Ratatouille

9:39:00 PM Anna 1 Comments

Well, I've been quite busy recently! Our baby was born July 2nd - and while I've cooked a few meals since then, I haven't cooked a healthy meal, taken pictures, and had time to write about it.  Tonight I actually had time for a glass of wine and might even be able to write this post in one sitting.  My husband's aunt and uncle visited to meet the baby and brought us a ton of produce from their garden.  Eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, okra, and jalapenos.  (Sadly I didn't even know what the okra was and had to ask my husband).  Tonight I googled "eggplant recipes" and an easy one for ratatouille popped up so I decided to try it.  It all goes in one pot so there isn't much clean up, and aside from chopping up the vegetables there isn't much prep work either.  Perfect meal for when you don't know how much time you'll really have to be 30 feet away from the boss, aka newborn.



I'll link you to the recipe here - I followed it exactly.  And, important to note, it was husband approved (surprising for a dish made only with vegetables!)

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And of course, what has kept me so busy the last 6 weeks (but also enabled me to watch way too much Netflix) is Afton! 



 I do keep hearing I'll be able to sleep again one day.


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No Poo Method - Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar

10:48:00 AM Anna 0 Comments

Today's blog post is kind of a recipe.  I've been doing the "no poo" method of washing my hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar.  First I tried castile soap, but that didn't work too well for me.  The baking soda and vinegar has been working great, but I know it doesn't work for everyone.  Doesn't hurt to try for a bit, though - especially if you have some time where you don't need to have awesome looking hair (just in case).

What you will need:

a plastic cup
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup water

So, all I do is take my plastic cup in the shower and put 1 tablespoon of baking soda in it.  Then I put a bit of shower water into the cup, swirl it around to dissolve the baking soda, and then fill up the cup a bit more.  Slowly pour the mixture over your head and rub into your hair as best you can.  Rinse and then repeat with the vinegar.  Rinse the vinegar and you're done!  It doesn't lather, but it gets my hair nice and clean.  Also, it stays clean for a long time - I only wash it once every two or three days.

clean hair! with the castile soap my bangs always looked dirty

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I'm thankful to have my family and father in law visit tomorrow to help us paint the nursery and do a few other home improvement projects.  Today will be spent making hamburger/hot dog buns, apple pie, and cleaning - a hopefully productive Friday afternoon.




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Chickpea and Avocado Spread

6:22:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

If you like guacamole and chickpeas - you will like this recipe.  It is great on a sandwich or used as a dip, and is perfect for the warmer weather we've [finally] been getting.  Slightly adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod, I highly recommend trying it.



What you will need:

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 avocado
2 tablespoons red onion
1 lemon, juice of
1/4 cup cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Drain and rinse your chickpeas.  Then, in a medium sized bowl, smash chickpeas and avocado together.  Add onion, lemon juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. Mix. 

Pretty easy! I had mine on Ezekiel bread with some sliced tomato. You can add your favorite sandwich toppings or eat as a dip with crackers.

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On to other news, I am now 22.5 weeks pregnant. Baby is about the size of a spaghetti squash (which I have a few bags of in the freezer that I need to use...)  I've been working on a pinterest board for the nursery which includes a few things I've already gotten.  You can follow it here.  Etsy has been the most fun place to find prints and other decorations.

21 weeks pregnant on my birthday
I've heard there's more snow in our forecast, but I'm really hoping the weather will stay warm soon.  And most of all, I hope we don't just skip spring and go straight into summer.  I think Williamsburg summer will be even less tolerable while pregnant.

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Fresh Veggie Spring Rolls

12:28:00 PM Anna 0 Comments

Well, hellooo. I've definitely been away for a while.  I'd say a lot has happened since I last wrote.  I was busiest with my part time travel job this summer/fall but it's been quiet more recently.  I am also 5 months pregnant and we found out yesterday that it's a girl!  For a month or two I was in no way interested in cooking, but I am now mostly back to eating my healthier groceries.  Last night I made fresh veggie spring rolls and wanted to share the recipe.


As with most of my favorite recipes, these are easily adaptable to what you have on hand.  Also, vegetables seem more exciting to eat when they're all cut into thin strips.

What you will need:

1 package of rice papers
1 container of warm water (I used an 8x8 dish) to dip rice paper in
1 cup rice noodles (I found mine in the tofu/hummus/dip section of Trader Joe's)
1 red bell pepper
1 avocado
1 cucumber
1 carrot
1 tomato
3 green onions
fresh basil, to taste

Cook rice noodles according to package. Mine only took 90 seconds. Drain, rinse, and set aside.  Take rice paper and dip in warm/hot water for 15-20 seconds.  Then, lay on a wet tea towel and fill with noodles and vegetables (or with whatever you want in the spring roll).  Put the ingredients toward the bottom center of the paper.  Roll bottom of paper over ingredients, roll in sides of paper, and then roll up the rest of the way.  Repeat!  

I made 10 spring rolls this way, with certain ingredients left over.  Since they are so easy to make, I plan to put the rest together today or tomorrow - I believe there are 15 rice papers in each package.

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And, on to more exciting things, we've been doing lots of planning for the baby.  I have a nursery theme picked out, but unfortunately Ikea is three hours from me so I have to plan wisely (the crib, dresser, and a few other things I want are from Ikea).  I also have to learn how to sew because I bought two really cute fabrics that would make fun dresses (or anything, really).  I've also learned very quickly that registering for baby stuff is overwhelming (do I want an ergo, moby, boba? If I want an ergo do I want the original, organic, sport, performance?) and I know, first world problems, but there are almost too many options for anything out there.  Anyway, I'll try to be better about posting recipes and adventures in getting ready for baby.



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