Making snacks for the family

Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. We were all at home, but after we went to a grocery store and a park, I got to spend four hors in the kitchen. Within the four hours (plus a few minute extra in the early morning before my child and husband got up), I was able to make granola, granola bars, pizza dough, pie crust, black beans, pizza sauce, and chai tea base. the book I used to make all these is called Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila. I borrowed it from the library last week, but I am convinced that I need to own one, and it will be my bible in the kitchen for the years to come.

One of the greatest things is that when I take my time to make these things at home from scratch, I know exactly what we are eating. Processed and boxed granola bars and regular pop tarts (I made these at home with the pie crust on Tuesday), kids may love... But if you take a look at their nutritional values and ingredients, you would think twice about giving it to your growing children. And all of the things I made, maybe except pie crust, are not difficult at all. It takes gathering of ingredients, mixing them, putting in the oven or putting it on the stove, and watching not to burn it.

You do not have to make everything at home, but maybe you can choose one or two things that you can replace with the homemade ones...

Taking charge of our health...

I fell this morning in front of our house. It has been really cold and the pavement was icy. Despite the fact that my husband warned me when he left to work, I slipped and fell. I landed on my left side and the impact, I don't think, was too bad. But, I am 5 months pregnant. Immediately, I thought, "oh, my gosh. My baby!" I called the doctor, and went in to make sure she was okay. She IS okay with good heartbeat and she has been moving actively. The doctor told me to take it easy for a few days, so I sat on the rocking chair and decided to watch a movie, which I rarely do. I watched a documentary about culture of diet and healthy eating. We (my family and I) have been a pretty healthy family, and we eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. But this morning's fall and watching this documentary made me think: I am carrying a baby and I am responsible for not only my health but also her health. What I do and what I eat affect my baby in my tummy. Thank goodness the fall was not bad and it did not affect the baby. I know there are accidents that cannot be prevented. But there are a lot of things we can do to have healthy pregnancy and to have a healthy child. Eating Healthy food is definitively one thing that I can do for myself and for my child. I knew this before, but this morning's fall really made me think about everything I could choose to do for my health and hers.

So I made myself a super juice. My husband makes this every morning, and without any bias (really!!) he is one of the best looking 38 years old I have ever met in my life. He is actually really good looking (handsome) but he looks very young and vibrant. When he discloses his age, people would not believe it because he looks like in his 20th. And his juicing every day (sometimes twice per day) and his healthy regular diet are the keys for his looks and energy. But I must admit, I have not liked this super juice and I usually says "no" when he offered to me. My 3 year old daughter is better than me, drinking this juice happily and asking for more. But this particular one with persimmon and almond butter was very good. I let the blende run quite long for it to be smooth, and I did not feel any pulp of vegetables or even bitterness. I think I can drink this everyday.

Fruity green smoothie

One banana
One persimmon
Three to four leaves of kale
One carrot
One stalk of celery
One table spoon of almond butter
One table spoon of honey
Half a cup of filtered water

Put these in a high speed blender (vitamix is the best kind) for a few minutes.

Starting again...

So this is yet another blog I started as I go through 6^th month of second (and last) pregnancy. This pregnancy has brought up the surge of creativity in me and I have been making a lot of things for holidays and winter. And Ely, my 3-year-old daughter is of course part of “making”. She love to “make” and she loves to “recipe” (she uses this word as a verb…). As I embroidered her winter solstice gift, she sat next to me “poking” through the clothe I set in a embroidery loom. She would get a two point knitting needles and pretend to knit as I knitted her first mittens. And she would bounce as I sewed her pajama with my new sewing machine. Of course, when we made mint chocolate bark and chocolate covered pretzel as holiday gifts for friends and family, she was right there with me to make them. I am enjoying every second of her participation in my “makery” as she calls it. There is a “bakery” near her childcare where we occasionally stops by to buy some cookies and other goodies. Ely, for some reason, calls is “makery” instead of “bakery” no matter how many times I remind her that it is a “bakery”.

As I made all these things for family and friends, I remember my mother in kitchen and living room, making homemade bread, miso, pickles, cakes, and how she sewed my dresses and other clothes when I was growing up in Japan. I did not really pay attention to it, and I did not realize how lucky I was to have a mother like her. But through that experience, I came to acquire love for handmade and I want to pass that to my own children. I am realizing, living in the United States away from my mother, it is up to me to do that. I have heard other people saying “isn’t it easier to buy it?” or “isn’t it cheaper to buy it?”. They may be right. It is definitely easier to buy things than making them, and many times it is cheaper to buy them, thanks to the globalization and abusive labor conditions in developing countries. But with the ease and cheap comes lack of appreciation, lack of originality, lack of creativity and lack of compassion toward the material and other world. I look at my daughter proudly when she tells everyone that her dress and pajama were made by her “baba chan” (grandma). When she asks me why “baba chan” sent her those, I tell her “because she loves her”. And it is so true. I am hoping that by making things for them and with them, my children will learn all that I have learned from my mother; love, caring, compassion, creativity, and imagination.