Happy Thanksgiving

Joy and blessings from the Shanks on this day of thanks--we have much to be thankful for, even when this little one woke me up at 4 am--but as I lay there snuggled in my warm bed, in my own house, with my belly and womb full, and my girl snuggled in my arms with my husband's toes touching mine, I thought, "So much to be thankful for"

Meatless meals

I always fall back on the favorite Lentil Casserole, but my friend Becky proposed a new stand-in that was surprisingly good. Both my husband and daughter ate two bowls of it each.

Apparently this is from Nourishing Traditions?

Barley and Broccoli Casserole

2 cups barley, soaked overnight, drained
4 cups chicken broth
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. broccoli, trimmed into florets
16 oz cottage cheese
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper.

Cook the barley in the chicken broth (I added the garlic midway through). Then mix together the remaining ingredients, minus the cheese, and season. Put into a 9X13 pan and sprinkle with the cheese. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Granola

Among our all things fall activities, Kate and I made an exceptionally good batch of granola the other day, using her fresh little pumpkin we baked.
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Pumpkin Granola

In a large mixing bowl, mix together:
9 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup each: coconut, sunflower seeds and pepitas
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice
1 Tbsp. ginger

Boil in a medium saucepan:
1 cup honey
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 c. oil
1 cup water
1 cup pumpkin puree
Once brought to a boil, remove from heat and add 1 tsp. each vanilla and almond extract

Pour wet over dry ingredients, mix thoroughly, let stand 5-10 minutes. Bake on 2 foil-lined baking 1/2 sheet pans at 325 for 15-20 minutes. Stir and rotate pans. Bake an additional 15 minutes. Continue this process until granola is lightly browned. Let cool completely and store in an air-tight container.

Enjoy!

Halloween

A spur of the moment trip to Old Navy got me this costume for Kate for $1...loving the coupon blogs...so we went with the theme. Kitty cats and Travis wore a "Hello. I'm ___" sticker as "Tom Kat..and those are my kittens". As you can tell, Kate liked the loot better capturing the event. Should have taken the pictures earlier.