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! 

Monika

I've been busy during the Holidays, but I found some time to draw a portrait of my childhood friend, Monika, who is, among other things,  a fashion blogger (check her out  here ). I used this luxurious Aqvarelle Arches paper and my new set of Dr. Ph. Martin's from Blick- I can't tell you how much I like these little guys.  Monika is going to use this image to decorate homemade wine bottles. I hope she saved me one!

Holiday baking

It's been a busy few weeks. We sold our condo in Hoboken  and found a temporary house in the burbs. Now that Christmas is fast approaching, I find myself scrambling for much needed time- unpacking after the move is not among my favorite things... But it's good to start fresh. I will miss Hoboken greatly, it has been a wonderful 6 years. I will certainly miss Manhattan skyline views! But hey, we are only 45 minutes away by car. Speaking of which, I need to start looking for one ASAP! It will be good to have my own after such a long time of not needing one.
My daughter had been sleeping so much better here. She now has her own room, than we are slowly furnishing- in Hoboken, we turned our open office into her little bedroom corner, but it was connected to our master bedroom- not a helpful layout when you try  sleep training. Plus, Hoboken rail station was so close and those 5 am trains would wake her up every time. Now, she sleeps from 7 pm to 7 am and is rested and happy trough the day.
Today we got busy creating our Christmas tree gingerbread cookies. I used this recipe  for old- school Polish gingerbread  cookies, but I subsidized real milk with almond milk, since I do not use cows milk and used Organic Earth's Best instead of lard. I adore recreating old recipes in a new, healthier way.  I made this ahead of time, and the dough was sitting on my Hoboken balcony for three weeks in winter temperatures, until all the flavors blended beautifully.
So today we cut them. So much fun. Lili was really helpful and had a great time helping me every step of the way. She ate few raw ones in the process, I remember doing the same as a child.

Trip to the mini zoo

My daughter loves animals, but that's probably true for most kids. We had a really great time in the mini zoo. Kids got to feed the animals and they had a blast. My friend joined me with her son, Peter, who was here before and knew everything about this place.

Trip to Poland

          With my neighbor's dog. I got this cute Old Navy coat (which they bring back every season) and H&M Hat for Lili right before we left. .

          Typical Polish Cemetery, beautifully decorated for All Saints Day.


Unexpected trip to Poland. I was planning to go in the spring, but unfortunately there was a death in a family. My Grandpa passed away, he was 95.
I certainly did not spend too much time with him in the last few years, I've been busy finishing grad school and staring a family. But I did have some good times with Grandpa growing up, especially during my high school years, when I spent my summers in the small town on the south of Poland where my Grandparents lived.

Times like that always make me wonder- what did I learn  from the person who just passed. With Grandpa Jan, it was simplicity. He lived his life in a very simple manner. He ate simple foods, mostly vegetables, lots of potatoes and fermented milk, home cooked soups and noodles. He rarely ate meet and totally lacked sweet tooth. Bust most importantly, he allowed very little stress in his reality, he simply went with the flow, trusting God and nature.

It was good to visit family and friends. Travelling overseas with a toddler has it's challenges, though. I was so grateful that United flight had interactive games on the little tv screens- a true life saver. Lili spend a lot of time sleeping on my lab on the way there, since the plane leaves Newark Airport at 5: PM , but not so much on the way back, when we left Berlin heading back to Jersey in the early morning.

Halloween

I know I am way late to the Instagram party, but better late than never!  Yay, it is actually a lot of fun. I am still learning. You can follow me here. These are some snaps I took of my baby girl on Halloween, we were walking along exquisitely decorated Bloomfield Avenue in Hoboken, on our way to Halloween Parade. She is currently really into spiders, so we had to stop and collect some.

Walk in Hoboken

Lovely day in Hoboken. We went to Pier C Park on the Hudson, amazing park with million dollar views of Manhattan skyline. It was a perfect spot to catch some autumn sun and just relax. I can't even begin to count how many times I was there last summer with my daughter, looking for a comfortable breeze and some shade. Definitely one of my favorite places in Hoboken. 

On the way back we stopped at Sobsey's Produce to pick up some more pumpkins for our balcony. Did I mention how much I love this store? It specializes in fresh, organic produce and imported goods. Mike Sobsey is really a talented shopkeeper with a rare ability to pick truly superb products for his store. I always stop by to get apples here. I grew up eating mouthwatering apples from my own backyard, so I consider myself  a little bit of an apple snob, and apples he sells taste just as amazing!

Besides, the store looks like it belongs to a small street in Providence rather than Hudson County and feels so nostalgic, European and neighborly. Lili had a blast picking pumpkins here, we will be back again soon. 

Autumn

Autumn is so beautiful this year, a dream. As the air gets cooler we take advantage of comfortable temperature by taking really long walks and playing in the park. Last week we took a trip to the Hamilton Square Park in Jersey City, right next door from Hoboken. I love Hamilton Park area, it feels so relaxed and welcoming. the trees are and majestic and the park  surrounded by beautiful historic brownstones. I was lucky to run into a farmers market there, it's there every Wednesday afternoon until late December. I got some delicious focaccia and stocked up on caramelized pecans. Lili really enjoyed chasing squirrels and picking acorns.