Chia & Coconut Pudding- oh my!

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years or so, you've probably heard a bunch about chia seeds. They are everywhere now, and they are absolutely fantastic. They deliver a huge amount of nutrients including high quality proteins, fiber, antioxidants with very few calories. And since I am on the mission to slim down after the baby while eating healthy foods, I am their biggest fan.
The other day while having lunch at my favorite chain, Le Pain Quotidien in NYC ( I go there every time I am in the City) I came across this delicious pudding.I was thrilled to find out that they have a recipe in their Le Pain Quotidien Cookbook, and I had to try it the next day! It was so simple to make and you can store it in the fridge for few days, which comes in very handy when I only have so much time to cook these days. I used these HealthWorks Chia Seeds, that I kept in my pantry for a while , but had no idea what to do with them, and this organic coconut milk , and the results were amazing.

For 4 servings, you'll need:

5 Tbsp chia seeds
1-3/4 cups ( 14 fl oz or 400 ml) canned coconut milk

For the fruit sauce, just fruit and agave syrup or brown sugar to taste. I used blueberries, but you can use any berries, cherries, red currants or passion fruit.

Mix the chia seeds with the coconut milk for 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into four round dessert molds ( or mason jars) about 4 inches in diameter, refrigerate for 3 hours or until completely set.

To make a souce, just combine fruit and sugar/ agave syrup in a small saucepan, bring to boil  over medium heat ( do not burn, keep mixing with the wooden spoon), reduce heat to very low and cook for another 5 minutes. Let it cool then add to your pudding.

Such a great Halloween this year! Last year she didn't really understand the concept of Halloween, but this year- oh boy!  Streets of our town were so beautifully decorated, I probably took a zillion pictures. We decorated our front entry together and read book about Halloween every day before bed for a whole month, she was curious about every little detail and symbol- whiches, spiders, pumpkins, owls... and candy. As much as I want to keep her away from mainstream candy packed with corn syrup, it was virtually impossible that day, so I just let it go, since she can only eat so much.  But please read this post about what really is hiding in the most popular Halloween treats- this is really spine- chilling :)

Welcome, Alex !

See what happened the other day- we had a brand new baby boy. I had a beautiful, fast, drug free natural birth, and he was over ten pounds!  I am proud of myself for sticking with my birth plan and my beliefs- the birth can truly be an amazing experience if you prepare ( mentally, emotionally and physically, but really it is all in your head!) and have a supportive team with you.

We are thrilled to have you with us, Alex! Welcome home.

Strawberry, banana and millet summer dessert

With such an abundance of strawberries in my fridge, I needed to make a quick decision about what to do with them. After eating them raw for two days straight, I needed to try something else. So I came up with this quick vegan dessert, that should be prepared in advance and stores in the fringe for few hours or overnight.
It is a pretty awesome and quick breakfast for all of us on the go, and it takes so little time to prepare.

You will need:

1 cup of  dry millet
2 cups of filtered water
2 cups of organic strawberries
2 ripe organic bananas
3 tablespoons of grade A pure organic maple syrup ( I like this one here)
1/2 cup of hemp milk or other nut milk ( I like this one here, which is sweetened, the unsweetened version unfortunately has Carrageenan which is a very controversial ingredient. List of other Carrageenan free nut milks is here, or make your own)
Granola
A good blender

In the evening, cook 1 cup of millet in 2 cups of water, according to cooking directions on the box. Once cold, add all ingredients to the blender and blend for at least 2 minutes, until smooth. Then transfer into jars with some granola on the bottom, close and place in the fridge. Enjoy the next morning.

Strawberry season

This week we was all about strawberries. We went to our favorite Alstede Family Farm in Chester, NJ and picked up few pounds. Alstede Farm is family owned, open year round and  it has a fun petting zoo with friendly goats, cows, rabbits, ducks, chickens and even one very graceful peacock. They sell organic produce, but best of all they let you pick your own, which is a fun activity for the whole family. My daughter was interested in picking berries for the first five minutes, and then she found other things to do, but I'm glad she had a chance to experience how they grow and eat some fresh from the bush. Nothing tastes more heavenly! The hayride back was a fun and very welcomed addition to the whole experience, since the sun was pretty intense and we got tired quickly. Will be back to pick some raspberries later this summer!

Father's Day

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there! You have a great honor and a great responsibility to shape our little ones into happy, loving  and fulfilled human beings It can be difficult at times, but when in doubt, just be there, and let them know they are loved. Always, even when you don't think they know it just yet. There is no time in a child’s life that doesn't count The bond you make with a baby sets the foundation for a lifetime. As the kids get older, they’ll need you in different ways but they will always need you. I could not possibly be happier with my baby's daddy, he is doing a wonderful job so far!  Here is a two of them bonding at a local park.

My office

My work space, currently too messy to photograph. But I keep my art supplies neat and organized.
Did I mention I adore aqua? I think it helps my creativity.

Natirar Park

Natirar Park near Peapack Gladstone is probably the neatest park we've visited this summer. I really enjoyed our afternoon picnic there. The meadow is breathtaking, perfect for flying kites, I shell remember to bring one next time. I need to go back and take a class at  the  Ninenty Acres Culinary Center the building looks so inviting, it made me feel like I was transported to the English countryside.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers, Mother Earth included. It's such a privilege and honor to be a mother, and I happen to realize this truth pretty late in my life. For the longest time I was resisting the idea, worried that I won't be good enough, that it is not my calling. To my surprise, I turned out to be a natural. Motherhood is by far the most rewarding and challenging thing I've done in my life and I am so glad I had a chance to experience it.
I came across this lovely quote on one of my favorite blogs written by  Jodi.

"The most difficult part of birth is the first year afterwards. It is the year of travail - when the soul of a woman must birth the mother inside her. The emotional labor pains of becoming a mother are far greater than the physical pangs of birth; these are the growing surges of your heart as it pushes out selfishness and fear and makes room for sacrifice and love. It is a private and silent birth of the soul, but it is no less holy than the event of childbirth, perhaps it is even more sacred." - Joy Kusek

                         Waiting for the breakfast that daddy is preparing. I wish it was Mother's Day every day! 

Flor tiles

We have this long and wide hallway with ugly while ceramic tile (the worst possible kind), that is constantly cold.
And we happen to love walking barefoot. So we had to do something about it and fast. I wanted something sturdy and easy to clean and most of all something that our baby girl will not trip over. I looked at a million runners and carpet tiles and finally decided to try Flor. Is there anyone who did not hear of them? I've been getting their lovely catalogs for years, and never really had a need to use them. But this amazing mosaic that I was able to come up with together with one of their in store designers totally blew me away. It happens to be two tile wide and colorful tiles were cut on the diagonal, so we could create this fun pattern. I absolutely love it.

Long Winter

This winter was ridiculously long and I'm so glad it's over. I just found those cute pics of my daughter, all bundled up. We so deserve a long and sunny spring this year!