I love, love, love pumpkin, but for me, it's pretty much relegated to desserts and lattes. I've seen recipes for savory pumpkin dishes, but they were either too much work or they just didn't seem very appetizing. I came across this recipe by Rachel Ray a few years back, and it's good as she did it, but, since I rarely follow a recipe to a tee, it's kind of evolved. And, honestly? I like mine better. :) This soup is seriously awesome, and it's pretty healthy for you, plus it's SO easy to make. I made it tonight in 30 minutes, one handed (ah, the talents we develop with newborns around).
Here it is!
Ingredients:
-Couple tablespoons of olive oil
-1/2 of a medium onion, finely chopped
-3 cloves of garlic, minced
-1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
-1 32 oz. carton of chicken broth (I used low sodium)
-1 15 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
-1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained
-1 25 oz. can of pumpkin puree
-about 1/3 of a pint of heavy cream (or substitute plain Greek yogurt if you want)
-about 1 tablespoon of finely chopped chipotles in adobo sauce (more or less, depending on your heat tolerance... make sure to add the sauce too!)
-cumin
Heat olive oil in a pot on medium high, and then add onions, garlic, and carrots. Saute for a few minutes, until the veggies are soft. Add broth, tomatoes, beans, and pumpkin and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. When the soup begins to boil, reduce the heat and add in the cream, chipotles, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and then let simmer for 20-30 minutes on low. If you don't care for a chunky soup, use an immersion blender to smooth it all out.
To make it even yummier, top each bowl of soup with cheese, bacon and green onions, or with chunks of toasted bread or even with pepitas. You can also add in shredded chicken (left overs work great), or more vegetables... it's a pretty versatile dish, and it's great for the cooler fall weather.
.jpg)
Friday, November 11, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Yeah... we have one of those kids.
I have a very sweet, loving, funny, charming three, almost four year old. He's also very, ahem, "spirited". You know the kind of kids I'm talking; you might even be blessed with one of your own. They're the kids that laugh harder when happy, scream louder when upset, and cry more when sad. They're stubborn, opinionated, and intense. People call them "handfuls", "naughty", or say they must be ADHD. (Which I'm sure many spirited children do have, but the two are not mutually exclusive of one another.)
Raising a spirited child is definitely a challenge. My first clue that Lane might be different than the average child came while he was still inutero. Most of the ultrasound pictures of him are blurs of black and white, almost unidentifiable as a baby. My twenty week anatomy scan took two hours (literally) because he wouldn't stop moving, where as the average scan takes about twenty minutes. As a newborn, Lane was incredibly alert-- that was the first thing everyone commented on. He was also unpredictable; it was impossible to get him on schedule. Lane was demanding; I remember at about of a month old, he would get angry and would make his entire body go stiff as a board. He was active right from the start: he held his head up in the hospital and rolled from stomach to back at a few weeks. By five months he was crawling, and two months before his first birthday, he took his first steps. He has been running ever since (seriously, the joke in our family is that he's like Forrest Gump- "from that day on, I was running!", because Lane can't seem to walk anywhere.) His energy is limitless, and uncontainable. He has ceaseless questions and ideas. When he's sad or frustrated, he melts into a tantrum so intense, it leaves most people with their mouths agape.
Fortunately those are rare, and most of the time he is smiling. When something is funny, Lane dissolves into peels of laughter, so loud and intense, they pierce your ears. He is always at 100%, and as his mother, I am rarely allowed even a brief reprieve to drink a cup of coffee or have a phone conversation in peace. Spirited children are always "on", so their parents must be, as well.
I realize that I'm making it sound like I'm stuck raising this impossible child, but that's not the case. While spirited are utterly exhausting to raise, the rewards are countless. Lane loves with the same boundless energy that he permeates every inch of his body. His hugs and kisses are ceaseless and he freely expresses his love to anyone and everyone.
I think the spirited child, if as a child they're nurtured (as opposed to their parents trying to "break them like a horse", as we are often told to do), grows into a remarkable adult. I would be willing to bet that many of the great leaders throughout history were spirited children. The spirited child's intensity and tenaciousness lends itself well to building a strong work ethic. The spirited child becomes the adult that defies the status quo, and creates history. They are truly are remarkable creatures- I just need to continue to remind myself of that when I'm reaching the end of my rope. ;)
Raising a spirited child is definitely a challenge. My first clue that Lane might be different than the average child came while he was still inutero. Most of the ultrasound pictures of him are blurs of black and white, almost unidentifiable as a baby. My twenty week anatomy scan took two hours (literally) because he wouldn't stop moving, where as the average scan takes about twenty minutes. As a newborn, Lane was incredibly alert-- that was the first thing everyone commented on. He was also unpredictable; it was impossible to get him on schedule. Lane was demanding; I remember at about of a month old, he would get angry and would make his entire body go stiff as a board. He was active right from the start: he held his head up in the hospital and rolled from stomach to back at a few weeks. By five months he was crawling, and two months before his first birthday, he took his first steps. He has been running ever since (seriously, the joke in our family is that he's like Forrest Gump- "from that day on, I was running!", because Lane can't seem to walk anywhere.) His energy is limitless, and uncontainable. He has ceaseless questions and ideas. When he's sad or frustrated, he melts into a tantrum so intense, it leaves most people with their mouths agape.
Fortunately those are rare, and most of the time he is smiling. When something is funny, Lane dissolves into peels of laughter, so loud and intense, they pierce your ears. He is always at 100%, and as his mother, I am rarely allowed even a brief reprieve to drink a cup of coffee or have a phone conversation in peace. Spirited children are always "on", so their parents must be, as well.
I realize that I'm making it sound like I'm stuck raising this impossible child, but that's not the case. While spirited are utterly exhausting to raise, the rewards are countless. Lane loves with the same boundless energy that he permeates every inch of his body. His hugs and kisses are ceaseless and he freely expresses his love to anyone and everyone.
I think the spirited child, if as a child they're nurtured (as opposed to their parents trying to "break them like a horse", as we are often told to do), grows into a remarkable adult. I would be willing to bet that many of the great leaders throughout history were spirited children. The spirited child's intensity and tenaciousness lends itself well to building a strong work ethic. The spirited child becomes the adult that defies the status quo, and creates history. They are truly are remarkable creatures- I just need to continue to remind myself of that when I'm reaching the end of my rope. ;)
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Beginning of Homeschool
So, recently my hubby and I made the decision that I would homeschool the boys. This came months after we first tossed the idea around, and I have to say I feel so at peace about it. We had previously intended to send the boys to parochial school, and while it was a better choice (for us) than public school, it still didn't feel quite right. After doing some research, praying, and discerning, we came to a decision. And after more thinking, we decided it would be best if I began a pre-k program with Lane now, rather than waiting. So, here we are, mid-year starting. We think we will probably start kindergarten in the fall but we will wait until closer to then to decide.
Right now, Lane is almost 4 and has just about mastered upper and lowercase letters and most of their sounds. He's begun to recognize sight words and shows a lot of interest in reading. Lane counts pretty well up to twenty, and can count to 100 if you help him along the way. He has one-to-one correspondence down.
My ultimate goal with the elementary grades is to foster a love of learning. I feel like too many children in the school system get burnt out and discouraged, and I want to avoid that with the boys. My more immediate goals with Lane are teaching him to read, working on counting to higher numbers, and writing, in addition to implementing a schedule/routine for school days. We'll see how it goes; I'll be keeping up with his progress on this blog! :)
Right now, Lane is almost 4 and has just about mastered upper and lowercase letters and most of their sounds. He's begun to recognize sight words and shows a lot of interest in reading. Lane counts pretty well up to twenty, and can count to 100 if you help him along the way. He has one-to-one correspondence down.
My ultimate goal with the elementary grades is to foster a love of learning. I feel like too many children in the school system get burnt out and discouraged, and I want to avoid that with the boys. My more immediate goals with Lane are teaching him to read, working on counting to higher numbers, and writing, in addition to implementing a schedule/routine for school days. We'll see how it goes; I'll be keeping up with his progress on this blog! :)
Saturday, November 5, 2011
The Beginning
Welcome!
My name is Meghan, and I am a twenty-something year old wife and mother. I am married to an amazing man, Dustin, and we have two awesome boys. Lane is a few weeks shy of four (omgosh- when did that happen?!?) and Mckinley is two months. I am a former preschool teacher, but now I am a stay-at-home mom, beginning our homeschooling journey.
We are a Cathoic family and strive to serve Him in all we do, including raising our kids... There's lot of prayers during the day that pretty much consist of "Lord, please don't let me lose my mind!". :) But I wouldn't trade it for anything; I truly am blessed.
My goal with this blog is for it to be a record of my time with the boys, because I know it will be over before I know it, and to share resources with other sahm or homeschooling moms.
My name is Meghan, and I am a twenty-something year old wife and mother. I am married to an amazing man, Dustin, and we have two awesome boys. Lane is a few weeks shy of four (omgosh- when did that happen?!?) and Mckinley is two months. I am a former preschool teacher, but now I am a stay-at-home mom, beginning our homeschooling journey.
We are a Cathoic family and strive to serve Him in all we do, including raising our kids... There's lot of prayers during the day that pretty much consist of "Lord, please don't let me lose my mind!". :) But I wouldn't trade it for anything; I truly am blessed.
My goal with this blog is for it to be a record of my time with the boys, because I know it will be over before I know it, and to share resources with other sahm or homeschooling moms.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)