Seitan in a mustard and herb sauce

James is out of town so I'm alone with the kids for the first time. It gives me very little time for anything but cleaning, caring, cooking and feeding my kids. For dinner we ate seitan and beans in a a mustard and herb sauce. I served it with sprouted brown rice and steamed vegetables.

1 package seitan, chicken style

1 tbs canola oil

1 large garlic, grated

1-2 tsp herb salt

1/4 cup water

1 cup cream ( I used mimic unsweetened)

1 tbs honey mustard

2 tsp dried Provencal herbs

1/2 cup kidney beans ( cooked or canned)

Heat oil in a skillet and sauté garlic for 30 seconds. Add seitan, herb salt and cook until they are slightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Pour the water into the skillet and use a spatula to scrape up the bottom. Add mustard and cream and reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add herbs, beans and more salt if needed.

Acai bowl

I promised Bella an acai bowl and I mostly (I try) keep my promises so for afternoon snack she got her acai. Acai is a berry and can be bought in many shapes and forms; juice, frozen and dried. It's known for it high antioxidant capacity, even more than blueberries.

She wanted me to make just like I had it for breakfast yesterday; soft served in a bowl topped with granola and bananas. I used RAW granola from Go Raw and it's Bella's and mine favorite. It contains buckwheat, dates, sprouted flax seeds and raisins.

2/3 cup frozen acai ( I used Sambazon's original rio style )

1/2 cup almond milk

1 small banana

1/4 cup granola

Mix acai, milk and 1/2 of the banana in a blender just so it becomes blended and soft. pour into a bowl. Slice remaining 1/2 banana over and top with granola.

Butternut squash and coconut soup

Another day and another week! I feel good because I had a good night sleep (9+ hours), I just came back from a work out and I have two content children here with me. I hope rest of the day continues like this.

Yesterday we went out for breakfast to Kensington cafe which is small but really good and the staff are amazing. I ate a acai bowl and Bella tasted it so now she is hooked too and keep asking me to make one for breakfast or snack so I guess I know what I'm doing today.

Bellow is the recipe for the butternut squash soup I made for the new parents yesterday. It's such easy soup to make and in general very popular with kids. I made extra so we had some for dinner last night. I made a side for Noah and added lentils to his and he ate it right up but then again he eats everything except bananas.

1 tbs canola oil

1/2 cup yellow onion, diced

2 cup butternut squash, diced

1 parsnip, peeled and diced

2 cup vegetables stock

1 cup light coconut milk

Salt & pepper

Heat coconut oil in a large pot on medium heat and sauté onion for a few minutes. Add butternut squash, parsnip and stock and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Puree soup until completely creamy. Add coconut milk, salt & pepper.

Almond and apple cake

My husband's boss and his wife welcomed a baby girl last week. We wanted to bring them a few meals since we know how crazy things are the first weeks with a new little one. I made a butternut squash soup, a french dijon & herbed casserole served over sprouted brown rice and vegetables, fresh baked bread and this amazingly moist apple cake.

2 1/2 cups white spelt flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 tbs baking powder

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out and bean discarded

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup cream ( I used plain coconut creamer)

1 1/4 cups milk ( I used plain coconut milk)

1/2 cup grated almond paste

2 small apples, peeled, cored and diced

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

• Preheat oven to F350
• Mix flour, sugar, baking powder in a large bowl.
• Blend oil, cream, vanilla bean and milk and add slowly to flour mix until a smooth batter.
• Add almond paste and incorporate.
• Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and roll apple pieces until coated.
• Add apple pieces to batter and very carefully fold in.
• Pour batter into a well greased cake pan or I used a bund cake pan.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes, until center in completely dry.
• Let the cake cool before attempting to remove from pan.
• Enjoy as is or with cream or vanilla ice cream.

Seitan with white wine and herbs

God morning everyone! I'm a little slow today because I went out with my friend Jess last night for dinner so I went to sleep late. I feel like such party princess because I now been out two nights in a row :-0 I put Bella to sleep last night and then left James and Noah to have a boys night at home.

Right now I should be preparing a pancake breakfast for friends who are coming in one hour but instead I'm ready blogs and drinking tea and enjoying the calmness in this home because everyone is still sleeping.

I forgot to blog about Thursday's dinner which was seitan in a very light wine sauce. Perfect for hot days like these. Hope you all having as nice morning as I'm!

1 package seitan, chicken style

1 tbs canola oil

2 garlic cloves, sliced

6 scallions, chopped

1 cup white wine

1 cup vegetable broth

1 tbs fresh thyme

1 tsp fresh rosemary

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 cup sugar snaps, ends and tops cut off

Grate from 1/2 lemon

Salt & pepper

Heat oil in a pot and sauté seitan pieces until light browned. Add garlic, scallions, wine, broth and herbs and reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, sugar snaps, salt, pepper and keep simmering for another 5 minutes. Add lemon grate before serving. Taste wonderful served with a slice of bread.

Provencal tofu casserole

We're having a heatwave here and me and Noah are so miserable because we can't go outside and we're getting a little cabin fever. On top of this Noah is teething and not his happy wonderful self. I try to take kids out for a walk in the morning and playing in the garden in the early evening so at least we get some fresh air.

Tonight me and James actually have a date and we're going to a spanish restaurant for dinner and kissie, kissie time:) I still had to cook dinner for nanny and kids and they had provencal tofu casserole served with purple beans and new potatoes.

1 package extra firm tofu, drained and sliced

Fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cup cream ( I used mimic)

1 tbs dried french provencal herbs

Salt & pepper

1/2 cup orange or red bell pepper, diced

Preheat oven to F400

Arrange tofu sliced in a baking dish. Mix cream, provencal herbs,salt and pepper and pour over tofu. sprinkle bell pepper over. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve with potatoes, rice or other grains.

Lentil hummus

This is the hummus that I made on Saturday for lunch for our friends who cancelled. I ran out of chickpeas and used red lentils for the hummus instead and it worked perfect. I like making my hummus pretty mild so that kids will eat it too.

1 cup cooked red lentils

1 tbs olive oil

1/4 cup red onion, diced

2 tbs scallions, diced

2 tbs fresh parsley, minced

1 tbs tahini

Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and sauté onion and scallions for a few minutes. Remove from heat and place them in a food processor along with lentils, parsley, tahini. Process until creamy and smooth. Add salt and pepper. Done!!!

Oat pancakes

I just realized that summer break is almost over which means no more lazy mornings and no more cuddle time with Bella. Ahhh I will miss it:(

This week Bella is in yoga camp from 10:30-12:30 and she loves it. Since we had the morning together I made pancakes for breakfast which was very appreciated even by hubby. I actually prepared batter last night so all I had to do this morning was bring out of the fridge and check the consistency before cooking. I found this recipe on VegWeb but changed it a little more healthier.

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup milk ( I used almond)

1 1/2 cups white spelt flour

1 cup whole wheat spelt flour

2 tbs sugar

2 tbs baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups milk ( I used almond)

Soak rolled oats and 1/2 cup milk for at least 1 hour or over night if possible. Blend all the dry ingreiences in a bowl and add oil and milk slowly and blend but don't overwork batter. Add rolled oats milk. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes.. Fry on medium heat until golden.

French bread

On Saturday we had invited some friends of our for lunch so we made lentil hummus, pasta salad, barley water lemonade and french bread baked with spelt flour. Unfortunately, they had to cancel but we still feasted on the food for lunch.

Since I had planned to make grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids I baked french bread but my little secret to add just a little more nutrition to it is by using spelt flour witch better nutritionally than regular white flour. In this case I used white spelt flour. I love french bread; soft inside and crusty outside.

4 cups spelt flour (maybe more if dough seems very sticky)

1 package active dry yeast

2 tsp salt

1 tbs honey

2 1/2 cups warm water

4 tbs butter, melted

• Mix flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl and add water, butter and honey.
• Work dough for 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes if using machine.
• Let dough to rise for 30 minutes in a warm place covered with a towel.
• Knead dough for a few minutes and then divide it into 2.
• Make loafs and place in greased loaf pans.
• Leave to rise for another 30 minutes. Preheat oven to F250.
• Use a knife to make 3 cuts across dough top.
• Brush top with water and bake middle of oven for 15-20 minutes.
• Place loafs on wire rack uncovered to cool.

Mmmmmmm dessert

Another fun filled day in San Diego, just another day in paradise! We spend the day at the bay, swimming and playing in the water. We even saw what Bella claimed to be a pirate ship except she did not believe there were any pirates on board because she did not hear them say "ergggghhh". I guess that's pirate talk:)

Our goal when we got home was to get everyone a shower or ba

th, kids feed and a little play time before bed time at 7 pm for both. All this work so we could have a romantic dinner in garden, just the two of us. For dessert I made something inspired for a Swedish cooking show I saw when we were there. It's amazing and like hubby called it,mmmmmm dessert.

Serves 4

1 1/2 cup almond paste, grated

1 1/2 tbs brandy (optional)

3 tbs butter

3/4 cup cup pistachios

1/2 cup almond flakes

2 large apple, peeled, cored and cut lengthwise

Preheat oven to F400. Blend almond paste, brandy, butter and pistachios well. Place apples cut side up in a baking dish. "Stuff" almond paste mix into the apples. Sprinkle almond flakes over. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or cream.

Balsamic infused vegetables

Happy Friday for all of you who are looking forward to a couple of days off and family time. My Fridays are always fun because James spends the morning at home to care for the kids so I can go to yoga class and work. I also takes some time to spend girls time with Bella and this morning we went out for breakfast and got her a haircut. She even talked me into getting a matching bow and glitter in my hair as well to match her. What are your favorite quality thing to do with someone?

For dinner I made a pasta salad with vegetables cooked with balsamic vinegar. The recipe for the vegetables are below and they are so good you can eat them in a salad like us or with beans, rice or pasta, etc. Try adding cream or sour cream to make a yummy creamy sauce.

When it comes to my balsamic vinegar I have come to the conclusion that age and yes a bit more expensive does make the difference. James received a 18 year aged balsamic from someone and I'm in love with it. I'm try not to use it all the time but I'm still running out of it and thinking I might have to build it into our budget. I guess it wi

ll be my little something extra luxury item.

1 large garlic clove grated

1 tsp canola oil

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 yellow squash, diced and lightly steamed

1 cup green beans, ends and tops cut of and cut in half and lightly steamed

1 tomato, diced

2 tbs fresh basil leafs, minced

Heat oil in a skillet and sauté garlic for 1 minute. Add balsamic vinegar and reduce to a simmer for 1 minutes. Add all vegetables and let it all reheat quickly but carefully not to break the vegetables. Sprinkle fresh basil leafs over before serving.

And the verdict is....

I was called to jury duty today so I spend most of my day working in the jury room while waiting to get called or dismissed. I made it to criminal court and afternoon before I got to go home. Since I was gone all day, the afternoon was all about cuddle time with kids so dinner was a fast one; stew. I love making soup or stew when I have no time or energy to plan something more festive.

Stews is the friend of tired moms and families since it's fast and cheap to make. Today's stew is from canned tomatoes with corn and beans served with millet. Fast, fun and yummy:)

1 tbs olive oil

2 garlic cloves, grated

2/3 cup corn

1 cup green beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup water

1/2 vegetable bouillon cube

2/3 cup kidney beans, cooked or canned

1 tsp Garam masala

2 tbs fresh basil leafs, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Cheese to sprinkle over (optional)

Heat oil in a pot on medium heat. Sauté garlic for a few minutes. Add corn and sauté for another minute. Add tomatoes, water, bouillon, green beans and garam masala and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the green beans are soft. Remove from heat and add kidney beans, basil, salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese over before serving.

Quinoa salad

On Saturday we had a picnic with our favorite neighbors the Torres. They have two kids who are similar ages as Bella and Noah. A matter a fact, Noah and their youngest were born just a week a a part.

We spend at lunch at Mission Bay by a play ground and even though it was shady we had a great time. I made quinoa salad served with homemade bread and for dessert wonderful grapes. The salad was well received by everyone, even Noah started to grab and eating it!!!! I think he's ready for textured food.

This salad is great warm or cold. I like to first cook my quinoa in water, rinse and them cook it new water to eliminate any bitter flavors that otherwise quinoa can have.

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup water

1/2 bouillon cube

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, cut into stripes and soaked for one hour

1 cup sugar snaps, cut in half and lightly steamed

1/2 cup carrots, diced and lightly steamed

1 tomato, diced

1 cup green leafs ( I used beet greens)

2 tbs olive oil

juice from 1/2 lemon

1/2 tbs honey

2 tsp dried Italian herbs

Salt & pepper to taste

Cook the quinoa first in 1 cup of water for 5 minutes. drain and cook the quinoa this time in a 1 cup water and bouillon cube until done (5-7 minutes). Mix quinoa with sun dried tomatoes, sugar snaps, tomato and carrot. Blend the dressing; olive oil, lemon juice, honey, herbs, salt and pepper and toss with the quinoa salad.

Arrabbiata sauce

This is the super easy but super tasty pasta sauce I cooked on Friday. I love making tomato based pasta sauces when I'm in a rush or simple need to go grocery shopping:) I always have a can or tomatoes and whole wheat or quinoa pasta on hand for days like these.

Arrabbiata sauce is suppose to fiery spicy butI made a "milder" version so kids can eat it too. I did however add chili pepper to spice it up after I removed Bella's portion.

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 red pepper, seeds removed and diced

1 tbs olive oil

Lemon zest from 1 lemon

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

2 tsp dried italian herbs

1 tbs honey

Salt to taste

Fresh black pepper to taste

1 tsp chili pepper (optional)

Grated cheese to sprinkle over (optional)

Heat oil on medium heat and sauté garlic and pepper for 3 minutes. Add lemon zest, tomatoes, vinegar, honey and herbs and simmer sauce for 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper and chili pepper, stir and serve over fresh pasta and vegetables. Sprinkle cheese over right before serving.

lady marmalade

That's been hubby's nick name for me today because I turned our kitchen into one hot and sticky mess making citrus marmalade.Usually I make clementine marmalade for Christmas but I had so many beautifully sweet oranges and I thought they would be great for marmalade.

We love eating it on toast or croissants on the weekend. It's a little picky work to cook your own but it taste so much better than store bought and it contains no additives.

8 ripe oranges, washed well

2 ripe lemons, washed well

Grate from 3 oranges and 1 lemon

3 cups water

5 1/2 cups sugar

1 vanilla bean, seeds and stalk

• Peel oranges and lemons and remove all white stuff.
• Save all seeds as contains pectin which will helps make a marmalade that will last longer.
• Place seeds and a couple of the peels in a cheese cloth and tie it up to a little package.
• Chop the fruit and place in a pot with water, grate, vanilla beans and the cloth package and bring to a boil on medium heat.
• Cook for 45 minutes.
• Remove package and vanilla stalk.
• Add sugar a little at the time until it all dissolved.
• Bring to a boil again and cook for 20 minutes or until marmalade has thicken .
• Pour into hot and clean glass jars.
• To do this dip each jar into boiling hot water.
• Let marmalade cool complete before placing clean lids on.
• Store in fridge.

Fig and chocolate pie

Happy Friday everyone! I sure am happy it's the weekend because it means a lot of family cuddle time which is my favorite thing in the world. I love waking up in the morning on the weekend and not having to stress to get ready etc.

For our Friday night family dinner I made arrabbiata sauce served with quinoa spagetti and for dessert I made a pie filled with chocolate mimic cream and fresh figs. It's such light and rich dessert at the same time. I love the combination of chocolate and fresh figs from our garden.

Crust:

1 1/2 cup spelt flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup oats

175g/6,5 ounces butter, melted

Preheat oven to F350.

Blend together everything until you are left with a ball of dough. Press into a pie mold or tart pan. Bake 15 minutes. Let crust cool for 15 minutes before filling it.

Filling:

1 package mimic whipped topping ( ice cold)

1 cup good quality dark chocolate, melted

1/2 vanilla beans, seeds scraped out and used, beans discarded.

6-8 ripe fresh figs, sliced

Whip topping and vanilla bean until fluffy and firm. fold in chocolate very carefully. Spread cream into the pie crust and arrange figs on top.

Fresh fava bean salad

We used to grow fava beans in our garden and they are so easy to grow because the need very little work. But then someone accidentally pulled out my plant and since I had to buy my fava beans at the farmers market. I prefer fresh fava beans oven dried ones because they taste better in opinion and the little work getting the beans out of the shell is a fun therapy.

Today's lunch was a very simple fava bean salad with beans sautéed in oil, garlic, pepper, salt and a little balsamic vinegar to finish it off with. I served on a bed of lettuce, grated carrots and sprouts.

The fava beans on top of a salad bed, yum.

Look at those vibrant colors!!!

2 tsp white balsamic vinegar

2 tsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, sliced thin

Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 cup fresh fava beans, steamed

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

2 tsp parsley

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Saute garlic for 1 minute. Add balsamic vinegar and simmer for 1 minute. Add lava beans, salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, parsley and reheat before serving.

Fig smoothie to heal a summer cold

Our home is a sick one today with both me and Bella not feeling our hot self. Bella is so disappointed because we had plans to visit a friend of mine and her loved ones today. Instead we had a relaxing day together.

In our front yard we have a fig tree we planted to celebrate Bella's birth. It's small but produces a lot of figs each season. Yesterday me and Bella picked 10 ripe figs after our morning walk. We used the figs to make a mid morning smoothie snack. Fresh figs are loaded with dietary fiber and potassium as well as are rich in calcium and a good fruit to eat to help with digestion.

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tbs fresh or light coconut milk

2 fresh figs, chopped

1/2 ripe banana

1/2 tsp cardamon

1 tsp grated unsweetened coconut

Mix everything together except the grated coconut, to a creamy smoothie in a blender. Sprinkle grated coconut over top before serving.

Thai butternut squash soup

Wonderful day starting with a late morning when I got to sleep until 7 am. I still had time to go out for a bike ride and then a 25 minute walk in the cool morning air with both kids. Noah loves our morning walks but Bella complains part of the walk because it's too cold or it's to far. Oh the joy of a tired 4 year old.

For lunch I made a colorful and fragrant Thai soup which I found a recipe for in Market vegetarian. The soup is so easy and fast to make because it only contains, onion, butternut squash, curry paste, broth and coconut milk. I went easy on the curry paste for Bella's sake but added more after I removed her portion. I saved some of the butternut squash and coconut milk and made a version of the soup for Noah with lentils which he absolutely loved. For us adults, I added a dollop of a thai pesto. The pesto was fun but not necessary.

Soup:

1 1/2 cup butternut squash, cubed

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 tbs canola oil

1 tsp red curry paste (optional)

1 cup vegetables broth

1/2 cup light coconut milk

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pot on medium pot and sauté onion and butter squash for a few minutes unitl slightly browned. Add curry paste if so desire and broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until squash is soft. Place in a blender or food processor along with coconut milk and blend until smooth and creamy. Return to pot to reheat.

Thai pesto:

2/3 cup Roasted and unsalted peanuts

1 large handful thai basil

2 large green pepper, seeds removed and chopped

1 large handful mint leafs

1 small bunch cilantro

2 tbs Bragg's liquid amino's

1 tbs brown sugar

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

2 tbs freshly squeezed lime juice

Place everything in a blender or food processor and mix until you have a chunky paste.

French plum royal pie

When I lived in Paris I loved eating pastries and bread everyday, please don't judge me. What can I say, I love baked things and France has the best. Pie royal was my all time favorite and this is vegan version of that.

Crust:

17g5 butter

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup oats

Preheat oven to F350.

Melt butter and blend mix with sugar, flour and oats to shiny dough. Press dough into a tart pan or pie mold. Bake for 15 minutes.

Filling:

2 tbs butter

2 tbs sugar

1 tbs brandy

6 large plums, cut into smaller pieces or thick slices

2/3 cup grated almond paste

1 cup plain cream cheese

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Melt butter, sugar and brandy in a skillet on medium heat and saute plums for a few minutes. Remove plums and set them a side. Blend together the sauce from the plums, almond paste, cream cheese and cream and pour into the pre-baked crust. Arrange plums in a single layer. Bake F350 for 20 minutes. Let the royal set for 10 minutes before serving with a scoop or vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Mexican bean stew

Our friend Amanda brought some of her dad's divine salsa for us and hubby stated he wanted mexican food. I'm not that good cooking mexican but I do know how to make a bean stew with mexican flavors. I guess it's really just a fancy version of a chili. I serve it topped with guacamole, toasted pumpkin seeds and a side of chips an oh yeah homemade salsa. Yum!!!

After I wrote this post I realized I had promised to post the recipe for yesterdays pie but I forgot so I will do that tomorrow instead.

1 tbs canola oil1 yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and diced

1 cup zucchini, diced

1 can diced tomatoes

Bragg's liquide amino's or light soy sauce to taste

Chili powder to taste

1 cup kidney beans, cooked or canned

Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat and sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper and jalapeño pepper for 5 minutes, not letting them brown. Add zucchini, diced tomatoes and soy sauce and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add chili power and beans, blend and serve. This stew taste great the day after when the flavors really have blended and developed.

Chili & balsamic roasted vegetables

We have been at the Zoo all day and had so much fun. Both kids behaved so well and Noah even took a long nap while in the Ergo which was not so easy since there were tons of people everywhere and it was a hot day. James, Noah and Bella all crashed and took a long nap after we got home so I made dinner.

I kept it simple and roasted vegetables and served it with kidney beans, tofu and spelt baguettes but for dessert I made an amazing plum pie which I will have to write about tomorrow.

For the vegetables I like to use local produce so what I use depends on the time of the year. I love end of the summer when there are so many fruits, berries and vegetables available.

1 small purple egg plant, cut into small cubes

1 small zucchini, sliced

1 cup butter nut squash, cubed

1/2 cup red onion, diced

10 coctail tomatoes

1/2 cup kidney beans

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp herb salt

1 tbs white balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to F400.

Arrange vegetables except the tomatoes, in a single layer on a baking sheet or baking dish. Drizzle oil, sprinkle chili powder and herb salt over veggies and toss them a couple of times before cooking them. bake in oven, tossing them one more time, for 15-20 minutes or until they are soft. Add balsamic vinegar and beans and carefully blending everything before serving.

Lemon seitan and caramelized carrots

Yesterday was my day of physical activity, I biked 6 miles in the morning, took a yoga class in the afternoon and still had energy to take Noah for a 20 minutes walk so I could mail a letter. Not bad, but boy am I sore today but it feel so good to be that active again which I used to be before Noah came along.

All that work out made me STARVED but dinner filled me up. We ate lemon marinated seitan and caramelized baby carrots served on a bed of rice and steamed cauliflower. I love the combination of sweet and sour on a plate. Bella who normally is hit or miss on carrots loved them and said they taste like candy:)

Lemon seitan:

1 package seitan, stir fry pieces

1 tbs agave nectar

Grate and juice from one lemon

1/2 tbs canola oil

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp dried or fresh parsley

1/2 tsp salt

Mix everything for the marinade and place seitan in as well. Let it rest in fridge for at least one hour before cooking. Cooking in a frying pan with marinade on medium heat until slightly browned.

Caramelized carrots;

1 1/2 cup baby carrots

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs agave nectar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to F400

Blend carrots with oil, agave, cinnamon and salt and make sure they all are coated. Place in a baking dish and cook in oven until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Use a spatula to turn the carrots once during cooking.

Kidney bean salad with mexican influence

Yesterday I cooked lots of beans to fill the freezer. I made a point to empty out it before we left so therefore I've not had any beans and had to use canned ones. I feel cooked beans taste better than canned ones but that is my opinion.

I cooked both kidney beans and chickpeas so now my freezer is once again stocked and for lunch I had a kidney bean salad to accompany baked squash, tomato and a green salad along with fresh baked baguette.

2 tbs olive oil

1 tbs honey

2 tbs lemon juice

1 tbs minced jalapeño pepper

1 tbs cilantro, chopped

1 tsp herb salt

1 cup kidney beans

Blend everything except the beans in a bowl and then carefully blend in the beans. Let it rest in fridge to develop flavors for 1 hour before serving.

Summer breakfast

Our next door neighbor grows grape fruits in his garden and he always gives me some. I'm the only one eating grape fruits in this family so I have them all to my self. I love eating them in the morning as a fancy fruit salad.

This breakfast is inspired by a dessert our friend Scanlynn made for us years ago. Then she used blood oranges and no yogurt but the honey and chopped nuts is the key. So this can be a breakfast, snack or dessert.

1 ruby red grape fruit, peeled and cubed

1 tbs honey

2 tbs yogurt ( plain or vanilla)

2 tbs walnuts, chopped

Place grape fruit pieces on a plate and place yogurt on top. Drizzle honey all over and sprinkle nuts. done!!!!

One cup of tea, two cups of tea.....

As a parent my stress level is high and my patience tested constantly. Last week has been bad and not because my kids are out of control but because they both have been dealing with a time change and just the fact that there two of them and only one of me. Yesterday was one of those days I rather forget. Bella had a melt down as only a 4 year old can, about something not that important to us but clearly to her. James took her to sign up for summer camp in Balboa park (from polar bear to penguin it's called) and Noah took along and good nap.

I was still stressed out from the event but nothing can calm my nerves like taking a couple of good yogi breaths, ommmmm and a cup of homemade mint tea, or two:) My friend Ulrika made this tea for us when we visited her and it is divine. Mint has a calming effect on body and mind. It's also good to help with digestive problems and stomach cramps. Bella loves this tea as well and James loves putting ice in it to make a refreshing ice tea.

1 cup fresh mint leafs

1 tbs honey or agave nectar

5 cups boiling water

Place everything in a tea pot or large pot to brew for 5 minutes. When the tea is all gone, just add some more hot water and little honey using the same leafs to make more. It will not be as strong mint flavor as the first batch but still very good.