Posts by admin:
- 1/2 cup dried hibicus flowers (can be purchased at International markets)
- 3 cups hot water
- 2 piloncillo cones (Mexican brown sugar) or 1/2 cup agave nectar
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1-750ml bottle Ariel Rouge Premium Dealcoholized Wine (or regular wine)
- 2 kiwis, peeled and diced
- 1 cup grapes, cut in half
- 2 apples, peeled, seeded, and diced
- Ice
- Sparkling water
- 1 cup water
- 4 cups So Delicious® Dairy Free Vanilla or Original Coconut Milk
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 8 cloves
- 2 star anise
- 1 tsp orange rind, dried or 2 Tbsp freshly grated orange rind
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1¼ cups brown sugar
- 1 cup espresso
- 1 cup brandy, rum or Pisco
- In a large pot, add the water, coconut milk, and the rest of the ingredients (except for the espresso) and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Boil for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Add the espresso and stir mixture.
- Cool completely at room temperature and add alcohol and then place in a clean bottle, seal tightly.
- Drink will be ready the next day.
- In a sealed container, the cocktail will last a month in the fridge.
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- ½ cup agave nectar
- 2 Tbsp flax seed with 6 Tbsp warm water (egg substitute)
- 1 cup So Delicious® Dairy Free Original Almond Plus Almond Milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups oats (can use gluten-free oats)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1½ cups fresh or frozen blackberries (may substitute with other sliced berries or fruit)
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray an 8×8 baking dish with nonstick spray. Evenly scatter berries on the bottom on the dish.
- Next, add wet ingredients to dry and mix well. Pour mixture into baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
Virgin Jamaica Sangria
May 23rd, 2012
I have also been enjoying the occasional beer, like Blue Moon. Ahhh…but as a nursing mother, I really try not to drink and so I brought out this bottle of dealcoholized wine I had purchased when I was still pregnant. I could still use it now!
I was really glad to have some wine again because even though I am told it is okay to have the occasional glass, I really do not like doing it. Here is a safe way to enjoy the same drink with no guilt! I even fooled my hubby for a bit before he found the bottle and cringed at the non-alcoholic part of the recipe. Oh well.
I chose fresh kiwis, apples, and grapes, even though you could add plums, strawberries and cranberries to super enhance the flavor of the wine. I made the hibiscus punch I have prepared before, like my Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Punch)
The key to sangria is to refrigerate overnight so it was hard to wait but it was worthwhile.
Make this version of sangria for your guests or for your spouse during the summer days and it is bound to cool you off. You can even pretend that it gives you a buzz. I know I did! 🙂
For Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Punch)
For Sangria
Assembly
For Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Punch)
Sangria Preparation
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Learning How to Eat like a Big Girl
May 17th, 2012
I know that this blog has morphed into more about my daily life than a food blog, but I think that is how life happens right? Changes and seasons come through life and we embrace then, or at least I do. Even though I love sharing about my singing gigs and sharing food pictures of recent recipes, I also like sharing about our life and the new addition to our family.
One thing that has definitely changed for me is the amount I read. Here the 6 month mark was approaching and I wanted to make sure I knew enough to start feeding Julianne solids. Should I wait or should I start her later? I know that I had many allergies as a child because I was fed solids earlier than my sister was. She does not suffer from allergies!
We live in an age with SO much reading material especially having the internet at our fingertips. When is reading too much? I’ll tell you. I just kept getting frustrated reading so many different point of views that I started obsessing whether I was going to make the right choice. The pediatrician tells you something then I get advice from mothers and then I read an array of books and articles. When does it stop?
I was given advice a while ago, and I believe it brought my mind at ease. I was told to STOP reading and to read only material that seemed to be along the same standards I wanted to use with our baby girl. It made a lot of sense to me.
So here I was, close to 6 months, and I did not know whether I wanted to start feeding Julianne. She was at the point where she was putting everything in her mouth but I knew it had nothing to do with hunger. How was I to know if she was truly hungry. I have been one to also obsess about not having enough breast milk to feed her. Questions I asked myself: “She seems to be crying, maybe she is still hungry, maybe she is not getting enough from me?” I had the fear of having to supplement with formula, which I knew I totally did not want to do.
In comes the Baby-led Weaning.book. I read the whole thing in 2 days and learned a lot! It was a very informative book about when to start feeding your baby, what foods to feed and the reality of not breaking your back on making purees.
Is it okay for a 6 month old to already be an independent eater? Will giving slices of bananas, avocados or other soft or light steamed foods cause my baby to choke? Why can’t I just do purees? The book talked about the fact that making purees for a baby and FEEDING them does not help them be independent. Why does the baby spit out her food when fed with a spoon? Well, either they are not ready because they have not achieved tongue thrust.
At this point the book talks about eating not being the target but about learning about food. If she gets to eat, great, but breastfeeding is still the baby’s main source of nutrition.
I was just plain nervous my baby would choke. The book also discusses this when feeding your baby slices of fresh fruits and veggies. The baby will naturally gag EVEN if you are feeding them purees or whole foods. She will not choke, but will gag and naturally spit out the food until she is ready to chew and swallow.
How did Julianne do? I mean, I had to REALLY monitor her and see what she would. I started almost 3 weeks ago and I gave her slices of avocado and sweet potato. She did gag and cough a bit so I pureed them and she fed a little better.
She started wondering about swallowing and out of 2 Tablespoons of food, she ate about 1 teaspoon.
At the second week, I started giving her bananas and apples. She did not like to be fed! She grabbed the spoon forcefully and just gnawed at it. (She is presently cutting her first tooth, so I can imagine she just wants comfort). She has great hand control, grabs the 2-inch long banana slices and sweet potatoes and places them in her mouth. She gnaws, chews and starts swallowing.
Here we are week three, and I believe she really enjoys eating. I really feel that pureeing is a waste of time since she does NOT like being fed. She forcefully takes the spoon away from me when I try, so I continue giving her the slices of food and she has been processing the whole eating procedure really well!
Another beauty about the book is that it explains that it really is not necessary trying one food at a time like the pediatricians discuss. The importance lies in introducing a variety of foods to develop their palate. It is NOT necessary to just do rice cereal because it does not have real nutritional value. I will start feeding her brown rice cereal along with her veggies soon though.
Yes, allowing my child to feed herself, now, at such a early age will be quite messy but if she is happy and she is eating then I will choose not to fight what she naturally should be doing. Of course, all this is to say, that she is in constant supervision and she eats while WE eat so she continues to imitate us eating.
Whew…here is another stage I continue to learn more about daily, but I am really enjoying it and I want it to be a smooth transition. I think it is quite important knowing my child and I feel like I am successfully working at it, by God’s grace.
What is on the menu today? Avocados and Butternut / Sweet Potato Mash. 🙂
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Cola de Mono (Spiked Coffee Cocktail)
May 16th, 2012
This recipe is featured in the So Much to love contest! Voting is open all of this week, and you can vote once a day, every day this week for it to get it to Top 1.
Please consider voting for my recipe, Cola de Mono (Spiked Coffee Cocktail) in this week’s So Delicious® Dairy Free SO Much to Love Giveaway!
Ingredients
Directions
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My First Mother’s Day
May 14th, 2012
If you get a chance visit my friend’s post On Becoming A Mother. It is so poignant and it is powerful. Thank you for your beautiful writing and words Larissa!~
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Two Opera Recordings and Blackberry Baked Oatmeal
May 8th, 2012
This has been a long time a coming and I finally got all the pictures together and video from the performance in March 23rd. This truly shows that I am actually performing! Hee hee.
This was my first performance after having our daughter on November 2nd and I have to say I was not sure I was going to be able to memorize and physically get back into vocal shape to make it happen. Somehow, with my husband’s encouragement and God’s strength, I learned my music and I was able to go to several voice lessons. My voice lesson told me that I was in great vocal shape and the fact I kept on singing up until I had the baby and even after made it possible. How exciting and what a blessing! As a member of the Holland Chorale, I was happy to be able to participate in a great show with other friends.
How was my experience as I performed and what was different in this performance? I was VERY surprised that I was not nervous. We did not have a babysitter that night so Ryan and I alternated taking care of her in the church nursery. We both agreed, afterwards, that that was probably not the best because it might have made me unfocused. Whew, it was a little stressful but it all went well, thank God.
I was thrilled to say that I believe that by having natural, drug-free childbirth helped me find a renowned sense of confidence I did not have before. Let me just say that if you have a child, you can do ANYTHING! At least this is how I feel.
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| Blackberry Baked Oatmeal |
