My kids and I love to eat hummus. I started making my own when Oliver was a baby, mainly to save money since he ate so much of it! I started with a basic recipe but over time I've changed it to suit our tastes.
I recently found this smoked paprika at Costco, and it is so good! I love the way it smells, too. Such a nice, smoky aroma. And it adds such a nice flavor to the hummus.
Ingredients:
2 15oz cans of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
3/4 tsp salt, more or less
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 + 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp minced garlic
~1/4 cup water, more or less
Place all of the ingredients in your food processor.
Blend them up until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add more or less water, depending on the texture that you prefer.
This is a really good recipe for kids to help with, because they can dump the beans and spices in the food processor, help you squeeze the lemon, etc. And it only takes about 5 minutes from start to finish, and then they get to eat it right away! (You just might want to warn your little helpers that the food processor will be pretty loud.)
And voila! Yummy, homemade hummus that costs less than $2.00 for about 1 quart, and is a perfect dip for fresh veggies and whole wheat crackers. Or, if you're like my kids, you can also use it as a dip for strawberries, grapes, or blueberries. :-)
Today is a chilly, gray day, which feels like perfect napping and book-reading weather to me. The kids and I had a busy morning with lots of outside playtime for the big ones, and I got everyone down for their naps kind of late. I was hoping that at least the 3 year old would take a good nap, but to my surprise all three kids all took a good, long nap at the same time! (And, as a plus, the baby took a little bit longer to fall asleep, so I got to go back in his room to rock him and smell his sweet baby smell.) I got all of my chores done, read for a little while, then as I was sitting on the couch I thought about all of the little things that I'm thankful for today. Like . . .
-- getting to have a really good quiet time with the Lord in the middle of the day;
-- having the time to prep tonight's dinner, tomorrow's dinner, and the kids' school lunches for tomorrow so I can play with the kids when they are up from their naps;
-- having the laundry done for another day;
-- having lots of good books to read;
-- our awesome coffee maker;
-- getting to watch the clouds through the skylight in the living room;
-- the mild winter and getting to enjoy the playgrounds before it gets too hot again;
-- that Theodore will be old enough to play at the sprinkler parks and sand parks this summer!
-- my sweet girl and how much she loves her brothers;
-- my baby boy and the way he clings to me like a baby koala;
-- my big boy, who comes stumbling down the hall after naptime with his hair flattened on one side, one cheek red from laying on it, rubbing his eyes and mumbling, "Moooom, did I sleep?" :-)
Tonight for dinner, I made salmon patties using canned salmon. I've made fish patties before using frozen fillets, but it was pretty time consuming! Then the other day, a friend posted this recipe on her blog, and I decided to try it.
Now. I don't like canned fish. I grew up with my dad eating canned mackerel (and sardines, eww) a lot, and it just grosses me out. Plus, I remember a couple of times when I would open a can of tuna, and mixed in with the fish would also be some black specks that looked like crawfish eyeballs, and . . . . blecccch. Ewww. GROSS.
So I really didn't want to make fish patties using canned salmon, but I figured if my friend could do it, so could I. :-) I bought 2 cans from HEB, and then later in the week I bought an 8 pack of cans from Costco. I have to say, I like the Costco fish better. Actually, there was no comparison. The Costco fish was wonderful. It had a nice texture (a little firm, not mushy), almost odorless, no bones, and you could see the grain in the meat. The HEB fish was nas-tay. I will not buy it again. Not only was the silvery skin still on (EWWWW) but the meat was mushy, it smelled fishy, it was full of tiny little bones, and there were blobs of fat floating around in the can. It was so gross.
Eww.
Anyway. Back to the recipe!
You'll need:
15 oz of canned salmon, drained
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup potato flakes (we happened to have some of these! not sure how old they were, but I used them!)
1/4 onion, finely chopped (I omitted the onion)
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp dried dill weed (didn't have dill weed, so I used rosemary)
1/4 tsp celery salt (didn't have celery salt, I used basil)
1 tbsp lemon juice
s&p to taste
oliver oil
Carefully check the salmon and remove any bones. Combine all of the ingredients except olive oil, and mix well. Form the mixture into balls and press down into patties.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet, and cook the patties for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
Since Oliver and Buttercup love to help in the kitchen, I'd had hopes of them helping me shape the mixture into balls and patties, but after seeing the HEB salmon they both high-tailed it out of the kitchen (not that I blame them, I felt the same way!). Fortunately, they both thought the cooked patties were much more appetizing! Good thing I made a double batch. :-)
I served it with roasted brussels sprouts and rice. Yummy!
Yesterday morning I ran my 4th half marathon. I'm so thankful to be able to run, and after tackling the distance again, I'm in even more awe of ultrarunners who run so much farther than 13.1 or 26.2 miles!
This was my 3rd time running this race, and although I hadn't put as much effort into training for it as before (only running 15-20 miles per week this time around, as opposed to 35-45 in previous years, and not doing any speedwork this time around), I felt fairly confident that I'd either be able to finish under 1:40, or at least under 1:44 (8:00 minute pace). At any rate, I was 100% sure that I would not be any slower than my first half marathon (1:44:26). (Famous last words!)
I was so nervous when I woke up, and I didn't feel like eating anything but nibbled on a Clif bar before I left the house so my stomach wouldn't be totally empty. I also grabbed an extra energy gel to take before the race in case I felt like it, but my stomach was so tied up in knots that just the thought of eating it made me feel like puking!
The race started out really well. I felt good (although I was still a bundle of nerves!) and the weather was perfect (high 30s, dry, no wind). I started just in front of the 1:40 pace group, intending to hang near them for the race so I'd meet my goal.
Mile 1: 7:58 . . . dodging runners in front of me
Mile 2: 15:26 . . . big downhill
Mile 3: 23:xx . . . starting to feel warmed up
Mile 4: 30:47 . . . feeling like I was hitting my stride, although I was starting to get a little hungry
Mile 5: 38:18 . . . still feeling good, but definitely needing some energy and in desperate need of water
Mile 6: 46:xx
Mile 6 was where the wheels started to come off. I stopped at a water stop to drink a cup of Gatorade and eat my first gel (I am not coordinated enough to do either of those while running), and my right hamstring was so tight when I started running again. :-( I stopped briefly to stretch it, but it never loosened up again during the race, so I wasn't able to get my stride back. I was still a minute or so under 8:00 pace though, so I felt like I could make it.
Mile 7: I missed the mile marker, so I don't know what my time was. I do remember that this was around the point that the 1:40 pace group blew by me like I was standing still. Whoops!
Mile 8: 1:02:xx . . . only 5 miles left to go, and I was starting to feel pretty tired but could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I walked through another water stop. Still under 8:00 pace!
Mile 9: 1:10:56 . . . I was praying all through mile 8 that I would make it to the mile 9 marker before 1:11! :-)
Mile 10: 1:18:xx . . . I was definitely tired of running at this point. I felt like I needed my last energy gel, but I didn't feel like eating it at all. A cup of Gatorade helped me feel better, but my hamstring was really bugging me and I gave up on running and walked for about a minute before running again. About 100 people passed me while I was walking.
Mile 11: 1:28:xx . . . I just wanted it to be over! My hamstring was hurting, I couldn't extend my leg, and all I could think about was how 2 years ago I had less than a mile left at that time, and this time around I still had a little over 2 miles left. I was d-o-n-e and couldn't even remember why I liked running in the first place. I started walking again and was immediately passed by 25-50 people. Every time someone passed me, I felt a little more annoyed with myself for walking and could just see my finishing time sink lower and lower on the list of results. Right about that time, a tall woman with a pink shirt and bright green knee socks ran up behind me, slapped me on the back and told me to keep going. I was grumpy and really didn't want to start running again, but I could see her ponytail bobbing above everyone in front of me, and figured I might as well try to keep up, because at least then I'd be finished faster than if I kept on walking. :-)
Mile 12: 1:37:xx . . . I started feeling better and better, and my hamstring even started to feel not quite as tight, so I was able to run a little bit faster. And there were more and more spectators cheering the runners on, which also helped! Finally, finally, finally there was the last turn and the finish line was up ahead.
Mile 13.1: 1:46:03 (official time) Whew, I was SO GLAD TO STOP RUNNING, ha ha ha!
So, I didn't meet any of my goals, and I also ended up with a new personal worst, which I was least expecting! But what's really great is that I am just so thankful for being able to run, and that is such an answer to prayer. I'd much rather have a slow time or a bad race and end up with the right attitude, than be the way I used to be. God is so good! :-)
And, while I had a personal worst finishing time, I ended up running the race at 8:06 pace -- which is about 15 seconds per mile faster than any of my long runs in the past 18 months. :-) I will admit though, I was pretty disappointed with my time at first and was expecting a time much closer to my previous race times. But for those races, my babies were older (and sleeping through the night!!), and I only had 1 or 2 babies and could take them out in the running stroller whenever I felt like it. That makes a big difference!
I'm looking forward to taking a couple of days off of running, but I'm also already looking forward to next year's race!
I used to be too afraid to try to make stew. Something about it just seemed too . . . grown up, or out of my league for me to be able to make it. I don't know why! But I found this recipe in my Taste of Home Slow Cooker recipe book, and I've made it twice and I really like it! I'm proud to say that I feel like a competent stew-maker now. :-)
Beef Stew
2 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed clean and quartered
2 pounds lean beef stew meat
4 medium carrots, sliced (I actually use several big handfuls of baby carrots, to save time)
2 medium onions, sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce, or 1 6 ounce can tomato paste + 8 ounces of water
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Place the potatoes in the slow cooker first, then top with beef, carrots, onion and celery. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over the vegetables.
Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours, or until veggies and beef are tender.
