Office Update

You know how sometimes you live with a room for a while and then you get tired of it?  That's what happened in our office.  It seemed like such a sad addendum to the rest of the living space, mostly because of it's lack of color.  Problem solved!  

 (Before)

I revealed The Office last May, and not that there's a huge amount different, but enough to make it a little more lively.  So almost a year later, here we are again.  And lest you think I've gotten it down this time: sometimes I wonder if the blue has too much green or if the other walls should be a different shade of gray.  But then I stand back and think I like it so much more than before and don't dislike it enough to redo it yet again.  :)  Yet.  Everything in the house is subject to scrutiny.  

So here you have our very used and functional office.  

Matching Office Chairs

I love my new craigslist find!  I've been wanting new chairs in the office that actually matched.  I've had similar painted/upholstered chairs, but they just weren't speaking to me anymore.

They weren't in very good condition when I brought them home, but for $46, I'll take them.  They had gross red vinyl seats.  The extra surprise was the old jeans that were stapled to the chairs under the vinyl.

A Blog Announcement

I've been so excited to tell you (drum roll please) that I have a new blog!!

I've been thinking about doing this for a while and after slaving away learning a new system, I now have a place to invite you to in wordpress.  

Carrot bowl is the new home for all food, Pretty Dubs will remain the home for home and crafty projects.  I get to have double the fun now!  I have some good things coming up for both places and I hope you have fun exploring.  

Talk to you soon!

House Rules

You're likely to get some creative answers if you ask small children what they think are your house rules.  I know because this is exactly what we did.

I Hate Being Late + Roasted Brussel Sprouts

If there's one thing that drives me crazy about myself, it's my judgement of timeliness.  I hate being late and I feel like I try so hard to be on time.  But then I'm not.

So I think I've come to a couple conclusions about this.  I have three children.  Getting them ready consistently takes twice as long as I think it will.  I need to adjust my start time (even if it seems SO early to start the process...which I do think).

Apple Crisp on the Healthy Side

Can you really think of anything better than apple crisp?  Warm, cuddled in front of the tv, spooning in soft apples with crumbly topping...mmmmmm.  I want some right now.  In my desire, I had to come up with something I could make to fill the need.  Welcome to the healthy side of apple crisp.

Remember my Homemade Granola?  Stroke of genius, well, I think so.  Apples get soft and delicious with heat, add some cinnamon to kick it up, and top with granola!  Is it sugary and buttery like the original?  No, and that's why it's better.  It still tastes warm and sweet, but the right sweet.

Apple Crisp
makes and 8x8 pan

7-8 apples, sliced with skins on
cinnamon
2 cups homemade granola (or other healthy alternative) - you can use less or more as you want

Preheat oven to 375.  In a bowl, mix your sliced apples and add some good shakes of cinnamon and stir to coat apples.  In a 8x8 pan, spread your apples evenly on the bottom.  Top apples with your granola.  Cover with foil and bake in oven for 10 minutes.  Check apples to see how soft they are.  I didn't let mine get soggy, I still wanted them to keep some shape.  If they are close, then take off your tinfoil and let back for another 3-5 minutes.  If it's not close, cook for another 3 minutes and check again.  When you do take the foil off, keep an eye on your crisp so you don't burn your granola.  Remove from oven and spoon in.

Veggie Seed Burger

I want to take several weeks and make veggie burgers every night.  There are so many different recipes out there!  So I guess you can look forward to continuing reviews.  Yea!

Okay, this one comes from Oh She Glows.  They had several specific wants for their perfect veggie burger, and this is what they came up with. 

I really liked it, my husband didn't.  I think it had great flavor, but the texture is seedy.  That's fine with me, and as long as you're prepared for that, then you'll be good.  I did have the advantage that I knew what I was making and so expected it to be seedy.  It was amazing broken up on a salad the next day and would encourage you to make them just for that!

Oh She Glows' Perfect Veggie Burger

(This is their recipe and you can go to their blog to get the instruction list)

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

Flax eggs: 2 1/2 Tbsp ground flax + 1/2 cup warm water, mixed in bowl

1 cup oats, processed into flour (use your food processor)

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

1 cup grated carrots

1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and roughly pureed or mashed

Heaping 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped (or fresh herb of choice)

1/3 cup almonds, chopped (toasted if preferred)

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (toasted if preferred)

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp soy sauce (tamari)

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

salt and pepper to taste