Monday Menu Plan

Today is going just great! I'm still working on getting the blog and my links in working order so do be patient with me. The boys are outside playing soccer they have finished their school work and chores for the day. Joseph began rowing Another Celebrated Dancing Bear this week and will begin in Zoology 1: Flying Creatures, as well as his reading & math. The older two are still working through the Civil War and will begin Human Anatomy & Physiology. They did human body four years ago, however this is a more in depth study with them keeping a notebook and experiments. We ordered some wonderful science kits for the Apologia science books from Christianbook.com. They are much more complete than the ones we have ordered from Sonlight over the years and they are sorted out and bagged by lesson. Really nice for the the boys to grab and go to it.

Tonight we will be cooking dinner together for our weekly rhythm. We are making Asparagus and Potato Tart, Green salad, and cornbread. Don't forget to pop over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more yummy goodies to eat. Here is our weekly menu.

Breakfast-
Carrot Cake Oatmeal
onion and beet tops omellet, toast
honey cinnamon yogurt, toast
pumpkin bread, hot cocoa (x2)
Pumpkin and Rasin Biscuits, hot tea
dutch baby with apple filling, hot tea

Lunch-
roman noodles with veggies (x2)
grilled cheese, tomato basil soup
corn bake, salad
egg salad pitas
spaghetti with spicy penaut sauce
spianch and artichoke dip, tortilla chips

Dinner-
Asparagus and Potato Tart, gren salad, cornbread
Roasted Carrots and Beetsand pork chops
curried vegetables over rice, creamed spinach
veggie pizza, salad
Vegetable Biryani, Oven Roasted Tofu, cumcumber salad
tortilla chip soup, salad
Indian Carrot Salad (used grass fed ground beef), naan bread

Best wishes for a brillantly blessed week.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Hope you remember to follow your rainbow today.

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Monday Plan Menu

I hope this fine day finds everyone doing well. We are moving right along. I baked millet muffins this morning and printed out note booking pages for the older boys - they are studying the Civil War and the History of Slavery. Our younger one will be learning about Saint Patrick and Saint Francis in his main lesson block. If you notice the dates on my blog are varied, this is because I recently moved to Blogger and I am going over some of my old blog as I move it. I will be adding more menus, recipes and links and I go. The menus tend to be four days of vegetarian dinners and 3 days (sometimes but not always) with meat.  All breakfasts and lunches are usually vegetarian.  I do hope every one finds something they can use. 

Breakfast~

millet muffins, banana, hot tea

toad in a hole, grapefruit slices

carrot cake oatmeal

gingerbread, applesauce, hot tea

autumn wheat, almond milk (x2)

pancakes with banana & maple syrup

Lunch~
green chili corn pudding, pineapple chunks
mini veggie pizzas
spinach & artichoke dip, blue tortilla chips, apple slices
fruit smoothie, cheese stick, veggie sticks & dip
couscous & broccoli, orange slices
ramen noodles with mixed veggies
peanut butter & jam sandwiches, apple slice

Dinner~
tilapia amandine, sauteed asparagus, baked sweet potatoes
squash & eggplant bake, steamed broccoli
shepherd's pie, salad
potatoes au gratin, cabbage salad, seasoned kale
curried vegetables on brown rice, creamed spinach
cheesy quesdillas, black beans & rice, grilled asparagus
chicken cordon bleu, lemon rice, steamed broccoli

Well that about cover it for this week. I do hope everyone has a brillantly blessed day and remember to pop over to I'm an Organiging Junkie for more great meal ideas.

Picture Books in Winter

Summer fading, winter comes---

Frosty mornings, tingling thumbs,

Window robins, winter rocks,

And the picture story -books.

Water is now turned to stone

Nurse and I can walk upon;

Still we find the flowing brooks

In the picture story-books.

All the pretty things put by,

Wait upon the children's eye,

Sheep and shepherds, trees and crooks,

In the picture story-books.

We may see how all things are

Seas and cities, near and far,

And the flying fairies' looks,

In the picture story-books.

How am I to sing your praise,

Happy chimney-corner days,

Sitting safe in nursery nooks,

Reading picture story-books?

~ Robert Louis Stevenson ~

Happy Halloween 2011

Ghost House

I dwell in a lonely house I know

That vanished many a summer ago,

And left no trace but the cellar walls,

And a cellar in which the daylight falls,

And the purple-stemmed wild raspberries grow.

O’er ruined fences the grape-vines shield

The woods come back to the mowing field;

The orchard tree has grown one copse

Of new wood and old where the woodpecker chops;

The footpath down to the well is healed.

I dwell with a strangely aching heart

In that vanished abode there far apart

On that disused and forgotten road

That has no dust-bath now for the toad.
Night comes; the black bats tumble and dart;

The whippoorwill is coming to shout

And hush and cluck and flutter about:

I hear him begin far enough away

Full many a time to say his say

Before he arrives to say it out.

It is under the small, dim, summer star.

I know not who these mute folk are

Who share the unlit place with me—

Those stones out under the low-limbed tree

Doubtless bear names that the mosses mar.

They are tireless folk, but slow and sad,

Though two, close-keeping, are lass and lad,—

With none among them that ever sings,

And yet, in view of how many things,

As sweet companions as might be had.

~ Robert Frost ~

Strawberry Cupcakes

makes 12

The Strawberry Cupcakes

2/3 cup soy milk
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup light agave nectar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup strawberries, diced

1. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl; allow to sit for a few minutes to curdle.  Beat in agave, oil, vanilla, and almond extract. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until smooth. Fold in the strawberries. Fill liners two-thirds full. Bake 20-22 minutes until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean; don't over bake or cupcakes will be dry.
3. These cupcakes to cool at least an hour before topping and also to develop the flavor and texture properly.


The Strawberry Frosting

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon strawberry extract 1-2 drops red food coloring
1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer

1.Beat shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy.Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes. Add the strawberry extract, food coloring and soy milk, beat for another 5-7 minutes until fluffy.

To Assemble

12 cupcakes
1 recipe frosting
shavings of white chocolate or washed whole strawberries
Spread the frosting on cooled cupcakes. Place shaved white chocolate on top of each cupcake or for a vegan friendly version top each with a whole strawberry.

These are variations of   Simple Vanilla and Agave Nectar Cupcakes and Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting found in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.