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

Cranberry orange scones

Layla and I attended a play date this week at my very sweet friend Sydney's house. Sydney set out a tasty plate of scones from Scratch Bakery.... my daughter ran right for them and within an hour had eaten the whole plate!! There was no stopping her, it was insane. So I decided I should make her some scones because clearly she has a thing for them.

I chose a recipe from Cooking for Baby by Lisa Barnes

I liked this recipe although I think I added too much milk and the dough was so sticky that I could not roll it out and just baked the whole thing in a glass dish. It was also VERY crumbly. My friends were eating them over my sink.

Cranberry-orange scones

You will need:

2 1/2 cups Whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. finely grated orange peel (I added a little extra because I love orange)

6 Tbsp. Unsalted butter cut up

1/2 C. whole milk plus 1 Tbsp.

1 large egg lightly beaten

3 Tbsp. fresh orange juice

1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 and line 2 baking sheets with alum. foil or parchment paper

In food processor, combine dry ingredients and orange zest and pulse to mix. Add the chopped butter and pulse until the mix resembles oatmeal. Add milk, egg and orange juice and process until fully mixed (20sec)

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and lightly knead into a ball. Dough will be sticky and may need more flour.

Roll out dough to be 1/2 thick. You can use a round cookie cutter or a glass to make circles or get creative with other cookie cutters. Make sure you flour whatever cutter you want to use. THE DOUGH IS STICKY!

Place on baking sheet 2 inches apart. Make as many scones as you can by using the scraps as well.

Bake scones for 6-7 min. Transfer to wire rack and let cool.

*I also drizzled some with some sweetened condensed milk. YUM

Crockpot Oatmeal

Layla is a huge oatmeal fan so I am always looking for creative ways of making it for her. One of my favorite blogs for kid friendly meals is called - Weelicious ™.
The recipe we tried this week was one she called Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal in the Crock Pot, I made a few of my own adjustments because that is what I do. It was a hit Layla and with me actually.

So here is the recipe link http://weelicious.com/2012/01/09/pumpkin-spice-oatmeal-in-the-crock-pot/print
and here is the recipe that way I made it.

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal (Serves 4-6)




2 Cups Water

1 Can evoporated milk

1/4 cup half and half
1 Cup Organic Pumpkin Puree

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves
1 Cup Steel Cut Oats



1. Place all the ingredients in the crock pot and stir to combine.

2. Cover and cook on low for 5-9 hours (note that the cooking time can vary depending on your crock pot. Crock pots without non-stick surfaces tend to get hotter, so you’ll want to stick closer to a 5 hour cooking time). 5 hours was plenty for my crockpot

I served with a little bit of honey on the top.

SOOOO yummy and easy!

New concept for blog

Hi everybody!! I have decided to take my blog in a different direction. I love trying new recipes that I find. I go through magazines, cookbooks, blogs, and I own a thousand kid cookbooks. So I vow to at least once a week post a  family recipe and a kid recipe

Today I will post a lovely toddler snack that Layla and I both just LOVED

I got it from the cookbook titled Organically Raised by Anni Daulter

Roasted Coconut Oat Balls

You need:
1 Cup Almond butter
1/2 Cup honey
1/2 Cup coconut flakes
2 Cups whole grain oats
2 Tablespoons wheat germ
2 Tablespoons ground pistachios

Preheat oven to 350
Mix almond butter and honey in medium sized bowl and set it aside
Mix together the coconut, oats, wheat germ and pistachios in another medium sized bowl.
Pour this mixture onto a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until it is all toasted to your liking
Form small balls with the honey/Almond butter mix until all of the mix is used, roll balls in the is the toasted coconut mixture.
Place the balls in freezer to firm up. They will not freeze. Serve cold

These are great for breastfeeding moms or a pick me up in the afternoon! I absolutly adore them!!

ENJOY!