A Note On Caffeine And I Want To Hunker Down

Hello Friends!

How was your Wednesday?

Im glad that I will be hitting the hay soon. Its been a long, good day, but around 5:00, I wanted to take a nap. I did lay down for a bit and felt much better when I got up.

I also did get into the gym tonight and got a leg work-out done. I felt great doing it! I had a young man come up to me to ask me about my work-out and to "congratulate" me for staying in the gym and working hard while being this far along.

Working out always puts me in a better mood, and tonight was no exception. I feel good that I made it in. I now have one more leg work-out to complete before my due date.

Also, wanted to let you know that I got back on my diet today. I did have a bowl of cereal, but it was a controlled choice unlike a few days ago.

Also wanted to mention something that I noticed that happened to me after I had a second coffee yesterday. In case you dont know, I quit caffeine about three weeks ago. I will occasionally have a coffee here or there. Maybe once a week. Well, yesterday I had a coffee in the morning and then one around 5:00 p.m., which is really too late. But I wanted to let you know about the effect it had on me.

During my other pregnancies, I would always feel "overheated" and hot even in the dead of winter because thats when my last two babies were born. During this pregnancy, this fall...I actually get cold and find myself grabbing for sweaters and something warm. I assume its because Im carrying less body fat.

But after that second coffee, I started getting that feeling of getting hot. Sweating a little... And I realized that the caffeine was stimulating my adrenal glands and causing that "hot feeling" reaction in my body. I hate that "hot, overheated" feeling. Not to mention that caffeine was also making me feel more awake when really what I needed to do was just lay down and rest.

Ive also noticed that in the last three or so weeks that I havent had any caffeine, is that Im not so moody. Or a better word might be I dont have any real "sad" feelings like what I will sometimes feel. I mean, I do get angry and upset with things that go on around me (as any normal person would), but I dont feel this despair that I used to feel from time to time.

I really think it might be connected to not having any more cofffee.

Ive been generally feeling very happy and content these past few weeks. Now, I do think that straying from my diet (starting Saturday) has impacted my mood a little, overall, I think my diet plus the no caffeine is helping me to maintain a more "even-keel" attitude.

Its wonderful really.

Well, enough of my babbling.

But I will say that I have been getting these "hunkering" down feelings...where I am thinking I need to go grocery shopping this weekend, and buy enough food for the next three or four weeks. So, that when baby comes...we dont have to go anywhere for a while and have plenty of food. Ha, ha!

Well, tomorrow is Happy Thursday, and I will go to see another midwife for a physical exam to find out if I am dilated at all.

Im probably not, but at least Ill know.

Have a good one!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

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Pumpkin Spice Bread with Brown Butter Glaze Sometimes a can is all you have

Ive noticed an alarming trend in my grocery shopping:  I avoid going to the grocery store if I have to take anyone from my family there..

I do not enjoy group outings to the grocery store.  I do not like taking Husband with me (as hell buy something I dont approve of) and I do not enjoy very much, three chattering, active, no-longer-sit-in-the-cart-and-look-cute children, who ask and explore and get excited over things that I cannot imagine.

"Mom, did you know that Jello comes in this bright green color?  How do they do that?"

"Mom, can I buy this [points to most sugary cereal with 27 different artificial colors listed] and eat it for all three meals today?

"Mom, lets walk down this [chips] aisle.  I wanna see all the stuff here.  It looks really yummy here."

"Mom, lemonade comes in a BOTTLE.  Like already made!  How do they do that?"

"Mom, look at these applesauces.  It has only apples listed in the ingredients.  Can we get it?"

"Mom, we need more snacks.  There is nothing I like to eat at home.  THIS SNACK is allergy safe!!"

"Mom.  They have FROZEN pizza.  Now you dont have to make it homemade.  Lets get one."

The mass of craziness, questions, activity, and general flurry of three kids running circles around me generally means that I will avoid going to the grocery store by all means, especially when the kids are on break, and right now, my kids are on break.  They are on a three-week fall break, and I made the mistake taking them to the store once, and I subsequently vowed to myself that wed have to be starving in order for me to go again.

Therefore I began rummaging through the pantry to find new things to cook without going anywhere to get ingredients, and I discovered 6 CANS of pumpkin.  Although the weather was hot, suddenly I felt fall.  I wanted to make something warmly spiced, rich, and typically autumn.  I toyed around with all six cans of pumpkin, making various permutations of this spiced bread, until I came upon the recipe that truly satisfied me.  One major requirement was that I had to USE UP a can of pumpkin instead of having one of those "I have 1/4 cup of pumpkin left that I dont know what to do with" situations.  The other major requirement was that I wasnt going to go to the supermarket to get any missing spices or ingredients.  The result was this super delicious bread that everyone who has tasted has been going nuts over.

(In a funny side story, I knew I wanted cinnamon, but could only find cinnamon sticks. In order to avoid the store, I cleaned out my coffee grinder and ground my own cinnamon, sifted it to make sure it was fine, and drank cinnamon perfumed coffee for a few days, only to find my ground cinnamon 3 batches of pumpkin bread later.)

Lucky for you, this recipe makes TWO loaves - one to give away, and one to keep. Or, if youre selfish, one to freeze and one to keep.  Or, if you have a ravenous family who needs to keep busy eating pumpkin bread, one to eat and another to eat.  The icing is optional - and as my #2 likes to say, "When it has icing, its dessert.  When it doesnt have icing, its breakfast."

Pumpkin Spice Bread with Brown Butter Glaze
Makes 2 loaves

Bread Ingredients
2 ?  cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½  teaspoon baking powder
½  teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½  teaspoon ground cloves
½  teaspoon ground nutmeg

Glaze Ingredients
1 stick (8 tablespoons butter)
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 5 tablespoons whole milk (will vary based on desired consistency)

Bread Method
Preheat oven to 350.  Grease two 9X5X3 loaf pans (or a slightly smaller one, but just know it’ll take longer to bake, the deeper the pan).  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

Gently add flour to pumpkin-egg mixture.  Mix slowly and gently, incorporating gently, being careful not to overbeat.  Once mixture is well incorporated, divide evenly between two loaf pans.

Bake for 65 to 75 minutes.  Bake until tester in the center of loaf comes out clean.  Allow breads to cool for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto racks to cool completely.

Glaze Method
In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat, until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.  Carefully pour melted butter into a bowl, leaving excess sediment behind.

Add confectioners sugar, vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons milk and whisk together until uniform and smooth.  If glaze is still too thick, add more milk and whisk again, until desired consistency.  A runny glaze is easier to smooth everywhere but doesn’t set up as easily as a slightly stiffer glaze.  Choose accordingly.

Use glaze immediately.  Pour over bread and allow to set, about 30 minutes.

Printable recipe

I can stay at home for this.  

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Lemon Yogurt Cake When you have a little fan

For my youngest fan, JK, I know that your dreams will come true!

I hear it every so often.  "I read your blog."  "I love your blog."  "I really love your stories."  Its not every day, but its often enough that I feel reasonably reassured that out there, in the wide, wide world, I have a few fans.  Its especially reassuring considering that no one in my home reads my blog or enjoys my food.  My daily cooking is often met with groans, words like "Not THAT again" and "Why dont we ever eat out?"  My fans out there in cyber space are what keep my kitchen running like an old engine in need of an oil change.

However, my official tune-up to becoming a well-oiled old engine, came in the form of a 7-year-old daughter of a friend.  This young lady dreams of being a TV chef.  Her days are filled with visions of becoming a Food Network star, and she daily practices her TV cooking show.  Shes organized, methodical and an expert baker.  The craziest thing of all is that she counts me as one of her cooking idols.  I have a series of 4 cooking videos on Grokker, and she watches them repeatedly, often imitating the way I say a line, or asking rhetorical questions to my face on the screen that she knows will be answered soon after.  She is, truly, my biggest fan.  She asks her mom to make the recipes that I make and she begs her mom to watch me on Grokker.  She pulls up recipes from my blog to study and when she comes over, I see her shyly glancing my way, almost like one would with a star in the house.  She repeatedly asks her mom HOW we met (high school over 20 years ago) and how we are still friends after all this time.

So for you, JK,  my young apprentice from afar, I give you this recipe of lemon cake.  You tasted it, loved it and I told you it was the perfect recipe for you to make this weekend.  Its easy - no mixer required and all you need to do is have two bowls at the ready so that you can mix a bowl of wet ingredients and a bowl of dry ingredients.  It just so happens that your mom also likes it, so soon you can be the expert at making this lemon cake as well.

Hugs to you my young chef.  I know your star will come!

Lemon Yogurt Cake
(adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa At Home)
Makes 1 loaf, enough for 8 people

Ingredients for Cake
1 ½  cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½  teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 extra-large eggs
½  cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 to 3 lemons, and you’ll use the juice later)
½  teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.

Whisk  together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another larger bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, oil, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients,  making sure its all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

While cake is baking, make soaking syrup.

Ingredients for Syrup
? cup granulated sugar
? cup lemon juice (from the lemons zested)

Method
Cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

Printable recipe

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A Fun Maternity Visit

Hi folks!

Im getting my post in early tonight because I still have to hit the gym and pick up some stuff for my hubby because tomorrow is our nine year anniversary.

BUT...I had a fun visit with the midwife this morning about our little baby boy.

Ive never met this gal before, but she was nice to talk to. I asked her about if increased activity will bring on more contractions than normal (like what happened Sunday night). She told me that not staying hydrated would cause more contractions than normal. And sure enough, that day I was way, way short on my water intake because of the busy-ness of the day, plus Id even had some caffeine that day.

Also, she measured my abdomen but I forgot to ask how much I measured. And the reason I forgot to ask is because I was really taken back by her guestimate of how big the baby is. She guessed that the baby was already...get this...seven pounds!!!

And it was her guess that he would weigh around eight pounds at birth. Now, a different midwife last week guessed (by feeling the baby outside my belly...thats how they make their guesses) that he was between four to five pounds.

So, between those two guesses, I think this boy may be between 5 1/2 pounds to six pounds right now. Also, this midwife was trying to feel for his head and she found it and says, "His head is just floating here, which means he hasnt dropped (into my pelvis) yet."

The baby dropping into my pelvis means hes getting ready for the birth. Typically when a baby drops, I will have less pressure on my stomach and more pressure on my bladder, which in turn will make me go to the bathroom more...and perhaps eat more because there is more room in my stomach.

All of this is such fun stuff.

Then, I asked her if there was anything I could do to make the baby come out in October. And she says to me...drink five glasses of red raspberry leaf tea a day and take 1,200 milligrams of Evening primrose oil a day. These things will "soften my cervix". The only catch, however, is that the baby needs to "drop" first before these methods really become effective. Maybe Ill wait till the baby drops before I try any of that. I told my husband about what the midwife said, and he immediately started speaking to the baby and saying, "no, no...you need to come out in November."

See he wants the baby to born on mid-term elections day, November 2 (which is the babys due date). Funny.

Oh...and another thing...Remember my stomach flu last week? And how I went in to see my midwife and cried and agonized about it? Well, I happened to see that same midwife in passing today and SHE had the stomach flu for two days last weekend after seeing me. Although, she tried to tell me she could have gotten it from someone else too.

Im like, "I am really, really sorry."

The one consolation is that she didnt seem to have the really, really sharp stomach pains like I did. Ive noticed the stomach flu tends to affect people differently.

The midwife told me that the whole being pregnant and all tends to lower my immune system to different bugs and viruses. Great.

I have another exciting bit. Ive figured out that the reason my pictures arent uploading to the computer is that Ive run out of disk space. Im really hoping to get more space very, very soon.

Well, its Happy Thursday tomorrow folks...and it will be very happy at the Sunshine Mama and Daddy Rainmaker home because we are celebrating nine years of married bliss.

Hope you all have a good one tomorrow!!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

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A Little Update And Some Home Made Soup

Good evening friends!
How was everyones Tuesday?

It was a very productive day. Four more loaves of bread were made (thanks, Darling Rose), a double batch of cornmeal muffins (thanks again DR), this home style chicken noodle soup and some biscuits that our 15-year-old daughter made as well.

This is the first time I made the soup this way. I used some home made whole wheat noodles that had been sitting in the freezer for like two months. I also used a bag of chicken that had been sitting in their for a few months too. I added my broth, onions, carrots and canned corn...and it was unbelievable!

Everyone loved it!!

My daughter cooked up some biscuits. These actually use white flour, but they look wheat because we ran out of white and had to knead it in wheat flour.

So, those are my two pictures for today.

Now for the update with my maternity appointment.

When I met with this midwife this morning, I got to talking to her about her kids and forgot to ask her some questions. Also, she did not do a physical exam to see if I was dilated, if my cervix was softer ect.. So, after I got home I felt annoyed with myself for forgetting my questions and not asking to be examined. I told my husband about my frustration. So, he suggested I just call her back and ask her those questions. So, I called back, got some really good answers AND set another appointment for this Thursday to have a physical exam.

Lets be real here.

Ive got less than two weeks now before my due date and I dont want to have to wait another whole week to see if Im even dilated. I would be just too annoyed with myself for the next seven days.

But what I do now know...

She thinks the baby weighs around 6 1/2 pounds. My abdomen measured 38 centimeters as compared to last week where I measured 36 centimeters. So, my abdomen measurements now match the weeks along that I am.

Remember those stomach pains? Well, I asked if there were any side effects to taking Evening Primrose Oil tablets. The side affects can be that if you take too much: "nausea, vomiting and GI distress".

You know what GI distress is, dont you? Gastro intestinal distress. I would heartily describe my stomach pains as GI distress. One of the directions for taking those evening primrose tablets is to take it with food. So, there must be something in it that can affect my stomach. What I do now is to just take two tablets a day instead of three. I havent had any pains in the last two days.

See?! I didnt need the GasX! Ha, Ha!!!

There didnt seem to be any adverse affects from the raspberry lea tea extract.

Oh, I was leaving the clinic this morning from my appointment and in the elevator, when a gal with a newborn stepped in too. Her little baby girl had just been born on Friday, the 15th, a month early. It was her first baby. I asked to see her; this little girl looked so precious and delicate. Perfect little fingers, nose, and mouth. My heart just swelled with the joy and anticipation of soon being able to see our baby boy too.

The mama said she was on her way out to go shopping for her baby.

In the meantime, with all the cooking, I did stumble on my diet again today. I actually had a slice of white bread with some home made strawberry jelly. And I had a small biscuit. And then I had a small coffee with sugar and cream.

So, its back to a new day tomorrow.

Again, thanks for all your comments!

Hope your Wednesday goes well!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

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Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding Gluten free dairy free egg free nut free sugar free A solo act

I have a couple of roles at my church.  Every single week I teach Sunday School to 3 through 5 year olds. Every week I play some instrumental music at the end of service. Every other week or so, I lead the praise. Every couple of months or so I have to do an opening prayer. Every 10 weeks or so, Husband and I are in charge of snack/light luncheon for our congregation.

These are roles that come with my desire to serve God but every once in a while, something very unexpected happens. I got a glimpse at the calendar last month, and I realized that I would be doing snack and praise on the same week so I switched it out so that I wouldnt have that pressure. Only then another series of events came into play. Last Sunday, I realized that I was leading praise, I was leading the opening prayer, and I would be doing the scripture reading before the message. On early Sunday morning, I got a text from my fellow praise musician who regretfully informed me that her daughters were both sick so she wouldnt be able to make it.

I would have to lead praise alone. Gulp. Gulp. Double Gulp. I straightened my spine, straightened my hair, gathered the kids and rushed to church in order to practice a few bars of music as I would have to play and sing on my own. Less than 5 minutes into warmup, my Pastor came up to me and gently asked, "Do you think you could do the announcements today as our two regular people are out?" I quickly thought about it and realized with a rapidly sinking feeling in my stomach that I would be up in front of the congregation ALONE for the first part of the service.

Praise alone. Announcements alone. Opening prayer alone. Responsive scripture reading alone, with the help of the congregation. I looked up at my Pastor and said, "You know that Im already doing the prayer and stuff too." He smiled and simply raised his eyebrows as a way to ask for my response.

"Yes.  I will."  Inside I cringed as I am a person who doesnt enjoy being in front of an audience speaking.  In other words, I do not enjoy public speaking and any situation where I am alone and everyone is looking at me.  But I knew it was probably the right thing for me to do it and I straightened up preparing for the next 20 minutes of service.

Once the service started, I suddenly found myself in the midst of a Joanne Choi solo act, a personal area of extreme discomfort. I sang and played while closing my eyes so I wouldnt have to see any reactions, gave announcements while looking down the entire time, gave the opening prayer with my eyes closed, and finished off with the scripture reading. At the end, I felt like saying, "And now, the person youve really been waiting for..."

After that kind of stress packed 25 minutes, I needed something to calm my nerves. Something like chocolate. Creamy. Sweet and luscious. Unfortunately for me, I had to go and teach Sunday School with 25 sweet kids, but they werent made out of chocolate, nor would it be appropriate for me to consume them with a lion-like ferocity. I simply destressed with them by joking around.

This pudding is the perfect chocolate stress reliever after a stress packed day. I dont even need to feel guilty eating it. It is free of nuts, dairy, gluten, sugar (yes!) BUT still tastes amazing.  In a series of test pudding runs, (as a I tested this concept out multiple times) I fed it to a group of students. As one of them consumed it, Daughters informed him that there was "no sugar, no milk, no egg, no anything" and he got super confused as to what it could be made of.  As I revealed the ingredients of chia, dates, coconut milk - he yelled, "THIS IS THE TROJAN HORSE OF PUDDINGS!  YOU THINK ITS ALL THE YUMMY STUFF BUT ITS HEALTHY!!!" For the record, he ate his entire serving. Snort. Trojan horse indeed.  

I even let Children eat it for breakfast if they like, dipping their berries into it. They LOVE.

You do need a Vitamix, or some other powerful blender and a little bit of time soaking and chilling, but the work involved is WAY simpler than a traditional chocolate pudding, as there is no stovetop cooking involved.   The results much are healthier and less guilt-ridden. 

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

¼ cup chia seed

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (Coconut Dream coconut milk in the cartoon or Trader Joes also has a version.)

5 to 6 medjool dates, seeds removed

2 to 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (depends on the intensity of your particular cocoa powder - I use a Valrhona chocolate powder which is quite intense so 2 ½ tablespoons is enough)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon espresso powder (optional, but I think it brings out the chocolate flavor)

pinch of sea salt

Special equipment - Vitamix blender or another high-powered blender like Blendtec

Method

Put chia seed in bottom of blender and add ½ cup of coconut milk.  Allow chia seed to soak up coconut milk and become gelatinous, at least 45 minutes, but you could also leave soaking longer.

After chia seed has soaked in coconut milk, add to the blender the remaining ½ cup coconut milk, dates, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, espresso powder and sea salt.  Blend, gradually increasing speed until the mixture is smooth and the chia and dates have been processed, about 3 minutes of blending total.

Spoon mixture out into desired number of serving dishes and refrigerate until cool, about 45 minutes.

Serve with fresh strawberries or on its own and enjoy!

Printable recipe

Guilt-free dessert.  Where is my spoon?

Coconut milk - not a great price, but so you can see the kind Im talking about.

Organic Chia Seeds I use - available at Costco as well


Cocoa Powder Indulgence - makes this pudding that much better

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A Blah Post

Hello friends!

Well, Its been a few weeks since I last left a post so I thought I should update. I stayed on my clean diet for two weeks, but the last few days Ive been slightly off so I can tell Im not feeling as good as I could.

I also found out that I have low iron, which would explain why even though I get lots of sleep each night 8 to 10 hours, I dont have a lot of motivation the way I did in my last pregnancy when all I wanted to do was organize the house. So, very soon Im going to try some iron supplements along with some kind of stool softener because those supplements will bind you up.

And while Im at it, I suppose I could mention a few other woes that Ive experienced in the last two weeks. Well, about two weeks ago, I put my back out. So it hurt to walk, stand and even lay down sometimes. You know those power operated shopping carts like golf carts? It was hurting so bad, my husband actually talked me in to using one of those at the grocery store. It was funny, but I felt much better sitting on that than standing. I feel better now.

Then about ten days ago, I got sick with the stomach flu. I was vomiting and had diarrhea. After about 15 hours of that, I was getting dizzy. So, we went to the hospital for a liter of IV fluid to rehydrate me. I felt like a new woman after that IV. An hour after that, I could actually eat, whereas before I couldnt even keep down water and was throwing up bile. I would encourage anyone to do that if theyre dehydrated.

Seems like a lot of people I talk to have been sick lately with the stomach flu.

It was so nice to see SunshineMegs new little baby girl. Right now it feels like 14 weeks is a long time to wait for our baby girl, so it was encouraging to see hers. Congratulations SunshineMeg!

So, this is kind of a blah post, but Im generally busy homeschooling throughout the day and then Monday through Thursday there is some extracurricular activity that the kids are involved in in the evening. I started homeschooling early this year so that when the baby comes May 7th, I can be off for a few months. I can see that it will be a challenge for me to be as prepared for this baby as I was for Morning Glory when I had the whole summer to prepare. So, Im really hoping that taking iron will help my motivation. They say it takes several weeks though before your body absorbs enough iron for you to notice a difference. The last time I took iron supplements was 17 years ago and I stopped because of the side effects. So, well see how this goes.

Oh, happy February to you all!!

Talk later!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

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A Happy Busy Thursday Im 36 Weeks Two Days Along

Hi folks!

Its been a happy, busy Thursday here. Thanks for all your anniversary congratulations.

My husband and I started the day with skipping breakfast.

Yes, we both totally skipped breakfast.

But we had a very good reason.

We took our 2 1/2 year old son to get an ultrasound done on his heart. There was the possibility that he might need to be sedated, which meant he couldnt have any breakfast. So, the whole family "slept in" a little and had breakfast after we left for the clinic. I just couldnt eat breakfast in front of him and at the same time tell him he couldnt have anything.

But as it worked out, he didnt need to be sedated because he stayed still enough for the ultrasound and I brought a snack for him to eat after it was over. And believe me, by then, he was quite hungry.

And I will say, his heart is unchanged, which is a good thing. He basically has a slight thickening in one of his ventricles which causes some uneven pressure, which makes the heart murmur sound. The doctors just basically monitor it to make sure it doesnt cause any negative effects. But if negative affects do occur, they can be remedied easily enough. Thats the short explanation.

But after we got back, yes we were hungry too and ate.

Later in the day, I took my hard drive to the computer doctor and Im really, really hoping to be able to post a few pictures tomorrow. Well see about that too.

Other than that, I did get to the gym tonight and got in a good work-out. So, that makes it two times this week so far.

Oh, I should tell you all about this dream that I had last night. I think I was having some pain in one of my legs during the night because of the whole baby laying on the sciatica nerve thing. I think that that is why I started dreaming that I went into labor, and dreamt that I had my baby today!!

I shared that with someone at the gym and the first thing he said was, "a pain-free labor!"

Wouldnt that be nice.

Dawnes comment has me really curious about this raspberry leaf tea too. So, I will have to check it out.

Well, there isnt much else to say. Ive been feeling great, and Ive been eating spot-on. I got my husband and the kids some sweets as part of our anniversary celebration but I did not have any of it. I think that when we do some fun stuff this weekend I will treat myself with some raspberries and blueberries. But I didnt feel deprived when I didnt share in their treats.

Kind words from my husband in the cards and little gifts he gave me today were enough to make my day. I usually want chocolate on my anniversary, but its absence today just didnt really bother me.

Well, Friday is practically here. I hope you all have a good one!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

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Boba Tea Drinking a break or breaking for a drink

To my boba ladies - SN, SH, HK

I need a break.  Its always at the end of the year - the months of May and June where I feel my tension rise at rapid rates and the desire to scream comes far more often than it should.  Its the season of schedule changes, camp signups, changes in students, preparation for vacation, and all in all the complete mish mash of tasks that I have before me.  (Im not counting the regular stuff that still needs to get done in all this.)

I admit that I easily get overwhelmed at this time and find myself wanting to crawl somewhere to try and catch my breath - as if that would even be possible.  But still.  I think about it.  I dont often do it, but I do think about it.

Ive found, however, that making boba tea helps me.  Its kind of counterintuitive as Im amping my body full of caffeine and sugar and carbs, but something in the process helps me calm down.  I dont know if its the kind of precise detail required in making boba, or if its the fragrance of the tea, or perhaps its simply that the kids start getting mellow when they learn that Ill be making them boba.  Whatever the case, boba making calms me down and its an excuse to have friends over to drink and chew with me.

In case youre unfamiliar boba or bubble tea, Ill simply just say its like drinking something and having something to chew while you drink.  Some of my non-boba fans have described the texture of the tapioca pearls, or boba, as being similar to gummy bears.  One even mentioned it was like drinking tea while chewing flavorless gummy bears.  Ill assure you its way better than that, although some people may  take some time to getting used to it.  

These days, it seems that bubble tea shops or boba tea shops are popping up everywhere, with lines that go out the door.  Ill admit, in the early days of my quest to do this boba thing at home, I was frustrated and I thought to myself that having boba made by someone else was well worth it.  I feel much less that way now, as Ive been working on my boba tea practice and method and Ive gotten it down to a pretty decent science, at least a science that works for me.  I find my home method offers me more flexibility in tea flavors, a freedom from artificially flavored syrups with their artificial colors, and an ability to control the sweetness level and how its sweetened.  I can use higher quality cream (like organic cream instead of non dairy creamer) and I can reduce the amount of waste in that I use glass mason jars instead of disposable plastic cups.  The straws I still havent figured out how to get around, but I think glass jars are a dramatic improvement.

I divide the work of boba tea into two tasks - make boba and make tea.  I like to focus on one and do the other afterwards.  Boba requires time, an hour of it, and its important to time this hour well.  Tea requires precision of time - oversteep your tea, and no matter how much sugar you try and add to fix your error, you cant.  I know this from experience.  

Making the Tapioca Pearls
The most important element of this is finding THE RIGHT PEARLS.  My own personal struggle to source these darn cassava root balls (you read that correctly - cassava root) has led me down several roads of extreme frustration.  I couldnt find them in a search of 7 Asian grocery stores in the Bay Area, so I turned to online sources.  There are plenty of online sources, but the shipping tends to be fairly hefty unless you luck out and find one on Amazon prime, which is what Ive been able to do a couple of times.  However, brands that are reputable and have a following (despite their lower rating on Amazon) are:

Tea Zone Boba (which is used at some of the tea shops around the nation)

Bolle Boba - Ive heard that some Asian markets on the east coast sell this.

Possmei - this is the brand Ive been using, and I snatch it up when its available on Amazon Prime.

Do not bother with "instant" boba pearls (ones that take 5 minutes or less) because quite simply, they arent the same thing at all.  Those have other starches in them (namely potato) and they wont give you the springy proper boba texture you are looking for.  A great blog post which basically goes through all the boba brands you shouldnt be buying is this one.

This process takes 60 minutes.  Not 55 or less.  60 minutes.  Ive heard of rice cooker methods and microwave methods, but I think the best method is boiling.

How to make boba pearls
2 cups of uncooked boba pearls
12 cups of water
1/3 cup of honey

The nature of these boba pearls is that they crumble easily.  Take time to sift out some of the crushed pearls powder so that the cooking liquid doesnt become too thick.

In a large pot, bring 12 cups of water to a rolling boil.  Once water is boiling, add all at once 2 cups of boba pearls.  Gently, with a spatula or wooden spoon, give a slow stir to help the boba not all stick to the bottom.  Within a 20 seconds, most of the boba should float up to the top.  I know youre thinking that these brown balls dont look like the black boba that youre used to, but they will be transformed in their hot water bath.

Once the water begins to boil again, reduce heat to a low boil and allow boba to cook for 30 minutes. Stir every 8 minutes or so, to make sure the boba isnt sticking to the side.  

Once boba has cooked for 30 minutes, turn off the heat, and allow the boba to sit in the hot water for another 30 minutes.

After boba has soaked in hot water, drain boba and give it a super quick rinse with water.

Place boba in a large bowl and pour honey over.  The heat of the boba should help make the honey loosen so that it can coat all the boba.  Add more honey if you like things sweeter.  The boba should be good, for about 5 hours at room temperature.  The longer they sit, the harder and less jewel like they become, so I find that cooking the boba and using them within a few hours the best.  (This is why boba places have to continuously make their boba.)

Isnt it gorgeous?  Now youre ready to make your tea!

Making Tea
My favorite thing about making boba at home is being able to custom make my teas.  With large mason jars, you actually have a ton of flexibility in making individual boba flavors.  Ive made large pitchers of tea and used tea bags in the proper proportion to make large amounts of tea, but the mason jars open up your boba tea flavors to a ton of possibilities.

Because mason jars can handle variations in heat, you can just steep tea for the appropriate number of minutes and sweeten with honey (or your choice of sweetener) and boba and your ice.  Ever notice that the boba tea you drink is never SUPER icy cold?  Its because boba doesnt react well to super cold.  Generally speaking ice is added to the top and then you shouldnt mix your drink up, otherwise your boba will lose texture.

The last few times I had some friends over for boba tea, I allowed them to select their tea options.  I poured honey in the bottom (about a tablespoon) and got the tea bags ready.  If you are going to add cream to your tea, I recommend doing a double bag of tea, but if youre going to go with a lighter version without cream, I think a single bag is fine.  My current favorite is the Stash double bergamot earl grey finished with honey, cream and boba.  WOWZA!!!  Without cream, my favorite is Tazo Green Ginger.  For the kids, Ive tried this  with herbal versions of tea (no cream) and they love it!

I pour hot water into the mason jars (about 3/4 full) and allow it to steep for the appropriate amount of time.  DO NOT OVER STEEP.  I actually set timers because Im always oversteeping.

Then I remove the tea bags, give a quick stir.

When Im ready to serve, I drop a few good heaping spoonfuls of cooked boba and they sink to the bottom.  On top I add ice.

If anyone wants cream (particularly with the chai, early grey, and English breakfast cream is great) I can add that as a finish.

Pop a straw.  Drink.  It.  All.  (Im kind of a poet.)  Be creative and have a ball!

As a final suggestion, boba isnt just for tea.  It can be for smoothies as well.  My kids love their water melon juice with some boba at the bottom.  The main drawback of this is that super chilled watermelon changes the texture of the boba much more quickly than the tea does.  But if you drink it fast, you wont even notice it.

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Pasta with Sausage Broccolini and Garlic A Year Supply of Pasta Giveaway!

The folks over at Golden Grain Pasta generously offered to send me 8 boxes of their new Hidden Veggie Pasta, and also offered to sponsor a giveaway of years supply of pasta (2 boxes of pasta a month -24 boxes total) for one lucky reader!  I couldnt turn down such an opportunity to try pasta, which is one of Familys absolute favorite meals, so I asked them to send me my sample!

Although the pasta does have some vegetables in it (carrots and squash), it isnt enough for me in terms of providing my family an adequate mix of protein, vegetables, and starch.  Time is always short in my house so I wanted to make a one pot pasta.  I decided to make one that used the vegetables that are dark green, broccolini, with some yummy Italian sausage and garlic.  The end result was a meal that everyone enjoyed and gobbled down.  The recipe has a dairy free option, which uses more chicken stock, and a dairy option which uses some heavy cream.  Both versions are very delicious.

Pasta with Sausage and Broccolini
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 box of Golden Grain Hidden Vegetable Pasta (or your choice of another pasta)
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casing removed, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, minced or through a press
¼ chicken stock
1 lb broccolini, chopped into 1 inch pieces
¼ cup heavy cream or chicken stock (depends if you want it to be dairy free)
3 tablespoons of basil, finely chopped
¼  cup Parmesan cheese (for serving)

Method
Boil water for pasta. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In the same pot, over medium heat, add olive oil and sausages. After sausages are browned, add garlic. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add chicken stock and broccolini. Cover and cook until broccolini is slightly tender and bright green about 5 minutes.

Toss in pasta, and toss together well.  Finish with cream or additional chicken stock.  Add basil and serve.  Pass Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

Printable recipe

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