Bananas & Black Beans...Who Knew?!

I love bananas. I love black beans. But bananas & black beans together...in an empanada?

I saw the recipe today in the March 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times and thought I would try it since I had all the ingredients on hand. So glad I did! Delish!! The banana flavor is so subtle yet compliments the savory onion & garlic flavor. And the beans offer just the right texture. Making the dough was a snap. Yep, this one is a keeper!


Here's a quick pic as I pulled them out of the oven and broke one open...mmmm!

For the recipe, head over to: www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10935?section=

Pacific Northwest Easter Egg Hunt

In true Pacific Northwest spirit, the kids hunted in the backyard through wet grass and rain for their Easter eggs after church. We managed to go outside in between the heavier showers when the rain was just sprinkling. Something about the rain sprinkles felt oh-so-familiar...reminding us of the Holy Water just sprinkled on us at church, perhaps? Fr. Bill always gives us a good soaking! Either way, it was renewing!

Easter Bunny Visits

From our house to yours, wishing you a Happy Easter!

Catching Up With Fun From Last Week

A trip to Imagine Children's Museum In Everett:

Art class in town:



Playing with bubbles on a sunny day:

and planting pumpkin and sunflower seeds:

Parenting Is Not For The Faint Of Heart.

Just one month after my 7 year old son's elbow has healed from a roller skating fracture, he comes running up the porch steps crying with a bloody mouth. He is surrounded by an emergency response team of kids all telling me at once what happened. Apparently, he was trying to pop a wheelie on his scooter and hit his mouth on the metal handle bar - ouch!

I manage to get my son inside and close the front door before my Jack Russell Terrier escaped into the nooks & crannies of our neighborhood. I sit my son down on a nearby overstuffed chair and grab a wet wash cloth, trying to comfort him and assess the damage. He has his fingers to his mouth and is shaking uncontrollably and is wailing in both fear and pain.

I get the sense that someone is watching us beyond my 3 year old and 5 year old who are asking over and over again what happened. I look to my left and see the ER team of kids with their noses pressed to glass of the front door, struggling to see what's happening inside our home. Finally, I get a look inside my son's mouth to see that he has lost the top 1/4 of his permanent bottom tooth. Chipped it right off.

Yes, parenting is not for the faint of heart.

Cut to today - we just returned from the dentist where my son had an x-ray and all looked well with the tooth's structure. He did indeed chip off the top and lost some enamel. Our dentist suggested just smoothing it out for now, until the rest of his teeth have a chance to grow in and cosmetically fixing it later, perhaps even after braces some day.

On the bright side, my son was very happy that he did not have to have a shot in order to have a filling. He has also admitted, however, there was a part of him that really wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to finally have a real gold tooth. Since when is my child into bling??!!

Ah, yes...parenting is not for the faint of heart! :-)

Summer Inspiration

Today was a gorgeously sunny warm day in the greater Seattle area. We spent lots of time outside today... on trails, at a playground, and in our own backyard. It's exciting to know that the days of summer are just around the corner. I can't wait to start making lighter fresh food to go along with the sunny season. I saw this recipe in my Whole Living Body & Soul Magazine for Kiwi Summer Rolls and am thoroughly inspired!


http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/kiwi-summer-roll?autonomy_kw=kiwi%20spring%20rolls&rsc=header_2

Easter Egg Garden

My 3, 5 and 7 year old had a great time today breaking in our new set of gel watercolor sticks when they created this colorful Easter Egg Garden. Each egg is about 10 inches tall and they are taped to our playroom wall. All that is missing is some grass and a bunny or two...who knows maybe it's a work in progress. Stay tuned!