Wheat-Free

In addition to being on a diabetic diet, I’ve been asked to go wheat free.  What’s your favorite wheat free bread?  Please leave a comment for me!

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Baby Quilt Fabrics

I picked up some baby quilt fabrics that I’m very excited about.

 

 

I had already made these pink blocks from scraps, so I picked up the pink and polka-dot fabric to use as outer and inner borders.

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Pink Baby Hat and Booties

My friend recently had a baby girl, so I made a baby hat and booties for her.  I used Patons Melody Quick & Cozy Yarn in Hot Pink.

Hat:

• #10 needles
• cast on 40
• k2/p2 for 3 rows, then knit until 5 inches
• place marker every 8 st and k2tog before each marker
• bind off when 5 st remain

Booties:

• #10 needles
• cast on 10
• knit 20 rows
• k2tog across, then knit next row
• sew closed at toe/top and at heel, leaving hole near heel end
• add bow

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Dinner Pics

Recently, I made some salmon and some quesadillas.

I covered the salmon in EVOO, salt, and pepper, then baked it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  I served it with quinoa and steamed broccoli.

For the quesadillas, I filled tortillas with shredded cheese, cooked chicken, as well as onions and bell peppers that I sauteed with EVOO and cumin.

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Thirsties Cloth Diapers

I recently received a Thirsties Duo Diaper (Hoot) from a friend.  I also purchased a Duo Wrap (Ocean Blue) and a Duo Hemp Prefold so that I could do a comparision.

The Duo Diaper is on the left and the Duo Wrap with Duo Hemp Prefold is on the right.

Thirsties has two sizes.  The above are size one, which go from 0-9 months (up to 18 pounds).  Size two goes from 9-36 months (up to 40 pounds).  Each size has three size adjustment settings.  I have both on the smallest setting.

We chose snaps so that we wouldn’t have to deal with any Aplix (velcro) problems, such as a clothesline of diapers coming out of the washer (if you forget to fold over the tabs).

The Duo Diaper (left) has a two-layer insert that you stuff in a pocket.  For the Duo Wrap (right), you simply place the folded prefold on top.  For a newborn, you only need one wrap for every three prefolds.

I tried prepping the Duo Diaper with the insert and I tried laying the prefold on the Wrap.  I found it a lot easier to use the Duo Wrap and prefold.  For me, I figured I would rather fold prefolds than stuff diapers after a wash.  I already fold cloth napkins, so it wouldn’t be much different.  This is a personal preference.  I do feel that a babysitter who is unfamiliar with cloth diapers might prefer the Duo Diaper to the Duo Wrap, due to the similarity to a disposable diaper.

The above shows the Duo Diaper and the two layers of the insert (one hemp, one microfiber).  The insert layers snap together at both ends.

The above shows the Duo Wrap and the prefold.  You can see that the prefold is a length of fabric folded over and sewed at one side, so that you have space in the middle for quicker drying.

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Menu Plan Monday – May 14

I have another week of menus planned based on the Food Nanny plan.  Some of the recipes are from the Food Nanny cookbook.  I think building my way up from 5 planned meals a week is still better than planning 7 meals and not getting them cooked!

Menu Plan for the Week of May 14:

Family Traditions – Cumin Pork Roast, sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli

Comfort Food – Chicken fajita soup

Italian – Whole wheat spaghetti with meatballs, carrots

Mexican – Taco salad

Grill Night – Steak salad

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The Green Smoothie

I recently started making green smoothies in my blender.

A few reasons to make a green smoothie (in a blender):

• I want to get more kale in my diet, but I won’t eat it cooked or in a salad
• Using a blender gets you more fiber than juicing kale
• A blender is easier to clean than a juicer

Ingredients:

• 2-3 kale leaves, stemmed (or 2-3 handfuls pre-washed baby kale)
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup strawberries
• 1 scoop protein powder (optional)
• 1/2 cup water

*If your fruit is not frozen, consider adding ice cubes

I put all of this in my blender and blend until smooth!  Note:  If you do not have a very powerful blender, chop your kale very finely first!

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The Beef Roast

Here are pictures of the beef roast I made this week.

Ingredients:

• beef roast
• wheat flour
• Italian-stewed tomatoes
• pepper
• onion soup mix (from Mary Ostyn’s Family Feasts)
• sweet potato
• carrots
• green bell pepper
• zucchini
• onion

I cooked it in an oven bag, because I wanted it done in two hours, instead of several hours in a slow cooker.

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Menu Plan Monday – May 7

I actually have a menu for dinner this week.  It stems from eating out way too much last week.  We want to try to eat at home as much as possible this week.

I planned the menu with a blank Food Nanny menu plan and Food Nanny theme nights.  Some of the meals are from or based on recipes in the Food Nanny cookbook.  I planned meals for 5 days this week as a way of getting back into the swing of things.  I haven’t done much in the way of meal planning or cooking for a while.

Menu for the Week of May 7:

Family Traditions – beef roast with veggies (sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, zucchini, green bell pepper)

Italian – whole wheat pasta with ground beef meat sauce, green beans

Fish – salmon, brown rice (or quinoa), steamed broccoli

Mexican – chicken quesadillas with bell pepper, onion, sour cream, and avocado

Grill Night – pan fried sausages, green beans, corn

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