Pumped Up Creamy Tomato Sauce

Yesterday I found myself staring aimlessly at our cupboards trying to plan a meal for my crew. After a few days of soup I was craving pasta but we didn't have any sauce left. I whipped this up in about 10 minutes then set it in the crockpot.

1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chickpeas (rinsed)
2 zucchinis (peeled and sliced)
1 portabello mushroom (sliced)
4T quinoa
1T basil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream

I dumped everything but the cheese and milk into the crockpot on high for 3 hours. Once the zucchini and mushroom were fork tender I took out my trust hand blender and creamed it. For my picky kids, this is essential.  To be fair it spreads over pasta better too. Once it's creamy (watch out for those stray chickpeas!), blend in the cream and then the cheese. Taste it and spice accordingly. The chickpeas made the sauce creamy but also dulled the flavour, so the cheese and some pepper make a big difference.

We served this with tortellini last night. An easy, nutrient dense meal that the kids didn't balk at. Today at lunch I used it as the sauce for personal pita pizzas and it was a big hit again. I love no repeat repeats!

Brace Yourselves....

Christmas is coming.  I realize it's pretty far off, but since Thanksgiving has passed we're in the depths of preparations for the big X. (Just as a note X-Mas isn't secular because the Greek for Christ starts with an X). In one short trip to Target (which I love after two shopping experiences because they have amazing kid friendly carts) we've squared aware all three boys as well as most of what we wanted for the girls. Last night I wrapped almost everything we've purchased so far so we wouldn't have any spoiled surprises. If I could share any hard-earned tips for Christmas shopping, it would be these:

1. Make a list and check online to confirm what you want. Stick to that list.
2. Unpackage before you wrap. I appreciate how easy it is to just wrap a box, but Christmas morning you'll look back and appreciate your foresight. Most of these toys are packaged more carefully and securely than the royal jewels. No one wants 5 impatient kids begging for everything to be opened.
3. Wrap as soon as you can.  Like I said above, if they're wrapped there's less chance of surprises being ruined.
4. (Courtesy of my excellent father in law) Store the wrapped gifts in a garbage bag. That keeps them all in one place and keeps savvy eyes from guessing their gifts!
5. This is just personal taste, but don't give Santa the credit for toys. Santa gives one group gift: art supplies. It reinforces the giving and sharing side of our favourite holiday Saint while touching on the artistic side added in popular culture.
6. Shop early and then you can beat the rush. We waited until mid December and ended up weaving through huge crowds at several stores to try and find an out of stock toy. Holiday sales are great,  but we discovered we were dropping as much money on gas and fast food to make the rushed and often fruitless experience work.
7. Make a budget and stick to it. I don't mean make room on your credit card either. Set your budget before you set your list. That will make your holiday less stressful. On years when money has been tight we've made most of their gifts instead. The kids were happy and so was our bank account.

Do you have any Christmas tips?

Acts of Love

Am I the only one who finds cooking for others therapeutic? I cooked up a big batch of butternut squash soup for my Mom today. It was ready at lunch so I gave my 4 favourite taste testers a bowl (and saved some for my lovely husband because,  well, I love him and he loves soup). It was a big hit. Baby girl gobbled every bite down without a complaint.  A nice lift for me considering how fussy she can be. Adding shredded cheese makes everything amazing I guess. I was able to bring a few days worth of the soup for my Mom when we visited today so Dad could go to some appointments.

We stayed with her for 4 hours today. Mostly she slept, but the kids and I hung out in her bedroom and watched random Netflix while she faded in and out. She has hospital bed in their bedroom, plus a nice love seat for visitors and their big king sized bed facing her hospital bed. Even though she was too tired to chat like old times, she watched joyfully as the big kids bounced on the big bed across from her and baby boy played in his exersaucer. Once she fell asleep we just stayed with her. The kids didn't want to leave her room. I caught their eyes watching her rest, and they were happy.  They have been asking to visit her, just to be around her. As we got ready to leave they all got their cuddles. I cooked, they cuddled.

Dad sent me home with the ingredients for beef barley soup my Mom never got around to making. I can't do much,  but I can do this for them. Cancer can work its quiet evil, but the kids will give their love and I'll give my time and love, a little thank you for 30 years of motherhood. This time in the form of food and company.  It's funny this feeling of wanting to do something.  We all get it. We can't control the situation or take away the pain, so we do what we can. We do small tasks to take a little pressure off for others. We move our pebbles, praying for the strength to move mountains. We hope our little acts will be seen for what they are, love and gratitude.

Family Ties

I come from a crazy sort of family. Don't we all? We have our inside stories, our tall tales (that everyone remembers differently), our larger than life characters, and a healthy dose of food and fighting. Over the years we've grown together and apart in many ways, both geographically and emotionally. The 5 of us have been through thick and thin, and while there have been times each of us has been tempted to hang up the phone and never call back, we keep coming back because, in the end, family is family. No one else has such an important part in our story as our family, be it the one we're given as a child or the one we build in a lifetime of vows, knotting us together. I say knot instead of weave because you can easily cut something woven so it frays and falls apart, but with a knot you can cut all around it and still the knot will remain, fighting attempts to untie it.

In that way, I'm a knot tied into my parents' lives, like a Hail Mary on one of my Mom's favourite rope rosaries, part of a circle of knots, leading up to the Cross. They chose to make the knot that is my life, against the better judgements of doctors. They chose to keep the knot of my life, holding it fast as it nearly untied several times. They did the same with both of my brothers. As the world pulled against us, each knot got tighter, stronger, and harder to untie. Our parents fought for us, protected us, and rejoice to let us stand alone when we were ready.

Now here I am with my own husband, tying our own chain of knots, each a little Hail Mary, their own decade in a litany of answered prayers. As our whole family takes our turn coming to the Cross, we are united and clinging fast to each other.  We are not coming unravelled, but each growing stronger as the tension tries and fails to untie our chain of knots. We hold fast to our family ties. Our lives become a prayer of trust and devotion, so ordinary and extraordinary that we get lost in rhythm. One knot after another. One day after another. Each life, each moment precious.

Life in the Dog House

I know we're only a few days in,  but I am honestly surprised at how well things are going with our new pup. We've been waking up earlier as a family to make sure she has a good routine for walks. It's been tough crawling out of bed for me, but the kids love it. We're using those extra hours in the morning to do more school work on full tummies. When big girl gets frustrated or tired, we can stop and know she can start up again later. I'm already seeing improvements in her spelling and sentence structure from her early morning composition practice.

We've always built in some special bonding time with the kids because of our pooch. My husband is doing all her walks, and he's taking a different kid for her pre supper walk each day. The kids are over the moon about their turn to walk with Sadie and Daddy. They're completely in love with her, but are also giving her the space she needs. When she comes to them, they beam with pride that Sadie loves them. She is truly adored by them and, because she's such a sweet lazy bum, she's not adding to my work load at all. Hubby is the boss of walks and feeding.  The kids and I are the ones who get to enjoy watching her nap and give her treats.

When we adopted our gal, we were warned there would be an adjustment period. She might not eat, she might have (to be polite) digestive problems, she might be jittery with the kids, etc. I can say in all honesty the only problem we have had was a little whimpering in her crate at night because she was lonely. Even that was cleared up with some firm words from upstairs. Just enough to know we were there and she was safe.

I know things won't always be this easy, but I am convinced our Sadie is a perfect fit for our family.  This morning when she playfully nuzzled up to me, tail wagging and ears flopping, I got the sense she feels the same way too.

Grade 1: First Day of School

As is our tradition we spent our first day of school on a field trip. My husband took the day off and we headed to the zoo. It was also Big Girl's 6th birthday so it was nice to celebrate as a family. Because there had been a storm the day before the animals were anxious to dry out and stretch their legs, so we got to see all of them. The highlights included seeing a lion very close up (for my husband and I), petting the llamas (baby girl), the koi pond (middle boy), the white monkeys and tigers (big girl) and the meerkats (biggest boy). Big girl made her first school project journaling about her trip. She drew some great pictures (I shared two of them below) and wrote about her experience.  It was a nice way to see what she really thought of the day. All in all it was a great start to the year.

Puppy Love

The pictures essentially speak for themselves. We finally took the plunge and adopted a dog. This 2 year old gal is Sadie and she's a retired racing greyhound from Florida. We were fortunate to be placed with her by the good folks at the Greyhound Pets of Atlantic Canada. They have a extensive adoption process to make sure the right dog is placed with the right family. I am pleased to say our Sadie is a perfect fit. She's very calm and is very sweet with the kids. It's not every dog that can handle the noise and activity of five small children.

So, welcome home Sadie!