Baby "G"

My sweet baby nephew "G".

The "P" Family

Thanks to my cousin for asking me to take her family pictures this year.

I love, love, love this picture of my cousin and her husband. :)

You might recognize Baby "P" from this shoot.

Whole Wheat Waffles

My husband went out with a friend tonight so I asked Dolphin what he wanted for dinner. He asked for breakfast dinner. Perfect time to experiment, I thought. I pulled out my grandma's cookbook and turned to my favorite waffle recipe. Then I tweaked it, and they turned out great. I hope you enjoy them too. (Sorry no pics, we ate them too fast!)

Whole Wheat Waffles

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon organic sugar, or sucanat

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder

2 organic eggs

1 1/2 cups almond milk (or milk of your choice)

1/3 cup virgin coconut oil, melted

Mix all together in a bowl. Cook in waffle iron until done.

I was surprised by how well they turned out. They will be a new family favorite.

Chickpea Quinoa Pilaf

I was looking for something easy and nutritious to make for dinner last night and got side-tracked looking through a newsletter from the local health and nutrition store. I found a recipe for Chickpea Quinoa Pilaf. It sounded good (and easy, and nutritious) so I gave it a try. My husband and I loved it. The kids liked picking out the chickpeas. :)

We started dinner out with this salad:

Romaine Lettuce, torn

Carrots, sliced in discs

Avovado, diced

Mix in bowl and top with favorite dressing. I like to drizzle a little balsamic vinegar and add a bit of agave. Yum!

We ate the Pilaf with steamed broccoli.

This recipe originally comes from Veganomicon but I made a few changes. Here it is the way I prepared it.

Chickpea Quinoa Pilaf

2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped finely (about 1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 cups vegetable broth

In a small stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions in coconut oil for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes. Add the tomato paste, cumin, black pepper, and salt. Saute for another minute. Add the quinoa and saute for 2 miutes. Add the chickpeas and broth and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, lower the heat to very low, cover, and cook for about 18-22 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water; stir occasionally. Fluff with a fork and serve.