Vegan Zucchini Bread #2

Zucchini Bread

This is evening number 2 with zucchini bread. This time I added raisins, went 1 and 1 with white and wheat flour, added about 3 cups zucchini, and 3/4 of a cup of water in loosen it up.
I'm excited to see how this one turns out. I think I will substitute the oil with applesauce, next time.

Vegan Cherry Cobbler, FTW!

This was my very successful attempt at a vegan cherry cobbler. It is a mash up of a few recipes I found.

1 1/2 cups white flour
1 stick soy margarine
1/4 cup sugar (plus more for sprinkling on top)
1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 cup almond milk (or any plain nut milk you want)
1 can vegan fruit (cherry, peach, raspberry, etc)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 inch pie plate.
In food processor pulse dry ingredients.
Cut in butter and pulse well until crumbly.
With machine running, add in milk until dough just pulls together.
Pour fruit in greased tin. Spread dough in small rounds over fruit until covered.
Sprinkle sugar over top of dough.
Bake for about 35-45 minutes (I baked for 40 mins, it was perfect).
You can check out the instructions for making your own fruit filling at the About.com page.


Of course, topped with ice cream is best. But, regardless it was awesome. Try it out, let me know how it went.

Nothing is worse than watching a man play video games

My loving, helpful, 21st century husband is none of those things when there is 'free time' and he can gorge on XBox 360 love. Right now it's Fallout 3.
I'm loving and helpful, and even supportive of his need to lose himself in a game now and then... But non-linear, open ended, post-apocalyptic, F.P.S. is so god damn boring to watch. Makes me wish I'd been taken out in nuclear warfare.


Today I will be attempting a peanut butter pudding. A dear aunt of mine forwarded me the recipe, knowing how we are always on the lookout for vegan deserts!

Zucchini is freaky

Went out to the garden today. Found a freakishly large zucchini. So, obviously, I made zucchini bread. Of course it's vegan, and naturally I made it at 11 o'clock at night.

I haven't taken any after pictures because I'm ashamed I already ate half of the red loaf. True, it would be better with eggs milk and butter; but, this makes the husband happy too.
This lovely gem of a blog is where I found the recipe I used. Hell Yeah It's Vegan

The ridiculous rules we create

My child responds very well to rules and routine. Bed time is the same time every night, even mentioning that it's getting late, my daughter will ask, "is it 8 yet?". She gets to buckle her top strap in the car seat, but you have to ask her if she wants to do it; or else she flips out and sometimes insists on getting out of the car and starting over. I rarely let her get away with such neurotic behavior, but sometimes it's easier and faster to just let her restart.

These are my  girls and my super sexy husband. 

Lately I've been trying to incorporate the new baby into the routine.  Something that helps everyone feel comfortable, and that ensures we get things done in a timely manner.  I breast feed the baby while we read her two night time books (1 book at nap time). Diaper changes mean I need help getting the wipes out of the warmer.
 What else can I do to bring my 3 year old into the fold?

Maternity Leave can be a real bitch

The first two weeks were oddly wonderful. My husband was home, my baby was home, my older daughter was at daycare during some of the day. We just hung out and got to know each other.
The second two weeks are trial by fire. I'm all alone with a screaming child that I'm not sure likes me yet. I am bored as hell. My husband is back at his shitty job (actually, great job, shitty boss); so he has that to deal with. And on top of all this I have a staph infection in my c-section incision. So I've got that to worry about and treat.

I'm just feeling bitchy today. But on the plus side, I did actually get a few things done today. Currently, cleaning the oven! So what if it's self cleaning. I still had to lock it, and turn on the fans so the smell wouldn't invade my entire home.

What do other women do with their maternity leave?

As a new mother

Two child parenting is a bitch. I'm exhausted and I don't feel like I'm very good at it yet. I'm sure someday I will get better at it, but by then they will have raised themselves, and I'll just be stealing their thunder. Good products definitely help. There are a few things that I've come to love since we had our second child a few weeks ago.

1. Prince Lionheart Warmies Wipes Warmer: It's fantastic. Keeps the wipes at just the right temperature. I feel like the wipes compartment is the perfect size. While they are basic and exactly the same as I found in a simple Google search, they included wipe solution recipes to try.
   Cons: the light on the front could bring ships to safety in a storm. I covered it with tape to dampen the brightness. The reusable cloth wipes that came with it started to unravel in the first wash.

2. Moby Wrap : I used a cheap sling for our first baby, which was fine but soon became too small for a growing child. And it had a fun pattern, so my husband refused to use it. My Moby wrap is a huge sucess with my baby, husband, and my back! I was worried that it would be overly complex and hard to use, but it's completely logical and easy to get on.
   Cons: It's black, and it's July. I didn't think that part through, obviously. It is long and doesn't just cram itself into the diaper bag with ease.

3. CJ's Spritz O'BUTTer : I have actually used this for a while, but on my toddler. She has been a yeasty child since she was born. I find that an occational spritz really helps her. And now that the new baby is here, I've been using it for general baby butt care. It's cloth safe, which is vital in our house.
    Cons: No cons, just wish I had more than one bottle around. I tend to leave it in the most inconvenient place.

It'll get better.. just give it time

So the Baby Fair/Expo was a bust... Heat index up around 109 degrees. And most of the boothes were geared towards pregnant chicks..

About to roast some squash for Family Meal tomorrow.
Something happens when you have a baby. I spent like 3 hours googling breastmilk shit today. A majority of that time I was feeding my baby. I don't know how women existed before Google

The Vegan Option

Last night I attempted a cashew ice cream recipe without the ice cream maker.. Mild fail, but it's ice cream none the less.  Raw Food Living Ice Cream Recipes

Today we're making a Squash Sage Risotto to take to my parent's house. My daughter will be two weeks old tomorrow and we're having a little family gathering. So, if my husband wants to eat, we bring the vegan option.

Also, exciting stuff today. http://www.omahababyfair.com/
The first of it's kind here in town. Hopefully we can get there before it closes up.