Lego Mania & Almond Quinoa Muffins

Big Boy is becoming quite the builder of Legos.  All three of mine love them.

We like them too, its a quiet creative toy. Not cheap though. So when they started asking for some of the more expensive sets we had to get creative.

Queue the chore chart.

I don't like to call them chores though. The term 'chore' to me means a thankless job.

I like to say that by doing jobs around the house they are 'contributing to the family'.  Which implies more of a team effort and belongingness.

So my oldest boy wanted the Museum Break-in: A $70 lego toy. My daughter likes the Lego Friends - her wish list item was a little cheaper - only $30 I think.   I wasn't just going to run out and buy it. They had to earn them.

My son had a lot of work to do to earn that toy. I was worried he'd run out of gas and lose interest, so I had to devise a program where he could earn the toy he wanted so badly, but still contribute to the family.  AND - it had to be something that I could keep up with.

So, we had to fake it a little, but it worked. They each got a point for every job they did to contribute the family. Each point was worth $1 (generous I know, but I wanted them to be successful their first time so they wouldn't get discouraged and quit).  I wrote their point goal on their chart. Then they were off. I had to do a fair amount of reminding them of the reward at the end "points accumulation", but overall they did a fairly good job of helping out around the house.

Then it came time to pay up. They love going to the lego store, but its too far away. It pretty much kills the whole day to go to there.  So I have been trying to find a good day to go when, on the Target mobile I found their Legos on sale!!!!  CHA-CHING!

Like 25% off!  That's unheard of!  So ordered them and told the kids.  They have been waiting so patiently. Checking the front porch for any deliveries.  Then, as luck would have it, UPS delivered them a day earlier than expected!

They were so excited.

I'm letting them keep their extra points to apply toward another purchase sometime in the foreseeable future.

                                                          _________________

Almond Quinoa Muffins
from www.wellvegan.com

Oh, these were quite yummy.  Easy to make. They kept well in the fridge, but they didn't last too long.   I like that they contain quinoa.  My eldest has always been a picky eater and trying to get protein in that child is a challenge.  But she likes these so we will be having more of them.

Breakfast Muffins

I am modifying a non-vegan recipe I found.

Now, I'll be honest, I haven't tried it yet. I hate trying to develop recipes. Why? I'm a cheapskate. I hate wasting money and ingredients on mistakes.  And I'm too afraid to make mistakes.

The adapted version needs to meet 2 requirements: 1) It needs to be vegan and 2) must contain quinoa.

Here is goes. Please let me know what you think:

2 ripe bananas
1/4 C Canola oil
1/4 C rice milk (or fave non-dairy milk)
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 C sugar or splenda

1 C cooked quinoa, cooled
1.5 C whole wheat flour

1.5 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 C toasted, chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Spray cupcake tin with non-stick cooking spray and dust with flour

Mash the bananas with a fork, then add oil, milk and vanilla. Stir in sugar.  In separate bowl combine quinoa, flour, baking powder and soda. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Very gently stir in walnuts.

Fill a muffin tin 3/4 way full and bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Four- Grain Hot Cereal

Its a good thing I had this ready to go this morning. 2 of my 3 were up ALL NIGHT last night - sick. We've all been there before - sick kids is no fun for anyone.  At least it was nice to wake up and not have to do a thing to prepare breakfast.

Its Four-Grain Hot Cereal, by Better Homes & Gardens.  I bought the book a few years ago, before I started eating more vegan, because I wanted to simplify my life. Most of the recipes in this book are just okay (only a select few are vegan). This one included.  But at least it was healthy and I didn't have to do much at all.

Quinoa, Avocado and Sweet PotatoTimbale

I have been hanging onto this recipe for a while. The picture made it look so yummy and I had been eager to try it. Honestly I was a little intimidated because I thought it looked really labor intensive. It really wasn't as difficult as it appeared. Nick and I each had two timbale and we felt satisfied. As in hara hachi bu (the Japanese philosophy of eating until you are 80% full).  These were good and really I don't have any serious complaints, but the recipe didn't send me over the moon. I'm not sure I'd make this again, but I still liked it.

In the event you'd like to try it, I do have a couple of notes:

1) This recipe has 4 basic parts. Each part can be done in advance, then assembled when its time to eat.

2) I would use the full jalapeno instead of half to prepare the Quinoa.

3) I roasted the tomatillas along with the sweet potatoes - just got it done faster and everything was fine.

4) I didn't have avocado when I made this (I forgot to pick one up), but I think it would be really scrumptious had I used it.

5) No need to use a mold to create the nice neat little stack. You could very well just pile it on the plate - it all will fall apart once you dig in anyhow. But on the other hand, the presentation is nice when you go the extra mile. I have to admit I actually felt a little special when I made it look really pretty - like I was eating something that would be served in a fancy restaurant. I used a large biscuit cutter as a mold.

This recipe is from a new chef I hadn't used before Tal Ronnen. His cookbook is called The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes to Change the way you eat. Find the recipe here.