My Rascal has been a terror for the past week. Dinner times have been fraught with screaming, since he won’t eat unless he’s sitting on my lap. Eventually, I give in and hold him. He eats a few bites and he’s done. Until I bring out the organic blueberries.

I didn’t know what to make for dinner tonight. I was so distraught by all Rascal’s screaming that I could hardly eat. I’m also so run down from doing so much myself. The last thing I wanted to do was cook up a non-vegetarian meal for my non-vegetarian family. That’s hard enough for me (vegan) to do on a GOOD day. So, I took out the lentils.

I had an organic bag of dried lentils in the pantry. I poured a cup of them in a pot, along with 3 cups of water, and I brought them to a boil. I let them simmer for 45 minutes — of which I kept track by watching three episodes of The Backyardigans with The Monkey, while Rascal napped.

Now, how to get the family to eat the hugely healthy — one of the healthiest foods in the world — lentils? Hide them in pasta sauce, of course!

And, it worked. Monkey loved the concoction…. Here she is posing with her already half-eaten dish:

One of the reasons it worked was THE PINE NUTS. They really complimented the nutty texture and taste of the lentils. It was brillers…. Check it!

INGREDIENTS
(Serves 4. But, it’s all to taste, really — it’s the ingredients, not the measurements that count here.)

3/4 cup Cooked Lentils (cooking instructions described above)
Bag of Pasta (I love kamut pasta)
Jar of Tomato Sauce of your choice
1 cup Pureed Broccoli (optional; for extra veggies the children will NEVER know about)
Pine Nuts (a couple handfuls)
Parmesan cheese (preferably vegan)

1. Cook the pasta. Drain. Return to pot (at low heat).
2. Dump in the tomato sauce, lentils, pine nuts, pureed broccoli.
3. Stir it up.
4. Dish it out.
5. Sprinkle on the parmy.

Enjoy! It’s SO easy. Let us know how you like it!

Love!
xo Haley-O

I’ve been trying to do REALLY FUN things with the monkeys as much as possible lately. I realized that, if I’m going to be a stay-at-home-mom, it has to be about US — not JUST about them. Because if it’s JUST about them, NOBODY is benefiting. The happier mama is, the happier EVERYONE is.

So, we were lazing around on Sunday, and I decided we should BAKE MUFFINS! I could teach the monkey a little something about baking, AND we could all enjoy a HEALTHY alternative to the Halloween treats still sitting on our kitchen counter….

The recipe for these muffins was adapted from one of my favourite cookbooks right now, Nutrilicious: Food for Thought and Whole Health. I didn’t have any syrup, so I used my favourite natural sugar alternative, Agave Nectar, instead (which, BONUS, is lower on the glycemic index). I also felt the dough turned out a little dry, so I added more rice milk. The rest is pretty close to the original recipe. OH! Except for one more thing. The author calls for ALLSPICE. I would strongly advise using cinnamon instead. I have no idea why she chose allspice. Blech!

Other than the allspice, the muffins turned out GREAT! Nice and dense and filling and extra sweet because of the raisins…. AND, they’re super HEALTHY: high in fiber and a source of omega 3’s, baby! AND, NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THESE MUFFINS…. Love….

And, by the way, even though it says they’re optional? The SUNFLOWER SEEDS AS GARNISH is a must! They add both a satisfying crunch and necessary nuttiness!

INGREDIENTS
(Makes 12 yummy muffins)

2 tbsp ground flax seeds (buy them whole and grind them with a coffee grinder before use)
1/4 cup unrefined vegetable oil (I use Canola)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup OR agave nectar
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup rice milk (or, I would think, any milk alternative)
1 cup whole spelt or whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp ground allspice cinnamon
1 cup oat bran
1/2 cup organic raisins
Sunflower seeds for garnish, NOT OPTIONAL

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Preheat oven to 375º F.

2) Grease muffin tin so muffins don’t stick, and set aside.

3) In medium-sized bowl, pour in the oil, syrup/agave nectar, bananas and rice milk. And, STIR IT UP!

4) In larger bowl, pour in the ground flax, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, oat bran, and raisins. And, MIX it up!

5) Pour the liquid mix over the dry mix just until the two are blended.

6) Fill the muffin tins with the mix.

7) Sprinkle the muffins with sunflower seeds.

8) Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick (or knife) poked into the centre of the muffin comes out clean.

The author of Nutrilicious, Edith Rothschild, says these freeze really well! So, place a bunch on the kitchen counter (covered if storing for more than a day), and pack the other bunch in an airtight container and freeze.

As you know, I’m a vegan now. And, if it were up to me, my whole family would be vegan, too. But, Josh-O is a carnivore and passionate about his kids (and his wife) eating a mainstream diet.

My kids eat mainly a vegetarian diet. Lunch is often hummus wraps with tomato slices. Both of them LOVE that. I NEVER cook red meat for them. And, they share on average about one or two organic chicken breasts a week. The rest of their diet is lacto-ovo-vegetarian. Not perfection (as far as I’m concerned, obviously), but a fair compromise for the hubby.

Since Rascal’s only one year old, his doctor’s advising that he drink plenty of milk. Though I’m opposed to taking anything from animals who are not treated with the utmost respect and compassion, I still have to give Rascal his milk (because this choice is not mine alone to make). So, I’ve found a compromise that I can live with.

In yesterday’s post at Cheaty Monkey, I got lots of comments asking me “WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING HIM?” — apparently, my little guy is looking HUGE (which is a good thing because Doc said he’s only in the 25th percentile for height, which, IN TURN, is really no surprise because I’m a shorty). In answer to that question, THIS is what I’m feeding him:

“This milk comes to you from cows treated with love and respect.”

You see, FACTORY FARMERS FROM TUESDAY’S OPRAH SHOW? It CAN be done. But, I’m also going to remind everyone that the organic farms on the Oprah show are FAR from the average organic farm — which can be just as brutal as some non-organic farms. There’s MUCH more to be done than Proposition 2. And, remember, EVERYTHING you buy is a vote….

By the way, for those of you who would like to stop drinking milk, I’ll keep you posted on the best nondairy replacements. At this very moment, for example, I’m enjoying YU rice milk in my Chai Tea….

The vanilla one is quite YUMMM…. I choose to drink fortified rice milk instead of soy because I LOVE tofu. So, I like to use up my soy quota on tofu…. I do love a good soy milk, though. It’s thicker than rice milk….

Isn’t this conversation FASCINATING?

Stop YAWNING!

I will say, though, that I feel GREAT since giving up dairy. I don’t miss it one bit. My body is saying THANK YOU in so many ways. But, I don’t do it for my body. I do it for the animals.

Love….

xo Haley-O

It’s been a LONG while since I’ve even glanced at Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious….

But, today, I wanted to bake something special for my little monkeys. Maybe it’s a first-day-of-school syndrome for us moms. Anyone else go crazy in the kitchen today?

Anyway, I had some cauliflower in the freezer, and I was in the mood to party purée and fill my picky eaters with VITAMINSES. So, I pulled out the most “deceptive” cookbook I own…. And, with a few modifications, her “Banana Bread” recipe did not disappoint. CHECK IT!!!

BANANA MUFFINS WITH HIDDEN PUREED CAULIFLOWER

INGREDIENTS:
(Makes 12 Muffins)

Nonstick cooking spray
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar (I USE 1/2 CUP SUCANAT)
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 large egg whites
1.5 cups banana puree (about 3 ripe bananas)
1/2 cup cauliflower puree
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat MUFFIN TIN with cooking spray.

2. Mix flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl.

3. In another larger bowl, use a wooden spoon to mix the oil and sugar (or sucanat, for a healthier alternative) until nicely combined. Stir in the egg whites, cauliflower and banana purees, and vanilla.

4. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until just combined.

5. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin.

6. Stick it in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the centre comes out clean. Let it cool for about 10 minutes.

ENJOY for breakfast, snack, or dessert! They’re DEELISH!

So, I’ve been buying kale whenever I go grocery shopping lately. Because I’ve been feeling like I buy the same old vegetables all the time: the lettuce, the peppers, the tomatoes, the carrots, the frozen broccoli, the spinach, and, if I’m feeling adventurous, the cucumber….ahem.

Also, I’ve heard that DARK leafy green vegetables are WHERE IT’S AT — and not just your usual spinach and lettuce. It’s all about the COLLARDS and the KALES. Packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, they are! So, I’m starting with kale.

I’ve been buying it weekly for several weeks now, and it always just rots in my fridge because I’m too lazy to take on the KALE ADVENTURE. But, this week, I was determined to use my beautiful bunch of organic kale….

KALE CHIPS!!!!!!!!!

Kale chips, Gorgeouses. They are FABULOUS. They’re crispy and tasty and, WHO CARES WHAT I HAVE TO SAY when I have THIS EVIDENCE:

Monkey, aka PICKIEST-EATER-ON-THE-PLANET, LOVED her “chips”! Need I say more….

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

1. Remove the stems from the kale.

2. Cut or tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.

3. Toss leaves with oil, salt, and pepper — making sure all are covered.

4. Place the leaves in a single layer on a lined/lightly greased baking sheet.

5. Place in the oven for anywhere from 4 to 15 minutes (every recipe I’ve seen says something different, but I baked mine for about 12 minutes). Time really varies here — depending on how wet your leaves are, how big you make them, etc.. Just make sure the kale becomes crispy but not burned. Serve immediately and ENJOY!