Soccer, Vacation Week, Recipes, and Meal Plan
Hey there, blog peeps!
How is your Saturday going?
We just got back from a very chilly soccer game:
Although spring soccer usually starts at the beginning of April, we were delayed three weeks because of all the snow. That's right, snow. And rain and mud. As you can see the fields are still not in the greatest of shape but at least they were dry!
We all braved the cold this morning (it was 38 when we left the house) to cheer N on in her first game of the season. She did great!
There she is, rockin' the number 5.
Don't let the bright sun fool you. It was freezing. I'm still getting warmed up several hours later.
We are also coming off school vacation week, and so the girls didn't have many activities going and they all got to spend some sleepover time with Grandma. Fun Fun! N went first, then the other three followed together, which meant we got some nice alone time with our eldest. We took a hike:
The next day when the younger girls were back we took a trip to the nearby cinema pub to see A Wrinkle in Time with Auntie Bethie. We have been wanting to see it since it came out, because we just finished reading the book aloud. It was great!
Of course I'm kind of attached to the book, and as you know the book is always better than the movie, so I did raise my eyebrow over a few of the changes they made, but overall I think it was a good adaptation and kept the overall spirit of the story pretty intact. So I'll spare you the specifics of my opinions ;-} I do recommend it for tween girls!
I'm just gonna squeeze a few recipes that I've been meaning to share here into this post, since they're both on the meal plan for this week. They are favorites that have been on repeat a lot in the past year here at the Sugar and Spice Household. Enjoy!
We have been loving the healthy brownie recipe below. It is a great way to sneak some extra nutrients into your kiddos! :) Carob is a great vegan source of calcium and also contains selenium, antioxidants, and insoluble fiber (and unlike cocoa, it's caffeine free too!). The black beans also contain calcium, iron, fiber, potassium, and lots of other nutrients. The recipe certainly isn't low-calorie, but it is free of refined sugars and those calories aren't as empty as the ones you would find in a more traditional brownie. They're also vegan, gluten-free (if you use GF oats), and nut-free!
Here's the recipe!
Black Bean Carob Brownies
Ingredients:
1 15-oz can black beans, drained
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 T carob powder (you can sub cocoa powder if you prefer)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips (we use Enjoy Life because they're dairy free!)
Instructions:
Set oven to 375. Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in a food processor and blend until smooth. Grease an 8x8 pan and pour batter in. Sprinkle with chocolate chips (or carob chips if you prefer!). Bake for 25-30 minutes or until set. I jiggle the pan and if the batter still looks wiggly I bake them a few more minutes. Even when they are "done" they will be very fudgy and gooey. Letting them cool for about 30 minutes before cutting helps with this, as does refrigeration or freezing.
Next recipe is a homemade BBQ sauce that my friend Shana shared with me a while back. So many store-bought sauces contain high fructose corn syrup and other nasty ingredients, so I try to make this one when I have an extra minute. It's delicious and not difficult to make.
"Clean Eating" BBQ Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup water
6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
3 tbsp unsulphured molasses
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp liquid smoke (I used hickory. It's sold in most grocery stores in spice aisle.)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions:
In a small saucepan, add all ingredients and whisk until well combined. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover halfway with a lid to prevent splashing; simmer for 20 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar and let cool. (If I'm making BBQ meat in the CrockPot, I skip the simmering on the stovetop and just dump all the raw ingredients into the slow cooker with the meat. Easy Peasy.)
Lastly, here's our meal plan for the week!
~breakfasts~
grits
eggs
cereal
~lunches~
salad
sandwiches
tomato soup
snack lunch-- pita chips & hummus, veggies, fruit (strawberries, clementines, pineapple, apples, carrots, cucumbers, sweet peppers)
~suppers~
MYO pizza to use up leftover dairy-free cheese and pesto
pulled pork bbq sandwiches (using homemade sauce recipe above), baked potatoes, salad
wild rice with raisins, walnuts, and feta
quinoa tacos (didn't get to this one last week)
black bean salad over polenta or tortilla chips
~snacks~
fig bars
cliff bars
fresh fruit and veggies from snack lunch list above
black bean brownies
leftover apple cinnamon muffins
Have a great weekend all!
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