snowy yum yums

Hello!! Happy snowy Thursday!!! I have to admit I am over the snow!! It feels like Spring is never going to come. The good thing about being stuck at home so often is I have had plenty of time to experiment in the kitchen. This week I made Chocolate Graham Crackers to send to school with Layla, they were a hit and I have been told by her teacher that it is the one snack that all of the kids can agree on. Chocolate Graham Crackers are a treat that I would buy for Layla in the store and making them gives me that piece mind that I get when I know exactly what is going in my childs body!! These are a treat though!! There is brown sugar and some white flour.

Chocolate Graham Crackers (adapted from Weelicious.com)

 

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, chilled & cubed
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Table spoons of either wheat germ or flax seed

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a food processor combine the first 7 ingredients.

3. Add butter to the mix and pulse/mix until it resembles coarse meal.

4. Add honey and water and mix until it is all mixed together

5. Remove and shape the dough into a flat disk and place between two pieces of parchment paper.

6. Roll dough out until it is 1/4 inch thick. Cut into crackers or shapes with cookie cutters. I made some small and some large.

7. Place cookies on a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

8. Cool and serve.

 

This dough can be frozen up to 2 months. I will have to make sure my freezer is always stocked!!

 

I hope you enjoy!!

 

Nyki

 

 

 

Carrot Soup

Hello!! So it is soup season! My favorite, my freezer is stocked to the brim with soup.

This recipe I made for the family a few weeks ago. Layla ate 3 bowls full one day, then 2 the next and even had it for dinner a third night! This recipe could easily be Vegan if wanted.

Here is how I made the soup. I am calling it Layla's carrot soup because clearly she is a fan.


                                                  Layla's Carrot Ginger Soup
1 heaping Tbsp fresh garlic, chopped
Big pinch of ginger or 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger (I added this to taste)
9 Medium Carrots: Make sure these are in season and have a great taste
  *buying local carrots is the best way to ensure you are getting the most vibrant carrot flavor.
1/4 Olive oil (coconut oil also works great)
2 Cups Chicken stock (Or veggie of course)
1 Cup whole milk (or soy)
1 Small onion, diced
1 Tbsp Maple syrup
1 tsp black pepper


Heat oil and 2 Tbsp. broth, onions, ginger and garlic in soup pan. Saute for a minute or 2.

Add remaining broth, milk, pepper, syrup, and carrots. Bring to a simmer and heat until carrots are soft. Take off stove and let cool for a few minutes.

Use immersion blender and puree. You can also use the blender but make sure the soup has cooled a lot!!

                                                                   ENJOY!!!
I also have to share a picture from our recent photo shoot with Strawberry Patch Photography.

Eat up!!

SUMMER TIME!!!!!!! I love summer... not just for the swimming, the sun, the camping, etc but for the food!! All of my favorite things are in season. The Farmer's Markets are in full bloom, loaded with blueberries, tomatoes, green beans, cukes, eggplant, corn...the list goes on and on.

When Layla first started solids it was this time of year and I felt so lucky! We had a CSA at Broadturn farm so Layla got to eat the freshest and yummiest veggies. Things tasted like they should.

With that being said go support our local farmers!! Get it while it is good and stop buying tomatoes from California.. what is the point!!!???

Here is a recipe that I am trying this week, if you get to it first let me know what you would change.
I am thinking of adding a few more veggies, maybe summer squash.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tomato_pie/


Hope all is well and you are all enjoying your summer.


Nyki Greene

                        Yummy pops!!!!
My lovely lady has a fever, I am making her some yummy pops to help make her feel better and cool her down.
Here is the recipe I used...

1 cup chopped pineapple
1 cup chopped kale
1 cup spinach
2 bananas
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 T agave or honey

Puree everything and add a little water to make a smooth consitancy.

Pour into the pop molds and place in freezer until ready. SOO yummy!! SO healthy.

ENJOY!!!

Hope you are enjoying the weather.

Nyki Greene

www.greenebaby.com

Saying good bye to Portland

We found out yesterday that we are closing on our home this Friday, this means we are moving on Saturday!! We are so excited to get into our new place and make it our own, it has a backyard a barn and a cute little store down the road. With the excitement/stress of buying a house I almost forgot.. we are parting ways with Portland!! Nick and I had our first apartment together here, we lived in a big building in an overpriced apartment on Congress street. It was walking distance to so many fun things, some of these things got us into trouble (we were young and silly). We moved back to Portland 2 years ago, this time to the Woodfords area and we really have loved it here! Our neighbors ROCK and there is so much to do! I will miss being able to walk to story time at the Stevens Ave library, Big Sky bread, the many parks, my favorite Pho spot........ Living in this area has really made being a one car family possible.
So now we look for another car and we move to our dream home where there is only one store that is walking distance, no pho, and we have to drive to the library! UGH The trade off is we will have a yard, we will get a dog, plant a garden and settle in as a family. Do not fret Portland Maine! We will be back, I cannot live without Thahn Thahn2, The Front Room, Big Sky Bread, Boda.. okay you get it I love Portland's food!!! Here are some pictures of the apartment we are leaving behind.

Let the adventures begin! OH and um if anyone knows of a great used car dealership that would be great!

Sweet Potato!!!!!

I love sweet potatoes!!! LOVE THEM! We have been making sweet potato and cheese quesadillas, mashed sweet potato with maple syrup, sweet potato fries.... we tend to OD on Yams!!

Here is one of my favorite recipes for sweet potatoes, Layla loves to dip things so these are perfect!
They were a little messy to make and of course did not come out looking like the picture but we still continue to make them. It is worth the mess.

I got this recipe from my favorite children's cook book Organically Raised by Anni Daulter


                                     Sweet Potato Cakes with Sour Cream
1 Med sweet potato
4 Yukon gold potatoes
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Large yellow onion, diced
pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper
1 teaspoon wheat germ
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 eggs
2 T. heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup Parmesan/Romano cheese blend
3 Tablespoons unbleached flour (we use wheat and it is yum!)

1. Peel and dice white potatoes and place in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and let cool.
2.  Peel and dice sweet potato and steam until tender (20ish min)
3. Place sweet potatoes and white potatoes in a bowl and mash.
4. Heat oil in medium skillet over LOW heat, add onion, S&P, and wheat germ. Cook until onion is soft and begins to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min more. Remove from heat and add to the potato mix.
5. Beat the eggs and cream together, stir them into the potato mix. Add cheese and flour
6. Heat a non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Flatten 1 heaping tablespoon of batter into a round cake and place in skillet.
7. Repeat with the remaining batter. Cook for 5 min per side or until a brown crust forms.
8. Serve warm (We also liked them cold) with a some sour cream for dipping.

ENJOY!!!!!

Our (hopefully) house is a very very very fine house...

So sorry I havent written in about a month, we found our dream home and we are now in the process of hopefully purchasing it. It is just lovely; sitting on 1.5 acres and surrounded by woods this lovely adorable cape actually has a small barn in the back yard as well. If this house becomes ours I am going to have the biggest gardens all over that yard, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers.....etc!!! Oh and flowers flowers and more flowers. There is a fireplace that is no longer working but with a little love (and money) we will have that thing flaming up. The kicker is that it is 40 min away from Portland!! So it will be a change in lifestyle as well. Wish us luck!!

In other news Layla is doing fabulous, she is going on the potty pretty regularly and is talking up a storm. She is a sweetie and I love being with her.

That is really it for now. I will post updates as soon as I have them

peace love and pickles
Nyki