tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24382487340368325972024-03-05T13:57:38.552-05:00Random ThoughtsI am full of these, and here is where I can share them on a semi-regular basis.Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-23737205385470441782011-04-26T19:26:00.011-04:002011-04-27T07:32:46.152-04:00Veggies Wrapped in Rice PaperVeggies wrapped in rice paper is a great fun way to eat vegetables. Ian loves them! They are also a nice alternative to salad. The vegetables can be varied but I'll give the recipe for my favorite wraps. A friend of mine likes to use broccoli slaw mix to save on prep time. I find them a little too crunchy that way. Feel free to experiment.I use zucchini and carrot as the main filler. TheseRenee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-89530595990501518672011-03-23T19:52:00.002-04:002011-03-23T20:13:23.260-04:00Ian's Bedtime PrayerA while back Ian started waking up in the night from bad dreams. As a simple way to help him set his intention for a peaceful night, I suggested that he pray. At first I helped him but over time he has come up with his own take on things. It's very sweet to hear him say his prayer every night on his own. And he's never woken from a bad dream since!Holy Spirit*Please help me to have happy Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-10424102660938261112011-03-13T06:57:00.022-04:002011-03-13T07:53:01.481-04:00Vampire Repellant Pizzaaka The 50 Garlic Clove PizzaLast night, Evan's months-long dream finally materialized in this pizza. I had my doubts, but honestly it might have been the best pizza we've ever made. It goes without saying that anyone who plans on kissing anyone else in the house should be on board with eating it. Your house will smell, maybe for days, as will your person. I honestly feel sorry for the people Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-85630226757034132642011-03-12T08:33:00.010-05:002011-03-13T07:55:32.607-04:00Mozzarella!I am so ridiculously excited that I just made my own mozzarella. I finally got around to reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (Barbara Kingslover) which has been on my book list for a long time. It's interesting, and while I thoroughly respect her 1 year local eating adventure, I simply couldn't live without fresh produce in the winter. But she inspired me, not only to focus more on buying Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-5759420735666557452011-03-11T07:55:00.004-05:002011-03-11T08:21:40.369-05:00Coconut Lime TartThis was an experimental mish mosh of two recipes plus my own ideas with pretty nice results for a 'not-too-sweet' gluten-free dessert. I chose to change the lemon curd recipe to lime to follow a mexi-cali inspired dinner of spicy Tortilla soup and a California chopped salad with grilled shrimp. Probably would have made more sense to take a picture of the pie before I cut it, but didn't think ofRenee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-49614856716899179412010-06-08T21:15:00.004-04:002010-06-08T21:31:12.704-04:00So much loveIan has discovered a wealth of new found love for me in the last few days. As flattered as I am by the complexity of my little Oedipus, it has manifested in a few choice quotes. He has often addressed me as "sweet beautiful mommy" when he wants something, specifically when my first answer to his request was negative. Combine this with his tendency to abbreviate everything and I often get Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-82033486410954407242010-03-20T21:02:00.003-04:002010-03-20T21:06:56.471-04:00iPeaceWe decided to get Ian his own iPod. By that I mean an MP3 playing device that he calls an iPOD in the same way we call all tissues Kleenex. It's been less than 12 hours since we gave it to him, and maybe I am speaking a little too soon but, YAY. We've had some of the quietest car time in 4 years.Except for when he speaks. Because he does not yet understand that because there is noise in his Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-71269622543476212842010-03-11T11:21:00.004-05:002010-03-11T12:19:25.845-05:00Shhhh....Be Quiet In ThereThe second section of Eat, Pray, Love finds the author in an ashram in India where she has gone to find G*d. Daily spiritual devotional practice that commenced at 3:30 am was part of her journey to delve deeper into spiritual practice in order to ascend to a higher level of understanding of G*d and herself. This section gave me a lot to consider, most of which that while I want to travel Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-78005703909630971162010-03-09T03:15:00.008-05:002010-03-09T04:40:49.547-05:00In Pursuit of PleasureI am reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is the autobiographical journey of the author's healing process after a nasty divorce. She embarks on a journey to find joy, to find G*d and to find herself, which as it turns out, is all essentially the same thing. The book is divided into 3 parts as she spends 1 year traveling to three different countries. Part 1 documents her pursuit of Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-85417923544947678282010-02-09T15:06:00.004-05:002010-02-09T15:08:02.567-05:00Quinoa <!--StartFragment--> I have developed a real thing for quinoa. I was first introduced to this ancient grain about 10 years ago but never paid it much attention. Quinoa is technically not a grain, but a seed. However it is used as a grain when cooking, as it cooks up very similar to rice. It is considered one of the most complete plant based proteins, giving 24 g of protein in one cup. Here's aRenee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-32674869504129520622009-11-14T08:41:00.005-05:002009-11-14T10:01:49.797-05:00Rebelling Against Anarchy...with the creation of a Daily Schedule, ok, not a schedule. A routine? Hmm...still too structured. A rhythm. We adopted a daily rhythm. But only during the hours we are home. And things can be moved around if we want. Yes, old non-conformist habits die hard, but the intention for a daily rhythm is in writing and posted on our wall so that has to count for something right?I am not the type ofRenee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-28625687813696004292009-10-27T15:32:00.004-04:002009-10-27T15:58:23.599-04:00Magical Fairy HousesA while back I was inspired by a blog in which a mom mentioned how her kids often build fairy houses when out in nature, from various earthly treasures such as sticks and stones and pine cones. Ian loves collecting these treasures, especially during fall. One boring rainy day, we got out a hot glue gun and created a fairy house that he keeps in his playroom to admire daily. Ian spent the day Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-35738311356266608232009-10-16T21:41:00.011-04:002009-10-16T22:34:07.738-04:00My Little EntrepreneurA few weeks ago, Ian and I were wandering around Ocean State Job Lot. My go-to place on very desperate, long rainy days when we just need to go somewhere to be out of the house. At the check-out, Ian noticed a set of colorful pinking shears. He desperately wanted the "special scissors." I explained that I didn't have money for them in an effort to ward off an all out meltdown. He choked back Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-34116626516698488102009-10-04T07:50:00.004-04:002009-10-04T08:24:25.958-04:00Natural EducationWe've long been contemplating the benefits of a homeschool education for Ian. It does seem to be the direction we are heading for him. As part of his education, we will participate in outside class situations as well, so pre-school is possibly on the horizon for him as well, though there is really only one that seems to embody my parenting and educational philosophies for a young child, in that Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-42841278700832461562009-10-01T20:12:00.005-04:002009-10-01T21:05:16.209-04:00Ages and StagesI'm intrigued by how Ian flows from one age and stage to the next as I observe him growing up. There seems to be a definite shift in his development every so often. For three years I have noticed it about 2 months before his birthday in late November, with every other year being a little bit challenging followed by about a year of relative peace. To put it another way, if he were the stock Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-61097593887883490732009-09-18T11:21:00.002-04:002009-09-18T11:30:21.585-04:00New JuiceI've gotten a few requests for a new juice recipe so here is one I put together this morning. It is adapted from the Blue Grape recipe in Raw Food Real World. The original recipe calls for blue/green algae, grapefruit juice, and agave. Mine went like this:In a blender add:1 cup of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice (you can buy this at Whole Foods or squeeze yourself)~ 1/2 cup of frozen grapes2 Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-42676492664937310772009-09-04T19:05:00.004-04:002009-09-05T07:49:40.948-04:00Paris: Part TroisOn our final day, Monday, we went to Notre Dame's Cathedral. The architecture was beautiful and the grandness of the interior was more than I imagined. Evan seemed thoroughly bored with that exploration. As he said, "I've seen dozens of European churches and they are all basically the same." It sort of sapped my enthusiasm, but to be fair he hadn't had his coffee yet and is generally much Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-73368058519080125782009-09-03T20:22:00.004-04:002009-09-03T23:48:44.491-04:00Paris: Part DeuxWe slept in on Sunday morning and finally made it out of the hotel around 10 am. The weather for the first three days of our trip couldn't have been better, bright blue skies, mid 70s and brilliant sunshine. We wandered over to the metro and purchased tickets for two days from the very friendly and helpful man behind the counter. It should be noted here, that when we were deciphering the map Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-57235766955671454452009-09-02T20:28:00.006-04:002009-09-03T07:07:27.979-04:00This American Girl in Paris (Part 1)It took just over 34 years to finally travel abroad. I've been to certain islands in the caribbean and to Canada, but I don't really count that. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to go to Europe and as it turns out, Paris was my first taste what turned out to be a delicious experience, literally and figuratively. I left on Friday night. Evan was at the same airport, but a different Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-33213167854603145132009-08-25T19:57:00.006-04:002009-08-25T21:02:31.131-04:00Maple Your Blueberry Ice CreamI've not stopped thinking about the ice cream we had in Vermont last week. The day was sweltering and our hostess decided we just must have a very specific ice cream from a small shop in Waterbury. Being in the land of all that is Ben and Jerry, I wasn't sure how this little walk up window was going to compare. One sample of their homemade maple blueberry and I was a convert. The quality was Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-69179583343553723182009-08-20T08:01:00.006-04:002009-08-20T22:41:30.824-04:00Two Years Raw in ReviewIt was two years ago in August that I waded into the raw food world. I'm feeling the need to explore and review my journey from then until now and the observations I have made along the way. My initial foray started as a desire to find something as good for my body as the raw food diet I'd been feeding the dogs for nearly a decade. I was exploring vegetarianism and veganism. Those culinary andRenee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-44548715514011303092009-08-19T14:50:00.007-04:002009-08-19T15:47:56.679-04:00Smoothies and Foraging...I never blog mid-day unless I just have to. I just created a smoothie that warrants being written down So here it is. Hmm, let's call it the Chocolate Covered Cherry Berry Smoothie. At least, that's what Ian and I named....Hemp milk (1 cup water and a TBSP or two of hemp seeds, blended)Banana, frozen goji berries (YAY Whole Foods!), frozen cherries, and a couple of dates2 TBSP of cacao Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-57257810565280108782009-08-11T09:26:00.004-04:002009-08-11T10:30:18.044-04:00Mixology 101This week I did something different with my juicing. Instead of making up 3 days worth of juices already mixed, I made up pure juices and kept them separate, so I can mix them myself during the day. First were the base flavors from foods that produce a lot of juice to serve as the "backdrop" to whatever flavors I wanted to add. I did a large bottle of apple and I had a large bottle of orange Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-8313681000664209472009-08-05T19:58:00.007-04:002009-08-06T13:03:08.165-04:00The Monarchs in MysticI was so excited to attend a talk by "celebs" in the raw food world, Matt Monarch and Angela Stokes Monarch. Both have followed individual paths into raw foodism that ultimately crossed and culminated in their recent marriage. Matt Monarch has been nourished by a raw vegan diet for 11 years and travels to share his experience with this diet. His business is Raw Food World, a website containing Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438248734036832597.post-73364503724491393432009-07-22T08:12:00.008-04:002009-07-22T10:31:20.969-04:00As it turns out...Connecting with nature is really all about the footwear...at least for me.Historically, I have always been a reluctant and rather whiny hiker. I never "got" the whole "communing with nature" thing. Never really understood what that meant and being physically uncomfortable with blisters and sore feet really took away from any attempt to obtain that experience. Before our honeymoon Evan helped Renee Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919496845168018471noreply@blogger.com1