Sunflower seeds and vinegar crackers

I recently posted a recipe for homemade crackers, but today I tried a new version without the eggs. In the new recipe, I used sunflower seeds instead of walnuts (there is no reason, I just had too many seeds and not enough walnuts). I also added apple cider vinegar.  Considering my adherence to healthy ingredients, the result was excellent.

The finished product

You will need:
1 cup oats, 1 cup sunflower seeds (I used roasted, but raw might be better), 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (you can use any vinegar), ¼ cup olive oil, 3 heaping Tbsp yogurt, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, optional spices (e.g., turmeric, caraway seeds, cayenne pepper, etc.). 

Preparation:
Mix together oats, seeds, flour, salt, baking soda, turmeric, cayenne pepper and caraway seeds. In a separate bowl, mix yogurt, vinegar and oil. Combine the two mixes by hand, divide into two equal parts, and transfer to two oiled cookie sheets. Press down the dough as thin as possible. Do not cut the dough. Bake for approximately 12 minutes at 400F, then turn the sheets of dough upside down and bake another 1-2 minutes or until golden-brown color. My crackers were almost ready by the time I turned the dough upside down, so I turned off the heat at 15 minutes of total baking time (the baking time would depend upon your oven and the thickness of the dough). 

After cooling, break the dough into pieces and enjoy!

Christmas should be about fairy tales

Get the red bus ready

Meet the snowmen

Turn up the music

Remember the Nutcracker

Wrap the boxes, light the candles

Hang the stockings, brew marigold lotions, fit the tiniest shoes

Light the lights

Read more

Welcome the Christmas blooms in my inside garden

Remember Peter Rabbit

Let my child surprise me (we have the back of a cabinet painted with a chalkboard paint)

Greet the gingerbread cookie man

And free the hot balloon!

Christmas season: a time for be a woman, a mother, and a homemaker

On weekends and every day after work I remind myself that I am not only a researcher in academia, but also a woman, mother, and homemaker. 

Just a few years ago, I did not sense the urge for a balance between these roles. With age, however, I became wiser, which does not mean that I have achieved the goal. The work-life balance is always elusive when one has "too much on the plate".

And yet, thinking about work-life balance is the first step toward achieving it.

What should true balance look like? True balance to me means the following:

First, I should take good care of myself, my physical health, emotional balance, and appearance.This is not a selfish act - if you do not help yourself first, you cannot help anyone else around you. Remember the rule about the oxygen mask when on board of a plane.

Second, I have a wonderful girl who brings an amazing new world to me. As she grows, I learn along with her, and these days, in many aspects I learn from my teenager. I would love to be the best mom there is, I would also love to protect whatever is left of my girl's childhood. Speaking of motherhood, in the past I liked visiting the Design Mom blog. Today I rarely have the time, but it is a nice website that reminds women of what it means to be a mom.

Third, I like being a homemaker. I love decorating, cleaning, and experimenting in the kitchen. I am also an avid gardener and love Nature. House and surroundings should be in harmony and create a space of refuge, comfort, self-improvement and inspiration. Inspiration is why I love changing the home decor (without buying anything new, of course). In the past year, I moved the furniture in my living room 3 or 4 times. My rule is, keep it fluid, dynamic, and fresh. Housekeeping should be fun, not drudgery.

Am I accomplished in all my roles? No, I am not. But one day I feel good about cleaning the house, the next day I am satisfied with my research work, and on an occasional evening my meal on the table might be acknowledged to be well cooked. I am not perfect, but I am inspired.

Have a wonderful, healthy, and inspirational holiday season! 
 

The snow angel overlooking our living room

It is starting to look like Christmas

Keep those pickle jars...

Santa to the rescue

A bit of magic on the tree

A bit of humor on the tree

Healthy scones and Christmas decorations

This batch was the pear-raisins one. I forgot to pre-cut it into slices!

These days off work were days to experiment in the kitchen. 

Today I decided to modify a sugar- and fats-loaded scones recipe into a healthy recipe and test whether the product was edible. I made two batches of scones since I wanted two different flavors.

For the recipe you need:
2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 container (4 oz) unsweetened apple sauce, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 egg, 2 heaping Tbsp of yogurt (I used nonfat), 1 mashed banana and any additions to your taste. To my first batch, I added one chopped pear and a handful of raisins; for my second batch I used 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and 1/2 chocolate chips.

Preparation:
Mix the flour with the other dry ingredients (salt, baking powder, baking soda), add the mashed banana, the applesauce and mix by hand until crumbly. Add the flavors of choice (e.g., raisins, chocolate chips, pears, apples, walnuts, etc.). In a separate dish, beat the egg and yogurt until smooth and add to the flour mix. Combine all by hand and transfer to an oiled cookie sheet. Press down to approximately 1/2 inch or less of thickness, pre-cut with a knife in slices, and bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until the edges turn golden. The baking time depends on how moist your additions are; for example, fresh fruit would take a bit longer to bake. 

The product was edible, especially with a cup of black coffee, no sugar.

Along with lots of cooking, I started with my Christmas decorating. 

The first to spruce up were the library bookshelves:

Homemade stuffing

This post adds another idea for your Thanksgiving table.

There are lots of commercially available stuffing mixes around this time of the year, and they invariably have high levels of sodium and unhealthy additives.  Many of the online recipes for "homemade stuffing" use ready-to-use soup mixes that are also high in sodium.

This year, I decided to make stuffing "from scratch" using ingredients that are healthier than the ones described above. So, here is a general approach that can be adjusted to your taste.  Note that I did not use exactly measured amounts, but went by what I had in mind for the finished product - "eyeball" amounts.

I used old bread, including old potato rolls and whole wheat bread and let these air dry for one hour.  The bread was then thorn into pieces, and sprinkled with olive oil. Some Smart Balance was added, and then the flavoring was mixed in.  I used onion powder and red pepper flakes (I made a "hot and spicy" Thanksgiving stuffing).  Finally, some chopped walnuts were added, all was well mixed, and baked at 350 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes or less. Baking time will vary according to the amount and type of stuffing ingredients. For example, adding any fresh fruits/vegetables (e.g., chopped onion, raisins, cranberries, etc.) would alter the cooking time.  Also, adjust the cooking time to the degree of "crunchiness" you want - in my case, the stuffing turned out crunchy, but still somewhat chewy due to the olive oil and Smart Balance. 

So, try to make your own stuffing without added salt, sugar, and chemicals.

Enjoy.  My family and I certainly did.

DREAMS MAKE REALITY

Have you watched the documentary about the day in the life of Dr. Mercola?

I did, twice. At first, I was jealous and envious, but then I said to myself, why not dream about the life he has?

Life is more palatable with dreams in it.

I dream that one day, I will be at least marginally financially independent and buy a small shack next to Mercola’s estate in North/Central Florida or somewhere else…

I will have a small garden with a few fruit trees: cherries, pears, apples, peaches, apricots, and may be figs? I will coax my spices into rampant growth, and grow a profusion of  celery and carrots (my favorite snack). If I can grow tomatoes, I would consider my life complete, as I can entirely survive on tomatoes, feta cheese and good crusty bread. Hm, how about a vineyard? I could also live on grapes and cheese.
 

Flowers are my weakness, so they will fill every nook and cranny not assigned to raising food. I might even accommodate a few beautiful hens for their eggs.

The shack will be close to the beach, so I can take long walks by the water, breathe the fresh ocean air, and absorb the uplifting expanse of sky and ocean merging in one on the horizon.

I will also limit my daily food intake within 6-8 hours, so that I can benefit from the intermittent fasting regimen (this timing allows the organism to dip into the fat storage for energy).
 
Taking care of my own needs may get boring, so I would definitely find a good cause to fight, or at least spread the word about healthy and creative life.

I may also go back to drawing, something I have not done since my teenage years. Drawing, back then, was the equivalent of meditation. It was a time of complete disconnect from the everyday din, and immersion in the world of the picture.

Pablo Picasso had said: ‘If you can imagine it, it’s real’. I feel it, I see it, I am almost there. I dream.