Tuesday Tutorials: Keep it Clean and Green!

Flu season is upon us! Some of the best cleaners involve just a few basic ingredients you may already have in your kitchen. Here are some green cleaning recipes to protect your family, and the environment.

What you need:

• Baking Soda
• White Distilled Vinegar
• Lemon Juice
• Liquid Soap
• Tea Tree Oil
• Spray Bottles

Cream Cleanser

Mix 1/2 cup baking soda with enough liquid soap to create a paste. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge and wash the surface. Perfect for bathtubs and sinks as it rinses easily and doesn't leave grit.

Natural Degreaser

Undiluted lemon juice. Lemon juice can also be added to the wash cycle with your laundry to freshen up your clothes.

Window Cleaner

Mix 1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid soap with 3 tablespoons vinegar and 2 cups water in a spray bottle. Shake it up a bit and spray away!

All Purpose Cleaner

Mix two parts water, one part vinegar and 10-12 drops of tea tree oil in a spray bottle and shake well. (We use this on everything. It's quick drying due to the vinegar not only does the tea tree oil leave the home smelling fresh (and not like vinegar) but it is a natural disinfectant. This is a great way to naturally disinfect your child's toys.

Mold and Mildew Cleaner

Mix 2 teaspoons tea tree oil and 2 cups water in a spray bottle and spray on problem areas. Alternatively, use straight vinegar in a spray bottle and let sit. Vinegar reportedly kills 82% of mold.

Makes you want to clean, doesn't it?

Make it Monday: Spinach & Porcini Mushroom and Butternut Squash Risottos

We're steering clear of sweets this week! Here are some cozy risottos that are perfect as entrees, make great leftovers and allow you to sneak in some greens. One of these calls for arborio rice, the other brown (which takes about twice as long). For a quicker fix try substituting orzo.

Spinach and Porcini Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients:

1/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/3 cup Marsala wine
1/3 pound Canadian bacon, diced
2 1/2 to 3 cups chicken broth
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1/3 cup shredded aged Gruyère cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Soak dried mushrooms in 1 cup very hot water for 5 minutes. Strain and reserve the liquid in a bowl. Chop mushrooms and set aside in a second bowl.

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add rice and cook, stirring continuously, coating the rice with butter, for 3 minutes. Next, add Marsala and continue stirring until the liquid is completely absorbed, about 1 minute.

Stir in bacon, mushrooms and reserved mushroom liquid. Continue stirring until liquid has been absorbed. Continue by adding the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until all the liquid has been absorbed. The mixture should get creamier as you stir, and the total cooking time should be about 30 minutes. When the rice is cooked (it will be tender but still al dente), turn off the heat, stir in the spinach and cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Butternut Squash and Brown Rice Risotto

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil (divided)

4 cloves garlic

½ butternut squash (2 lb)

1 Tbs. butter

3 shakes chile flakes

½ tsp. cumin seed

1 cippolini onion

1 c. short grain brown rice

5 c. broth

14 dried sage leaves

½ c. white wine

1 Tbs. heavy cream

½ tsp. fresh thyme

1 tsp. lemon zest

½ c. parmigiano reggiano

Method:

Cut squash in half, remove seeds and strings to a sauce pan. Add water and bouillon (if using, other wise, add broth of your choice) to sauce pan and bring to a very low simmer. (Make sure your broth is not overly salty, as it will be a very dominant seasoning.) Reserve half the squash for another use. Trim and skin the remaining half and cut into 1 centimeter cubes.

Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil (lemon infused if you have it), add garlic and fry for 30 seconds, then add squash cubes. Cook covered, over medium heat until just soft. You may wish to add a ladle-full of broth to speed the cooking process. While squash is cooking, heat remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil and 1 Tbs. butter. Add cumin seeds and chile flakes and let sizzle 15-30 seconds. Add onion and cook until it is translucent. Then add the rice and cook until rice begins to whiten.

Add broth to cover the rice (1-3 ladles full). Cook at a brisk simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally. When the squash is ready, add 1/3 of the cubes to the rice. Let rice cook until it absorbs almost all the broth, then add 1-2 ladles-full until rice is just covered. Continue this way, simmering, adding broth, stirring occasionally until the rice is almost to your desired texture. Using brown rice, this may take an hour.

(You do not have to stir constantly, just check every couple minutes until the rice is close to done, then stir more frequently).

While rice is cooking, chop thyme, lemon zest, grate cheese and prepare a salad. Fry the sage leaves in olive oil for a garnish. When rice is nearly done, add wine and let cook down, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth, if desired, along with reserved squash, cream, lemon zest, thyme and parmesan. Stir until the risotto reaches your desired consistency. It should be creamy and a lovely orange color with the rice still somewhat firm to the tooth. Serve and garnish with sage leaves.

Enjoy!

Trick-or-Treat Tricks and Tips!

Halloween is just a few days away! Whether you're taking your wee one out for their first All Hallows Eve or accompanying an experienced trick-or-treater, here are some tips for ensuring your night doesn't take a turn for the scary.

1. Give your child a bathroom break prior to leaving the house, especially if you have a higher-maintenance costume that will take some time to get on and off.

2. Dress your child appropriately. Choose warm layers for underneath your child's costume to avoid covering it up completely but keep in mind that if it rains you'll need to dress them in rain gear or at least cover them with an umbrella.

3. Inspect your child's treats. Remove any opened candy and homemade goodies unless it was given to your child by someone you know.

4. Make sure your house is welcoming to young trick-or-treaters by removing any hazardous objects (dogs and cats included) that a small child can trip over such as a hose or rake and ensure that if you do have a Jack-o-Lantern it is kept well out of reach of curious fingers.

5. Reduce your speed if you are driving to your Halloween destination and watch carefully for little witches and werewolves along the way.

6. Remind your children to use their manners by saying thank you and choosing one piece of candy from the bowl unless asked otherwise. No one wants to open their doors to greedy goblins!

It's also important to remember that treats can be healthy! Wendy Howarth has provided this great list of candy alternatives for children of all ages and has also suggested that if your child ends up with far too much candy that he or she trade it in for a small toy. (We'll leave it up to you on how you'd like to "dispose" of all of those mini chocolate bars.)

Here are some ideas:

Stickers

Fruit leather

Bouncy balls

Slimy necklaces

Rubber spiders

Vampire teeth

Temporary tattoos

Snack size package of popcorn

Individual packets of crayons

Halloween pencils

Fancy erasers

Yo-yos

"Slime"

Small jar of play-do

Decoder rings

Glow-sticks

Tiny decks of cards

Bubbles

Plastic whistles

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Tuesday Tutorials: Halloween Craft Roundup!

It's hard not to get caught up in the spookiest day of the year. Help spread the excitement to your little ones with one (or more) of these bootiful Halloween crafts (sorry, we couldn't resist).

This sweet Black Cat Plushie featured on Etsy how-to's will stick around long after Halloween ends and is so cute you might consider making an entire family (psssst they don't have to be black).

We've made similar mobiles out of branches and paper cutouts for friends' nurseries but this Bat Mobile via The Long Thread has a bit of a Halloween vibe and the supplies are easy to gather (you can easily use white thread in place of clear).

If you're having a Halloween themed party (or birthday party) these Spider Web Balloons over at Crafty Crafty are a bit more labour intensive (and intimidating for balloon amateurs such as ourselves) but would certainly spook up a room.

We love Domesticali's Felt Bats and are trying to decide whether or not they'd live on post-Halloween. We think so.

Tissue Pomettes are one of the easiest decorations that give you huge bang for your effort. And don't think these won't become a permanent fixture in your little lady's room - my talented friend Zoe hung hot pink poms from her dining room ceiling for her daughter's third birthday party last year and I don't think they came down for weeks.

Last but not least, who can't resist a room full of sweet and simple tissue ghosts - we loved making these as a child almost as much as we love to share them with our children.

Enjoy!

Make it Monday: Halloween Edition

With Halloween coming up this Sunday what more appropriate than these seasonal kid-friendly recipes. As always, thanks to Wendy Howarth of Origins Nutrition and Wellness for providing these.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 large egg yoke

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Spray cooking spray in a non-stick skillet. Heat over medium heat. Spoon in 1/3 batter for each pancake.

Pumpkin Pie-sicles

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. butternut squash

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2/3 cup coconut milk

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions: To make a batch, cut a butternut squash into quarters and scoop out the seeds. Bake the squash until it's soft. Let the squash cool a bit before scooping its flesh into a medium-size bowl. Add pure maple syrup, coconut milk, and pumpkin pie spice to the bowl. Use a potato masher to mush the squash and blend all of the ingredients. Spoon the mixture into ice pop moulds, add sticks, and freeze for at least 6 hours before serving.

Candy Corn Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
orange gel food coloring
yellow gel food coloring
sanding sugar

Directions:

Add the egg, orange juice, orange zest and salt. Slowly add the flour and baking soda. Beat until combined. Divide the cookie dough into three and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Wrap the cookie dough and refrigerate until firm. At least two hours or overnight. Unwrap the cookie dough and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Slice the dough into triangles. Dip one side of the cookie into the sanding sugar. Arrange on the cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 7 to 10 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack.

Pumpkin Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2 c. canned organic pumpkin

1 c. skim milk/milk alternative such as rice, hemp or coconut milk

1/2 c - 1 c. ice

1 tsp. honey

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 scoop vanilla protein powder or brown rice powder

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Note: When making smoothies, always put in the liquid ingredients first. This will prevent all of your solid ingredients getting stuck at the bottom.

Enjoy!

Road Trip: North Arm Farm

This morning, we head out to North Arm Farm in Pemberton to check out their pumpkins and fall scenery. Our first stop was Mount Currie Coffee Co. for a couple of Americanos and homemade baked goods for the littles, and while we were there we couldn't help but notice these beautiful 8oz kids cups made by local potter Amy Hazeldine ($24).

If you haven't been to North Arm Farm, it sits on 45 acres of organically grown fruits and veggies with panoramic mountain views, a bakery full of beautiful fresh-baked pies and all sorts of goodies ranging from winter squash and mini pumpkins to cauliflower and kale.

The kids (we had a five, three and two one-year-olds) loved the animals (roosters, chickens, ducks and livestock), the giant swings, the old shack and the tractor. As for the pumpkin patch itself, the wagon only runs on the weekends and since it's a bit of a trek for the wee ones (and we'd heard its a bit of an average year in terms of selection) we opted for lunch at the Wildwood Bistro and Bar.

This sure beat the Richmond patch we'd visited for the past few years and if you plan to head up this weekend be sure to bring hand sanitizer (we couldn't find a hand-washing station) as well as a change of clothes and footwear, especially for the younger ones who aren't as stable on their feet.

Tuesday Tutorial: The Uncarved Pumpkin

Pumpkin carving may be a great tradition, but it isn't the safest nor the the easiest task to manage - especially with little helpers at your side. So consider putting your knives away in favour of these no-carve solutions for the scariest (or cutest) pumpkin on the block, even if it means you'll have to head out to buy some seeds for roasting.

1. The Chalkboard Pumpkin: This is one pumpkin that won't get old! We've done an entire wall and kids play table top with this stuff (we've tried both RustOleum and Benjamin Moore) and it was hard to stop there. Not only do the kids love to draw with chalk but they can also "paint" with brushes and plain water (it's slightly deceiving but it works!). You can find RustOleum at Rona - we'd love it if they had it in a spray can as it's a much quicker job, but sadly we think this is only available to our neighbours down south which might be a good thing or everything in our house would be sprayed.

2. The Metallic Pumpkin: We love the way these shades look together and they are great to display indoors for the rest of the fall as a centrepiece (that is, if you still have fancy adult tables to set). We've seen lots of spray-on metallic shades at Walmart on the cheap. The more coats you apply the richer the metallic finish will be.

3. The White Pumpkin: There is something so elegant about a white pumpkin whether on its own or mixed in with brighter pumpkins in various sizes. Chances are you won't find a real one around here, but you can fake it with a little help from a can of matte white paint. Chances are your little Cinderella might mistake it for her carriage.

4. The Crafty Pumpkin: Get out your glue guns! Affix ribbons, buttons, tissue, thread, pompoms - whatever you've got handy to create a really fun kid-friendly pumpkin that your older ones can certainly help decorate.

General tips:

All of the above work best with craft pumpkins (bonus: you'll be able to use them for years to come). If you're choosing to paint your pumpkin, be sure to paint or spray in a well-ventilated area and let it dry at room temperature. For best results apply three coats and be sure to cover the pumpkin stem with painters tape before you start.

Happy Uncarving!