All Things Nutcracker
Posted: April 3, 2012 Filed under: Chronicles of a First Time Parent 6 CommentsOur daughter’s third birthday is around the corner so OF COURSE there’s a Nutcracker theme. Since she saw the performance in November, she has been twirling, arabesque-ing, and leaping everywhere she goes.
We even took her to Swan Lake this past Saturday which further expanded her little world. I’ve now got Tchaikovsky on my iPhone so we can roll around the grocery store to the tunes. Here are several photos of what David and I are putting together for her day.
Nutcracker assembly line – some table top nutcrackers…and larger one to poke your head in!
Army of Mice and Mouse King
Spring Still Life
Posted: March 18, 2012 Filed under: Art & Healing, Child Centered Activities 6 Comments
Kale Chips
Posted: March 12, 2012 Filed under: Child Centered Activities, In the Kitchen 3 Comments
This is a great snack recipe I found in a September 2010 Parents magazine. You want to use organic kale as conventional is high in pesticide residue. Kale is rich in vitamins A and C as well as being an antioxidant and any clever way you can sneak some into your diet is well worth it. We put raw kale into red sauces and simmer them down until they’re soft. This year we will try growing some in our garden. Can’t wait!
Bunch kale (washed and dried)
2 Tb olive oil
2 Tb lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
couple sheets of parchment paper
Preheat oven to 350 and chop kale into 1/2″ pieces. Place in large bowl, adding oil, lemon juice and salt. Have your pint size helper massage seasonings onto kale then place on parchment covered baking sheet. Bake up to 15 minutes or until dark green and crisp. Cool and serve!
Snow Day Galette
Posted: March 1, 2012 Filed under: Child Centered Activities, In the Kitchen 6 Comments
Cranberry & Apple Galette
1 C cranberries
3 peeled, cored and sliced apples
1/3 C brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
pie dough either pre-made or from scratch
mix fruit, cinnamon and sugar together in bowl, pour into center of dough, pull up edges and fold together
bake in 400 degree, preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown
Art & the Brain
Posted: February 26, 2012 Filed under: Art & Healing Leave a commenthttp://www.self-help-healing-arts-journal.com/art-benefits-brain.html
Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Beet Puree Batter
Posted: February 22, 2012 Filed under: In the Kitchen 3 CommentsHere is a fabulous recipe (and one we’ve had great success with our increasingly picky eater) from Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious, Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food.
1 C whole-wheat, white, or panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs
1/2 C flaxseed meal
1 Tb grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 C broccoli or spinach or sweet potato or beet puree (easy to make ahead of time when produce is fresh, then freeze in small batches until you’re ready to use)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenders, rinsed, dried, and cut into small chunks
1/2 tsp salt
non-stick cooking spray
1 Tb olive oil
1. In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, Parmesan, paprika, garlic and onion powder, mixing well with fingers.
2.In a shallow bowl, mix the vegetable puree and egg with a fork and set the bowl next to the breadcrumb mixture.
3. Sprinkle the chunks with the salt. Dip the chunks into the egg mixture and then toss them in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.
4. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Place the chicken nuggets in the skillet in a single layer, bring careful not to crowd the pan and cook until crisp and golden on one side, 3-4 minutes. Then turn and cook until the chicken is cooked through, golden brown and crisp all over, 4-5 minutes longer. (Cut into a piece to check that it’s cooked through.) Serve warm.
-I find it makes sense to make a large batch at once and then freeze individual servings for your little one. This makes for an easy, quick and healthy meal.
Saints
Posted: February 18, 2012 Filed under: Gallery - Quotes 2 Commentsfrom Thich Nhat Hanh’s Your True Home
Sometimes you encounter people who are so pure, beautiful, and content. They give you the impression that they are divine, that they actually are saints or holy beings. What you perceive in them is their awakened self, their Buddha nature, and what they reflect back to you is your own capacity for being awake.
“Agriculture and Creativity” by Paulo Coelho
Posted: February 15, 2012 Filed under: What is an Art Farm 2 Commentspaulocoelhoblog.com February 11, 2012
Ploughing the field
The moment the soil is turned, oxygen penetrates places it was unable to previously. This process of interior revolution is very important – because, just as the field’s new look will see sunlight for the first time, a new assessment of our values allow us to see life innocently, without ingenuity. A good creator must know how to continually turn over his values, and never be content with that which he/she believes he/she understands.
Sowing
All work is the fruit of contact with life. He/she never knows, at the outset, which things will be important to him in the future, so the more intense his life is, the more possibilities he/she will create for an original language. If he/she tries to imitate or control his inspiration, he/she will never obtain that which he/she desires. He/she must allow his life to sow the fertile soil of his unconscious.
Growth
There is a time in which the work writes itself, freely, at the bottom of the author’s soul – before it dares show itself. The creator must respect the time of gestation, although he/she knows – just like the farmer – that he/she is only partially in control of his field; it is subject to drought and floods. But if he/she knows how to wait, the stronger plants, which can resist bad weather, will come to light with great force.
The Harvest
The moment when a person manifests on a conscious plane he/she sowed and allowed to grow. If he/she harvests early, the fruit is green, if he/she harvests late, the fruit is rotten. Every artist recognizes the arrival of this moment; although some aspects may not have matured fully, some ideas not be crystal clear, they reorganize themselves as the work is produced. Without fear and with great discipline, he/she understands that he/she must work from dawn to dusk, until the work is finished.
Sharing
And what to do with the results of the harvest? Again, we look to Mother Nature: she shares everything with everyone. An artist who wishes to keep his work to himself, is not being fair with that which he/she received from the present moment, nor with the inheritance and teachings of his forefathers. If we leave the grain stored in the granary, it will go bad, even though it was harvested at the right time. When the harvest is over, the time comes to share, without fear or shame, your own soul.
Happy Valentine’s Day
Posted: February 13, 2012 Filed under: Child Centered Activities, In the Kitchen 5 Comments
an Art Farm 