a hippie with a minivan

Elenco Electronic Snap Circuits

This came into our home at Xmas time and didn’t come out right away (I kept forgetting to get batteries) But once it came out it has been out almost out every day since…

Snap Circuits is all about circuits. You build a circuit by snapping the pieces together (hence the name). You can make a light light up, music come out of a speaker, make a fan go (and fly off) etc. You put resistors in, or add things in different sequences and see what happens… what happens when you add a cup of water to a circuit? I can’t wait to find out! The instructions and explanations are clear and though we just have the basic kit for now, there are so many things that can be done and I am sure we will add other kits in the future.

At the moment, it is Xavier that has the most interested since he can read he can read the instructions, though the diagrams are quite easy to read also so slightly younger kids or not yet reading kids with an interest probably will be able to do some of them also…

I remember taking electricity classes in High school, I remember not understanding the diagrams. I remember a friend doing the work for me because we were in pairs and he got it and I didn’t and leaving the class most likely as ignorant about electricity and elecronics as before the class, and maybe slightly more confused. If we would have had something like this, I would have understood completely. Even in a tactile sense snapping the pieces together is satisfying and I am looking forward to having a turn too…

Meat and Sweet Potato pie

When I was in BC last year, Annie brought me to an amazing little restaurant in Prince-Rupert. On the menu was a “Cajun Pie” that was absolutely delicious. I asked what was in it and when I got home I took some of the flavours that I loved that were in it and made it my own… I have made it quite a few times now and finally wrote down the proportions to share…

Because the boys are mixed on “spicy” I found a way to have all the flavour without the spice. Of course, if you like it spicy, add some cayenne to the spice mix or right to your plate.

For 2 pies (one feeds our family and the other is lunch or frozen for an easy supper)

3 lbs of ground pork
1 large sweet Potato (peeled and cut into small cubes)
1 red pepper (chopped)
1 large onion (chopped)

For the spice mix:

3 Tbsp minced Garlic
Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp Chili powder
3 tsp oregano
1 tsp white pepper (not black pepper, the flavour of the white pepper is important)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp mixed spice (nutmeg/cinnamon/allspice/ginger/clove)

Crust for 2 pies

Mix all of the ingredients of the spice mix together to form a paste.

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large pot, brown the meat and set aside. In the same pot as the meat was browned, add a bit of oil then add onion, sweet potatoes and red peppers and cook until soft. Add a bit of water to deglaze the bottom and then add the spice mix and add the meat back. Mix well so that all of the spices are incorporated and then make sure the seasoning is right by tasting.

Fill two pie dishes with the meat mixture, cover with pie crust and use a fork to pierce the pie all over. You can also put an egg wash over the crusts.

Bake for 45 min until Golden brown.

Little Dancer…

She’ll be a year next week…

Oatmeal smoothie…

Smoothies are great, you can add whatever you want to them and the more you add the more of a complete meal it can become. The kids here love smoothies… so it is an easy and fast breakfast to make and it always feels like a treat… Since I got our new blender I have been making them almost every day…

A while back (before my old blender broke) I decided to try oatmeal in our smoothie to make it even more complete. It took a few tries but I finally figured out the perfect way to do it.

First put some dry oats (about a cup) in the blender and make process them until they are a like flour… it is OK if it has a few lumps but you don’t want many.

Put the Oat flour into a saucepan, turn the heat on and then add fresh juice or milk (about 2 cups) You can add whatever juice or milk you have on hand… soy/almond/coconut etc… and cook the oats for a few minutes. I have also used apple cider in this step and it was delicious!

Add the oat mixture back to the blender and add about a cup more of liquid (milk, yogourt, juice etc ) and blend for a few seconds until it is thin and smooth.I also add some vanilla at this point and any other ingredients that I want to blend very well (like the handful of spinach I put in it today and/or banana, fresh strawberries etc)…

Then add a few handfuls of frozen fruit (melons, bananas, berries, grapes etc) and again, blend until smooth. If you want it a bit thicker add some more frozen fruit and it will become nice and thick. More liquid like make it thinner.

Though the Oatmeal is there, you don’t notice it in the finished product but it adds so much to the drink and helps to keep you full for longer.

(I keep on forgetting to take a picture before I actually finish it… it is so yummy)

There's an app for that…

Now that I got an ipod touch for xmas.. I understand the catchphrase so much better.

I used to have a Zune for music, podcasts and videos and a palm for grocery list, recipes, reading etc… but going to a Mac made both of those no longer possible to use.. so this not only replaces both but works so much better…

Wilhelmina is nearing a year it is getting a bit easier to get things done so I am trying to get into more of a routine so that weekends will be less of cleaning and more of family time… I am also ready to get rid of this weight finally and I won’t have another pregnancy to get me off track this time…

So I have downloaded and have been using a few apps that have been helping me out…

One of the apps is called HomeRoutine and it has been a way to get me motivated in the house. I have only been using it for a week but I love it. I customized it for what I want to get done in the day and then I am able to check off the things as I do them… I tried the same system on paper or a dry erase board in the past but it was never as satisfying and never kept me as motivated as this one does. Not only does it have daily routines, but it also has “zones” which are parts of the house that change each week to focus on for 15min each day so that the little jobs that you often forget to do get done…

With weight loss, journaling what I eat has always helped me out. I am happy with the way we eat, but journaling it makes me accountable for portion sizes some days or even makes me realize that I need to eat more others. I tried the “LoseIt” app for journaling and I love it. Not only does it keep me journaling but it comes with a small online community and lots of motivation. Whatever you add into the app is uploaded automatically onto the website (if you choose so) and it is an amazing feeling to get comments when you log a bit of exercise or even a small amount of weight loss… it is so motivating.

Another great app that I found is Home Budget. I have been using Quicken for years but again, with the transition to Mac, it makes it hard and having the numbers always on me, letting me enter expenses right away if I want makes it easier to see where our money is going. With one income, and 6 people, we really need to stick to it…

ibook is great for reading though I miss the automatic scrolling I used to have on my Palm and after a few years of using the same grocery list on the palm, I am starting to get used to using the app that I got for the ipod. I am also slowly entering all my recipes into the “Paprika” app so I can have all my favourite recipes in one place. Another thing that I loved with my Palm.

I have to admit that I might be a hippy in many ways, but technology can not only be helpful, but makes it fun also and it is all in a small enough device that I can stick it into my wallet and always have on me.

Do you have an ipod or iphone? I would love to know you favourite apps too!