Summer Review

We went out for bike rides fairly often this summer. Sonny D has a "tagalong" tandem bike (yay Craigslist!) and I finally got a good bike with multiple speeds (yay garage sale!). 

The coffee station is done and installed. Love it. 

Sonny D went to a birthday party at be bowling alley, it was his first time bowling. So cute!

We drove to Door County (like Cape Cod of the upper Midwest).  Here I am modeling our stick-on mustaches that were part of our car entertainment from the dollar store. 

Sonny D grabbing candy at a parade in Door County. 

Going to the local ag fair with grandma and grandpa. Cows are big and scary, so grandpa had to carry Sonny D. 

Favorite summer dish, sliced strawberries with granola and a touch of French vanilla non-dairy creamer. I ate this about 2 times per day. 

I hosted a non-dairy cheese class at our house, this is my friend Heather adding herbs to our tasty cashew cheese. Everything we made was so delicious! 

Husband Jeff and I went to the state fair with our friends Dustin & Jessica to see the band Boston. It rocked!

Husband Jeff made a Little Free Library and installed it at Sonny D's preschool. 

I investigated fermented/cultured vegan nut cheese, the process involves sprouting a seed or grain and then creating a fermented liquid (called rejuvelac) from the sprouted grain. And THEN you can finally make the nut cheese and age it using the fermented liquid. So many steps! I sprouted brown rice to make my rejuvelac.

Met up with Biz from My Bizzy Kitchen and some of her readers. We wandered around the huge downtown farmers' market here in Madison and then had lunch. Here's Biz getting in on a photo. 

I combined tomatoes from my mom's garden and a few big heirlooms from the farmers' market to make marinara to freeze. It made three meals' worth.  

I found I really like paleo Waldorf salad - homemade mayo, diced celery, diced apple, chopped walnuts, salt and pepper. Here's a shot from SnapChat. 

I made avgolemono, a Greek lemon and egg soup. I added rice and diced chicken.  I'll definitely make it again. I liked the richness from the egg. 

Porridge for Biz

This past weekend I met up with Biz from My Bizzy Kitchen and a few of her blog readers. (Read about our day on her August 24 blog post.)   I mentioned to Biz that I've been making a quinoa porridge for breakfast, so I thought I would share the recipe here for everyone else as well.  I use quinoa because I want more protein so I stay full all morning.  It's working pretty well but occasionally I add some nuts or seeds, like pumpkin or sunflower seeds. 

• 1 c. quinoa 
• 1/2 c. buckwheat or any other grain/legume
• 1/3 c. hemp seeds    
• 1/4 c. ground flax seed
• 3 Tb. chia seeds
• 5 cups water
• seasoning - couple tablespoons of cocoa powder, heavy sprinkle of cinnamon, etc.

I put everything in my small slow cooker (6 qt) and let it cook overnight.  In the morning I divide it up into 6 portions.  It makes large portions, which I love.  I typically add some fruit, lately it has been a couple of plums diced up. 
   
I really don't like the flavor of quinoa, so I prefer to cover it with a strong seasoning.  Cocoa powder is a good way to do that.  I've also tried adding red lentils, but it ends up too "bean-y".  Bleh.