Pregnancy Plusses

Here are some great things about being pregnant! :) Below are my personal top five:

1. Some shopping areas having front row parking for pregnant mommies!
2. A new wardrobe. :)
3. Snacks (healthy, of course!)
4. People are always asking how I'm doing.
5. Naps!!!!

Spanich Rice Casserole

What follows is one of my favorite rice recipes! It was adapted from a non-vegan recipe and is sooooo good. It goes so well with black beans and tortilla chips!

Spanish Rice Casserole
1 C margarine
1 onion, chopped fine
1 C uncooked rice
2-15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cans water (use diced tomato cans)
2 C "vegan" cheese sauce
1 tsp cumin
2-3 tsp onion powder

Melt margarine in a pan and sauté onion. When onion is sauted, add rice and sauté until rice is golden brown. Add tomatoes and 2 cans of water. Cook on stovetop for about 15-20 minutes, or until rice is cooked. Add cheese sauce, cumin and onion powder. Bake covered for 25 -30 minutes at 350.

Cheese Sauce
1 C water
1 C raw cashews
2 T yeast flakes
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 T lemon juice
1 small jar pimentos (4oz)

Put all ingredients in the blender and blend thoroughly until smooth. Makes about 2 cups.

Canning

Canning is officially in full swing in our home! What a good feeling it is to gaze upon the sealed jars of canned food! So far this season, I have 28 quarts of peaches (plus plenty of frozen and dried peaches!) and 11 quarts of tomatoes. Still to come are lots more tomatoes, pears, and tons of applesauce! Yum, yum...it'll be great this winter!

A Peaceful, Friendly Moment

Doesn't it just warm your heart when you see your kids having a sweet moment together?? Here are the kids nestled under a blanket enjoying a short video together.

The Birthday Girl

I can't believe my baby girl is 5 years old today!!! My, how time flies! Originally we had planned to go to the beach, however, the weather has cooled off a bit and we decided to go to Bounceland instead. It was definitely a hit and someplace we'll have to visit this winter when we have some extra energy! It was even fun for the adults...and good exercise too! Most of the pictures I took ended up blurry because the kids were in constant motion, but here are a couple to help you get the idea.


Even Dillon was thrilled about the gifts because somehow he ended up with a couple. Thanks, Grammy!

Instead of the traditional cake, we had two birthday choices. The first was jello with fruit in it and whipped cream on top. The second is not pictured, but was a yummy lemon coconut cream pie! Both were fantastic!

Peaches!

We picked up two bushels of peaches yesterday from a local farm! Praise the Lord for farmers! These peaches will end up mostly being canned but a few will end up in the freezer and a few will end up in jam! We're sure looking forward to them this winter!

Alfredo Tofu Pasta Toss

This was soooo yummy! For so long I've been wanting to find a really good recipe to substitute alfredo sauce. This is it, in my opinion!! I hope soon to have a picture to go with this recipe.

10.5oz soft tofu (or firm is fine with an added 1/3 C water)
1 1/2 C soymilk
1/3 container better than cream cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 T olive oil
3 T non dairy Parmesan (Parma Zaan was what I used) or nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp basil

Blend everything, except basil, in a blender until smooth. Stir in basil.

Cook and drain 16 oz noodles (I used a combination of garlic and basil noodles). Serve blended alfredo sauce over cooked noodles.

This gets top rating from me!! My taste buds were happy!