Wordless Wednesday: Snow Day

Enjoying a snow day!

Stay warm out there!

Read more...

Super Size Me, Not!

Alright, so I'm quickly approaching my LNA midterm and I'm doing well in the class!

Today we watched Super Size Me to go along with our nutrition lecture. And while I knew most of the information shared, it did infuriate me all over again and re-lit my desire to reign in my family's nutrition.

I wish we could have watched Super Size Me coupled with Food, Inc. because it's more than just the fast food industry's fault. We've take food so far away from the land, grandma wouldn't even recognize what we eat as food (come on now, twinkies, uncrustables, pizza bagels etc...)

The fast food industry is the blatant culprit of unhealthy food, but so many other foods in the supermarket are terrible for you as well. I mean, so much of the grocery store is corn when it's all said and done.

We really need to get back to the land and to eating locally produced products. Now, I'm preaching to the choir here, I've been really lame about eating locally lately. I believe The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals needs to be a reading priority on everyone's reading list. Read that book and then make your decisions about vegetarianism, local vs. sourced, grass-fed vs corn-fed, organic vs. non-organic, and raw vs. pasteurized and homogenized. It was the first book I read over a year ago and has led me on this journey of over a year now. It opened my eyes.

I have two kids, one with speech delays and one with possible autism/ADD/ADHD. I really was convicted today to get back to their needs and really get to the root of what's making them sick. While pursuing a nursing career is a noble goal, I have sick kids at home that need their momma to be their advocate for healthy, nutritious food that won't make them sick. I will also share some great books that have helped me learn about my kids and what might be going wrong (now to find a Dr. in the area who can back me up and get my kids on the healing path!):

• Is This Your Child by Dr. Doris Rapp
• Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders by Dr. Kenneth Bock and Cameron Stauth
• Raising Your Spirited Child Rev Ed: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka

So sorry for the blabbering post, there's just so much on mind as to where I want to go career-wise and the needs of my family in this moment in time. It hurts me to see my kids struggling and I only wish I could take it all away from them, I wish I had the answers. I have to step up and be an advocate for my kids, I will not let them be the canary in the coal mine for future generations.

Oh yeah, it's also the October 2009 Eat Local Challenge. I just yanked a big handful of carrots from my garden and I hope to make hubby a nice carrot cake for his birthday. So do me a favor and try to find something to enjoy locally this month! :) Take care!

Read more...

Frantically Pressing the Busy Button!

Can I press my busy button? Life is about to get a whole lot more hectic in my household! I'm....going back to school! This coming Monday I start classes through the Great Bay Red Cross and I'll be going through Licensed Nurse Assistant (LNA) training for, 180 hours worth!

So, between having two preschoolers that started school this week (one goes in the morning 2x/week and the other 4x/week in the afternoons, you know, just to mix it up a bit!)...and me starting school...my plate is going to be FULL.

I know I mentioned a few weeks ago not to expect alot around this blog....the same goes for the upcoming weeks, probably until at least the end of the year. I will still be posting as I can and hope to get important events up in a timely fashion. And there's tons of great recipes posted from last fall as well. Just browse the apple recipes or use the search bar on the right of my blog. If you want any LNA (CNA in Maine) information, just drop me a line at livinglocalnh (at) gmail (dot) com.

And I guess this is the point in which I tell you that I've failed miserably in "putting by" the harvest for the impending winter season. While I do have a bit in the freezer and a moose coming in, I'm afraid I'll be at the grocery store all too often this winter. I hope you have done better than I have! But, there is a time and season for everything and right now I am doing what I can to take care of my households' immediate needs and raise two rambunctious preschoolers! So by that standard, I am thriving!

And aren't my two preschoolers darling, if I do say so myself!

Thank for all your understanding and kind words I've received in the past year! And don't worry, I'm still around and will be posting as I can. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions you think I might be able to answer or guide you in the right direction. Take care and stay warm in the coming months.

Read more...

I'm listed at...

...NH.com! Head on over and check out all things New Hampshire. Where to vacation, what to do, where to eat, where to shop, what to see, and more!

They have a wonderful blog roll that includes various NH blogs in many different categories. My blog is listed under the "All about NH" category.

I also checked out the blog "One Mother's Review" and I wanted to put a plug in for Mandy's blog! What an amazing blog full of reviews of NH activities for the kids. A vast resource of information. Head on over and check it out. I'll definitely be going through the reviews and seeing where I should be taking the kids during the long winter!

Read more...

It's a wrap!

Phew, the weekend's events are finished and now we have Sunday to rest and catch up.

We had a blast at the Apple Harvest Fest in Dover. My parents joined up with us so Steve and I got a few moments to ourselves, which is always nice. The kids were able to enjoy a few rides, pet some animals, eat ice cream and ride the ponies. I also stopped by the MOPS tent and said hello to those gals as well. Did anyone else stop by Apple Harvest Fest?

And back up to Friday night when we went to the Children's Museum of New Hampshire's free Family Fun Night. Evan had fun digging at the Dino Detective exhibit and I had fun chasing two wildly excited children! Thankfully my mom came along to help with the wrangling. And does anyone else have a child in the "non-photographic" stage? Neither want to look at me for a nice picture!

The next free Family Fun Night is scheduled for November 7th. Be sure to mark it on the calender!

I also wanted to mention that Thistle Ridge Farm in Dover, NH will be having a Family Farm Day from noon to 5 pm on Saturday October 11th. Visit Sarah's "Seacoast Eat Local" blog for more info.

And....one more reminder that Applecrest Farm Orchards in Hampton Falls, NH has weekly festivals on Saturday till the end of October. Just one more event to make the fall weekends a fun time for all. Lots of good apple recipes out there. Yum!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Read more...

Wordless Wednesday: Rochester Fair

Read more...

Haha, just kidding!

We did make it over to the Lee Country Fair! I actually went over alone in the morning to just visit the farmer's market and snag some of Tina's (Pinewoods Yankee Farm) ground beef. Once I got there though, I realized how great it was and how much fun my two monkeys would have.

So after naps the whole family packed up and headed back to the fair. We enjoyed patting the donkeys (isn't that guy cute?), checking out the chickens and turkeys, watching the balloon lady, eating fried dough, buying some more local honey and running in the field! Enjoy a few goofy pics...

Evan all ready for the fair (yes you can be a tough 2 yr. old with a love-y!)We're in a "no smile for the camera" stage with Lucy, but she's still cuteIn the stroller

It really was great for the kids and great grounds for walking with the stroller. Did anyone else get a chance to stop by?

Our next event will be the Rochester Fair. We'll probably be visiting the fair on Tuesday, September 16th because it's only $2 for admission from 12-3 pm and $1 kiddie rides. It's a great day to go and stretch that dollar, especially if you have children. Wednesday that week is Rochester Day where it's only $4 admission for all. Typically the kiddie rides don't open till 3 pm, so the Tuesday schedule works best for our family's schedule. I'll post more about this event as it nears. Let me know if you're thinking of going and maybe we can meet up!

In closing I'll leave you with this goofy picture of Lucy and me at the fair today.

Read more...

Today's post is brought to you by...

...the letter "A". For apple that is!

I made a gutsy move and chose to bring both the toddlers to the apple orchard by myself. Gasp! I was just hoping and praying they'd sit in the wagon for the most part. Our destination was, yet again, the wonderful Butternut Farm in Farmington, NH. Jonamac's, MacIntosh and Ginger Gold's are ready for picking now and through the weekend. MacIntosh apples should be around for the next couple weeks. Note that Butternut Farm has a great automated daily message of what's ripe for picking if you call (603) 335-4705. I highly suggest you call prior to going over to see what's ripe and check the picking hours.

Anyway, the trip went over surprisingly well and the kids got out of the wagon a few times to pick some apples and plums. Here they are in their wagon enjoying apples (I must have had 10 apples with bite marks in them!)Like I said earlier I also picked some plums, which I have no clue what I'm going to do with. Are there any good plum recipes? Maybe I'll just eat them! Haha! :)

One of my goals it to perfect a homemade pie crust recipe so I can make an amazing homemade apple pie. Does anyone have any pie crust recipes that are tried and true that they want to share? I haven't decided which recipe from my cookbooks I want to try yet. But first I need to get a pastry blender to cut in my butter! The knife and fork method didn't work too well on the peach crisp I made!

So after this rainy weekend is over you should head over to the farm and pick some of the first apples of the season. I'm actually excited for fall now and it was actually FUN to take the kids to the orchard and share with them the love of apple picking (and eating while picking) in New England.

Ok, I'll leave you with a few more pics of my kiddos (yes there are also sheep and chickens to visit at Butternut Farm). And don't forget to check out the apple chart I posted about. It'll help you to know which apples to pick for eating, baking or both.

Read more...

Healthy Zucchini Bread and a Birthday!

Well my youngest is officially two years old! Since dear husband is sick, we quietly celebrated at home and we'll have a a family BBQ this coming Monday. I picked up a small slice of carrot cake at Shaw's (not very local, I know!) which the kids loved. He also enjoyed the new cars he received. Oh and the swing set gift he got as a joint gift with his sister from his grandparents.

I also baked another version of zucchini bread, Whole Grain Zucchini Bread. Honestly it was too lemon/orange zesty for me. And it didn't rise like it should, but that may have been the husband's fault since he opened the oven door about 10 minutes into cooking. I really don't know the rules of opening the oven door and having things rise. Does anyone know? I think I might be willing to try this again, but do know it's really citrus-y tasting!

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch salt

2 eggs

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup canola oil

¼ cup orange juice

2 tbsp plain nonfat yogurt

Grated zest of 1orange

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 cup grated zucchini

1. Grease and sugar a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into bowl. Separately, beat the eggs and sugar until well mixed and slightly thickened. Beat in the oil, juice, yogurt, vanilla, and grated zests. Add the dry ingredients and zucchini and mix well by hand.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

So enjoy your weekend and all your local finds! Check in and let me know how your holiday weekend is going! We'll be partying on Monday. :)

Read more...

Homemade pizza a la toddlers

Yes, I found another great bread machine recipe yesterday. Bread Machine Pizza Dough. Oh my gosh is this stuff so tasty and so simple! Have I convinced you to find a bread machine yet? (Check Craigslist for used machines).

Bread Machine Pizza Dough

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup flat beer
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

DIRECTIONS

1. Put beer, butter, sugar, salt, flour, and yeast in a bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough setting, and press Start.
2. Remove dough from bread machine when cycle is complete. Roll or press dough to cover a prepared pizza pan. Brush lightly with olive oil. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Spread sauce and toppings on top of dough. Bake until crust is lightly brown and crispy on the outside, about 24 minutes.

I decided to make up this bread dough this afternoon and have the kiddos "make" their own pizza for dinner. You know, be the "cool" mom who lets her kids get really messy. Yeah, I loved cleaning up shredded cheese all over the floor! But the kids had fun, so that's what matters, right? Anyway, I put a bunch of toppings in individual cups in a cupcake pan. This was fun because Lucy discovered she actually did like pineapple. It must have been the novelty of eating it out of a cupcake pan!Since my kids are sensitive to tomato products, I used Alfredo sauce as the base. Lucy ended up with a cheese pizza with a glob of mushrooms in the middle and one piece of pineapple (most got eaten prior to baking) and Evan ended up with a cheese pizza as well, but in the middle of his was a glob of olives. I guess my kids have to learn how to "spread the toppings out!" That's why mommy is here to help!

As you can see, I had the more refined pizza pictured above. Alfredo sauce, tomato slices, onion and green pepper with a dash of garlic. My apologies, but only the tomato and green pepper were local, but at least the crust didn't have a million different added ingredients!

We ran around in the backyard enjoying the rain-free weather while the pizzas cooked. Once they were out of the oven the kids were ready to eat! And I must say they did eat the pizza for the most part. Lucy wasn't too keen on the mushrooms, but she did try them. And Evan was happy as ever. (My big boy who will be TWO in eight days!)

So yes, this is a fabulous recipe! And don't tell anyone that my can of beer held 12 oz. and I only needed 8 oz. Gee, I wonder where the other 4 oz. went... :)

I went on ahead and made another batch of dough to see about freezing up a bunch of dough balls to have on hand. It's in the freezer now so we'll see how it thaws and rolls out. Oh yeah, and I recommend using an actual rolling pin and not a rolling pin designed for Play-Doh! Add that to my "kitchen needs" list.

So sorry for the long-winded post, but I had to share the cute pictures and the fabulous recipe! I hope you enjoy making some homemade pizza dough. Have a fantastic Friday!

Read more...