We've got the boys all signed up for baseball, so that has started now. Ervin's practices have started and Arlin's start next week. I'm not sure when B's start. They are very excited to get back into baseball. Ervin is still playing basketball. That doesn't end for a few more weeks. B is still doing gymnastics and his last meet is at the end of March in Kansas City. We'll be celebrating Paul's birthday then, too. The meet is on the 19th and Paul's b-day is on the 20th, so that will be perfect.
Speaking of Paul, he's home! He was in Indiana this week and it's so good to have him back. He's up in bed with a tummyache. He thinks it may have been something he ate at the airport. Poor thing. :(
I'll share some pictures of the homemade Vegan Twinkies that I made. I modified the recipe a tad. I used sucanat instead of sugar (which is why they're darker than the ones on the linked website) and barley malt syrup instead of barley malt powder. The kids LOVED them! They are really good and the filling tastes just like the Twinkie filling! Of course, these are a little bit healthier....not a lot healthier, but they aren't as bad as the real thing. Here is a picture of Ervin loving his Twinkie.
Here's a picture of J enjoying his:
We've been busy with school and need to stay caught up because the boys will be going to California at the end of the month.
I've been trying to do better about making healthy dinners for the kids and preparing at the beginning of the day rather than searching through the pantry at 5PM! Tonight, we had a yummy broccoli and red pepper soup that the kids weren't too thrilled about. I thought it was delicious! It tasted a lot like cream of broccoli soup. Here's the recipe I used:
2 Tbs butter (I didn't use butter and sauteed in vegetable stock instead.)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 pound of broccoli (chop both florets and stems)
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into quarters
2-3 tablespoons of yogurt (if you like) (I don't like...lol)
Salt and pepper to taste (I omitted these as well)
In a large saucepan, melt the butter and cook the onion until it becomes translucent. Put all the broccoli (except one cup of the florets) into the saucepan and cook until the broccoli begins to soften. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. While this is simmering, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil and add the remaining florets until they become tender. Remove the florets and place them in cool water (this helps them keep their bright color). On a broiler pan, place the red peppers shiny-side up and broil them for about 10 minutes or until the skin becomes blistered. Turn them over fairly often so as to avoid burning. Remove the peppers from the broiler, allow to cool, and remove the skin. Chop them into small pieces. When the soup mixture is done simmering, place it in batches into a blender and puree it until it is smooth. Return it to the saucepan and add the yogurt if you choose to do so and the remaining florets. Serve in soup bowls with the red bell peppers sprinkled over the top as a garnish. I also added some brown rice, but more as a garnish...not a lot of it.
Uh oh............ I just looked over a minute ago and J had gotten up on the chair next to the sink and had a fistful of Twinkie! Ervin and B were busy cleaning up the extra filling:
Ugh...they're never going to go to sleep tonight! Well, J is tired (he took an evening nap, so is up late) and I have to go get the other boys in bed as well (Arlin didn't want to pose for any pictures tonight...). Goodnight!
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