Simply cut them in half, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast them on a baking sheet in the oven at 400 degrees for a good 30-40 minutes. Immediately following their removal from the oven drizzle with balsamic vinegar and enjoy!

Ideas for kids:

Have them transfer cut Brussels Sprouts from the cutting board to a baking sheet. If you are right handed make sure they stand on your left and that you create a nice pile for them to grab from that is as far away from your knife as possible. If you are left handed make sure you place your child to your right.

Have them pull off bad leaves or just have them pull off the outer leaves to keep them busy (plus I love the single leaves that get a bit chard).

Have them place all of the Brussels Sprouts face down (just to give them something to do).

Have them compost or dispose of any bad spots or leaves.

Let them rub the Brussels Sprouts around with the oil. Olive loves this job!

Check back Wednesday for the other half of this meal: Butternut Squash Medley!

Graveside Service For Dove

Our Sweetest Dove

By Michael Clark (my dad)

Oh daughter fair, oh daughter sweet

May years fly by until we meet

All bathed in glorious heav’nly light

And filled with joy that is complete.

Oh daughter fair, oh daughter bright

Please help us trust in God’s great might

And know His promises are sure

That we may strive to win the fight.

Oh daughter fair, oh daughter pure

Let worldliness be not a lure

That keeps us from the courts above

But pray that we will well endure.

Oh daughter fair, our angel Dove

Please know of our great lasting love

And wait for us in courts above

We’ll meet you soon our sweetest Dove!

Our Gifts To Dove

Ginger, Benson and Olive sat in the foyer of the funeral home while Nate and I dressed our daughter Dove in a beautiful little white dress. We held her. I sang to her. And when we had placed her in her casket we invited the kids in to say goodbye. Benson's gentle and thoughtful nature prompted him to ask about giving Dove his new ring from church. We loved the idea and decided to all do likewise.

Nate: a piece of Jade from his mission to Korea

Tiffany: the bracelet from my wedding day

Ginger: the statue of Christ from her baptism

Benson: his CTR (choose the right) ring

Olive: her family picture

Blueberry Bran Muffins

I am not sure how long I have been eating these muffins, but I am still occasionally teased by my parents for refusing to eat one as a toddler because my grandmother put the butter and the peanut butter on the wrong side of the muffin. Make no mistake, these muffins are tasty no matter which way you butter them up, but if you ask me I still say butter belongs on the top half and peanut butter and honey belong on the bottom half.

Although I really try to avoid using the microwave, there are mornings that are super busy and require its aid. This recipe makes a solid three dozen standard size muffins plus one dozen "baby muffins" for your toddler or young child to be entranced by. If you do not have a mini muffin pan and your kids do not know the difference you can just make the three dozen muffins, but it is a rather fun way to keep them engaged in the kitchen. 

Once they are made I can usually fit between nine and twelve muffins in one gallon size Ziploc bag. I keep them in the freezer and we eat them one to two mornings a week for about a month or so. They require about a minute in the microwave and, as stated above, I love to add a little peanut butter (go with the natural peanut butter) or almond butter to half of my muffin for some added protein. Also, if you are wanting to save a little bit of money and be a bit more environmentally friendly, you can easily wash and reuse your gallon size bag for next time. 

Now on to a few notes about the actual recipe. If you are new to using whole wheat or if you have not been a fan of using whole wheat in the past I urge you to give either hard or soft white wheat a go rather than hard red wheat (white wheat is not to be confused with the regular old white flour at the store which I typically only use for special occasions). White wheat has a milder taste than red wheat and will make an easier transition for you and your kids from white flour to whole grains. 

Recipe:

2 C (not quick oats) 

2 C Water

4 C Wheat Bran

4 C Buttermilk

4 Eggs

1 C Oil (I use Olive Oil)

1 C Honey (I use Local Raw Honey) 

5 C Whole Wheat Flour

5 tsp Baking Soda

2-3 C Fresh or Frozen Blueberries 

Combine 2 cups oats and 2 cups water in a bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes. In a large mixing bowl combine bran, buttermilk, eggs, oil, honey and cooked oats. In a separate bowl combine flour and baking soda and add to the liquid batter. Once combined add blueberries. Use a large spoon to scoop batter into a greased muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.   

This batter probably took us less than 15 minutes to make together and then another 15-20 minutes for the kids to scoop the batter into the muffin tins. Once the first two tins are filled I will put them in the oven to bake while they finish up the rest. 

A few notes for cooking with kids: 

Measuring liquids can be a bit trick for younger kids as well as some older kids. If you child is not yet capable of measuring liquids you can measure them and then allow them to transfer from the measuring device to the mixing bowl. 

Also, if you are in a rush or are feeling a bit flustered trying to make these together for the first time place your child in front of the bowl, give them a wooden spoon, and simply ask them to stir everything you add. I don't know what it is, but kids love to stir and will stay occupied doing it for a long period of time, especially if you are constantly adding new ingredients in. 

Finally, whether using fresh or frozen blueberries, measure out a little extra to account for what they will eat.  I've always believed that in the kitchen is where kids learn to love fresh fruits and veggies rather than their plate. 

I know these muffins might be a bit of a transition for some families, but I promise, if I succeeded in eventually winning over my husband with these you can too. Check out the video if you haven't already seen it here on my YouTube Channel Your Kids Your Kitchen

Joy

YouTube Video Tutorial:

Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

Nearly four years ago, at the age of twenty six, I went through what is best described as a nervous breakdown. Although the root cause of this breakdown is something I do not feel appropriate to publicly share, my life circumstances, and that of our family, were and still are no secret. I had just completed my graduate degree in three semesters rather than the typical four. I was pregnant with our third child during the last two semesters of school and had given birth six weeks following graduation. I was struggling to transition back to being a full time stay at home mom. My husband had just quit his job. We were preparing to move to another state so that he could start graduate school. We were without an income. Worst of all I hated life. I hated what it had given me. And I spent every single day for a six month period trying to convince myself that I should not end my life because to me it was already over. Every day during my kids quiet time I would hide in my closet and sob. I was devoid of hope. I believed I was nothing.

My feelings, combined with the unpredictability and instability of life, left me feeling so overwhelmed I did not even know where to begin as I awoke each morning and desperately tried to gain some solid footing throughout the day. As someone who has always functioned better with a visual, written list I grabbed a piece of leftover construction paper sitting on the counter one night and wrote:

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Laundry

That was it. That was what was essential. Food and clothing. If I could complete this list by providing and cleaning up three meals a day and commit to washing, drying and putting away one load of laundry I would and could manage to survive. Every night after the kids went to bed I filled out this list on a piece of paper and stuck it to my fridge. I physically crossed off each item as it was completed and mentally crossed off each day as I said my evening prayers.

I kept telling myself day after day that eventually if I did enough day and after days there would come a day when I was happy again, when life was good again, when I was myself again. I kept telling myself that if I worked hard enough, pushed hard enough, fought hard enough that I could change my life and make it into what would make me happy (although at the time I did not believe I could ever be truly happy again). I lived and breathed for the promise of tomorrow and for all the things that I believed would in some way make my life right again.

That nervous breakdown nearly four years ago was only the beginning. Although life always has its ups and downs, in the past four years my life has been a condensed, perpetual cycle of never ending challenges, disappointments, and heartaches. I have literally spent almost every ounce of energy just trying to stay alive because I have felt so broken, so completely shattered. My daughter Dove’s death, I was waiting for it, expecting it. It was just par for the course. I told my husband before checking into the hospital that I knew she was gone because it was just my luck. I told the nurse I had been waiting this whole pregnancy for something to go wrong. It’s why I never shared my pregnancy on social medial until I was six months along.

There, as I sat in the hospital waiting to deliver Dove, I thought of how much I wanted to jump ahead six months. I wanted more than anything to not experience the depths of despair I was sure to encounter upon seeing her precious little face and then having to say goodbye. I wanted to skip all of of those day after days I was about to live through, trudge through, fight through. I wanted to skip it all and be months ahead, in happier days, possibly pregnant again. However, upon returning from the hospital I realized that I could be living for a day that might never come. What if it takes me another year to get pregnant again? What if I miscarry again? What if I deliver a stillborn child again? What if things do not get better, only worse. What if the tomorrow I cling to, the tomorrow I live for is never realized? What happens if I continue to place my happiness in the future, a future that does not exist? After all, this pregnancy to me had signified the possible turning of events, the promise that tomorrow would be bright, a tomorrow that turned out to be dark as the night.

So no more dreams of happiness, no more wishfully believing it can be mine. I know now, as I did not know before, that it is already mine. It has always been mine. These two months have been so very hard, but they have also been so very beautiful. For with this deeper understanding of what it is to feel pain I now have a deeper understanding of what it is to feel joy. The colors of life, the complexity of emotions that fill it have become more rich, more dynamic, more beautiful than they were before. Joy, it’s in the little things. I have found it, created it, basked in it in the most unexpected of ways. Happiness is a choice. Happiness is mine today.

It's the drudgery of housework...

in the tedious task of juicing oranges...

in getting off the park bench to play with my child...

in something as simple as putting new sheets on the bed...

in grocery shopping...

in serving others...

Happiness cannot wait till tomorrow. Joy is not just found in doing the things that make you happy, it is choosing to be happy in all that you do.