June 25th, 2009
My family and I were shopping at our local Super Target and the Starbucks located there was giving out samples of green tea lemonade. It tasted pretty good, it was a great idea, and green tea has great health benefits including antioxidants.
I didn’t order any, but it made me think about how I could reproduce it at home with better ingredients and dare I say, better flavor. Since that flavor was pre-sweetened I preferred to make mine at home and stick to purchasing my tea bags at Starbucks because TAZO is outstanding. I try to avoid sugar and sweeten my tea with honey.
This is what I came up with:
Brew 8 green tea bags in 4 cups of water.
Juice 5 large lemons.
Sweeten concentrated hot tea with 1 1/2 - 2 cups of honey or until desired sweetness.
Mix together lemon juice, tea, and enough water to almost fill a 1 gallon pitcher.
Use caution when mixing concentrated tea mixture because it is hot, if necessary add some water to the pitcher first to help cool mixture down. Check for desired sweetness and add extra honey if necessary.
Remember, honey will not dissolve in cold liquid, warm or hot is best.
Refrigerate or serve immediately over ice.
June 23rd, 2009
Here is a gluten-free recipe for those of you who like myself either grew up on fish sticks or really miss tasty fried fish. It’s oven-fried in olive oil to make it both an easier and a healthier alternative to pan fried fish.
2 1/2 - 3 lbs fresh cod cut in strips
Coat the fish by tossing it in a gallon size Ziploc bag with a mixture of Paparika (approximately 2 tablespoons), 1 cup corn starch, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
Gently dip the coated fish in olive oil
Bake at 350 on a foil lined pan. Serve with home-made tartar sauce.
Homemade Tartar Sauce
1/2 cup of mayo
3 tablespoons of relish
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
June 23rd, 2009
Barnes and Noble has a summer reading initiative. We noticed the contest on one of our frequent visits to the store and my children got really excited about it. The contest is for elementary students from grades 1 - 6. The requirement is 8 books to be read between May 26 and September 7, 2009.
The theme for the challenge is based on books by Percy Jackson. I can’t say that I’m a fan or that we have read or ever will read his books, but the reading challenge is still a good motivator for children and the book list to choose a prize from has some excellent books like The Twenty-One Balloons or Biscuit takes a Walk. It’s simple, do-able, and besides your child is rewarded with a free book from a prize list.
As a home-school mom I definitely want to take advantage of the free motivation from outside our home. Also, if you so happen to enjoy a good bookstore Barnes & Noble has excellent learning resources. They really have excellent resources for at-home-learners.
I’m impressed by the number of workbooks, biographies, science resources, and other varieties of children’s books. My four year-old and my one-year old really enjoy the Thomas train table in the store which occupies them while I sit nearby and browse through learning materials. I visited one store location in Wisconsin, near Madison that had a whole section just for home-school families.
Borders also has an eight book reading challenge. It’s for ages 12 and under, and participants are rewarded with the choice of one of the $4.99 reduced- price reading challenge items. I’m not yet sure what they are because we are still working on the Barnes and Noble challenge. The contest at Borders which began in May runs until August 31, 2009.
Reading 16 books over the summer with extra outside motivation is just not a bad plan. I might even create my own reading challenge. An inexpensive toy or $5 is a great motivator. Maybe we can do 24 or 32 books. My 10 year old seems to be averaging one Boxcar Children book in a day! Being the demanding mom that I am, I’ll probably require book reports on each to maximize the fun.
June 17th, 2009
I got this recipe idea from Brazilian restaurant I don’t grill much so I baked it instead. This dish works as a breakfast, dessert, or side dish. My husband ate his with vanilla ice cream. Since the rest of us are avoiding dairy, I would serve everyone else’s with coconut milk based ice cream. (Keep your eyes open for the recipe.)
My adventurous big brother actually grilled his and it came out great. It was juicy and it looked cool!
I used 2 pineapples. I could have used 3 because it went so fast.
Basic directions for cutting a pineapple:
- rinse the whole thing
- cut off the top, then the bottom
- cut the pineapple into eighths
- cut the hard core from front of each eighth
- cut the peel off of the back of each piece
- bake as spears or as smaller slices (I like spears because they are quick and simple.)
I purchase cinnamon from the Cinnabon shop, it’s the best quality I’ve ever had. I highly recommend it. I sprinkled on lots of cinnamon. (I’d add at least 2 teaspoons.) How much you actually use is up to you.
In the restaurant’s version they just use cinnamon, but in my experience not all pineapples are equal and there is always room for improvement, so I used maple syrup. (I am not a big fan of sugar, so I try to use as little as possible.) I tossed the ingredients together in a large bowl.
I then used about 2 tbsp of maple syrup to enhance the sweetness and wow was it good!
Bake at 400 degrees for about 45min - 1hr you’ll know when its about done because you can really smell the aroma.
June 5th, 2009
I started off my morning with praise and my bible reading. It was one of those quiet drowsy mornings. My four-year-old woke up for the potty and then ran to snuggle in my bed. He didn’t go back to sleep like I thought he would. My first thought was uh-oh there goes my prayer time. I love to talk to him, but not then, I need that time, having it affects my entire day.
We quickly resolved the issue of being quiet. I began to read and he asked me to read something from Psalms to him. I read a bit: Psalm 1, Psalm 5, Psalm 16. Then he asked me to read about Abraham so we read Genesis 12:1 - 3. So he asked about Abraham and the wall that fell down. Hmmm…So we talked about Joshua.
He then wanted the story of Joshua and the wall of Jericho so we turned on Joshua chapter 6 from “The Bible Experience” MP3 set. I ended up studying something I never intended on studying.
It was wonderful to read about God’s blessing, how he made his people strong and prosperous, and our responsibility to do what’s right. It wasn’t preachy. It was a blessing, it was a very special time, genuine. I couldn’t have orchestrated such a moment, but God could. It’s shaping my son’s character and expectations.
All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children’s peace. - Isaiah 54:13 NIV
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. - Psalm 34:10 NIV
Thank God I got up for that time. It was so worth it.
June 4th, 2009
My family enjoys this recipe quite often. I prefer to make these from scratch instead of using a mix. They are easy, tasty, and versatile. My gluten-consuming husband really enjoys these as well. They don’t taste like a gluten-free product. They just taste like yummy pancakes. I usually double or triple the recipe for my pancake-loving bunch. Enjoy with real maple syrup, all-fruit jam, or fresh fruit topping like cinnamon apples or strawberries.
2 eggs beaten
cinnamon (a couple of dashes)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup oil (canola or olive are my favorites)
1 1/2 - 2 c rice milk (you can also use the milk of your choice or water)
Make a thicker batter for waffles by using more flour and less milk.
dash salt
Mix ingredients.
Then add 2 - 2/12 c brown rice flour
preheat and oil a nonstick skillet or waffle iron.
June 4th, 2009
What operation model citizen is about:
- becoming a better, more disciplined person so my family can benefit and learn from my experience and training not the hard way
- self-improvement through books and bible study
- improving my health and level of fitness
- leading my children to develop their gifts and talents in a home-school environment
- training obedient children who are respectful and love God
- gluten-free recipes healthy eating, and meal planning
- road trips and field trips
- my numerous attempts at artistic expression as a hobby
- things I’ve learned as a parent and a person in pursuit of excellence
- life skill lessons that have helped me
Join me in my journey to become better!