Easy Recipe Ideas

Another month has gone by and since then not a whole lot has happened.  We got some good medical news, which I will go into detail about another time.   I've tried some new recipes and wanted to review them quickly for you.

The first is these "cookies".  They turned out ok, but I wouldn't say they're a hit.  I would think of them more like a bread pudding, rather than a cookie.  I made them with apple butter instead of apple sauce, craisins instead of raisins and with green banana instead of ripe ones.  One of the big criticisms was that the flavor was not consistent throughout.  These are not high on my repeat list.

Marinated Cucumbers, Onions, and Tomatoes

3 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings (I sliced the onion into wedges and then separated
3 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 cup vinegar (I used pomegranate vinegar)
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
1/4 cup oil

This salad was delicious.  This is a recipe that I would be excited to share with people over and over again.  Simple, and yet delicious.  Be sure to give the veggies a solid 3 hours in the fridge to marinate before serving.  I just made it today, but I'm sure it will be amazing tomorrow.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

We are huge fans of mushrooms in our house, so this soup was a hit.  A soup that I would be happy to share with other mushroom lovers, but definitely not for people who are on the fence about their love for mushrooms.

Below is how I made it, the original link is a above. 

 1/4 of dairy free butter

 2 packs of a pre-sliced mushroom blend coarsely chopped it 

 2 shallots, chopped

 3 table spoons gluten free all purpose flour

 1 3/4 cups of water

 2 tablespoons garlic infused basting oil (Wegmans)

 1 cup Vanilla almond milk

 Salt and pepper to taste

 Sprinkling of Cinnamon

1. Melt Butter over medium high heat, add coarsely chopped mushrooms and shallots, cook 5 minutes or until soft
2. Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour until dissolved and smooth
3. Add in 1 and 3/4 cups of water, and 2 tablespoons of oil, cook for 5 minutes until thick and bubbly
4. Add one cup of vanilla almond milk, salt and pepper to taste, and a light coating of cinnamon on the top.
5. Cook until heated through.
6. Rapidly whisk in 1 tablespoon of flour.
7. Reduce heat to low, cover until thick.

Well that's all I have for tonight.  Enjoy!

Free can be Fun

As part of our goal to have a healthier marriage in 2014, I spent my Snow Day on Friday planning a free and fun date night for my husband and myself.  Dating Divas has tons of amazing resources and date ideas.  So using a few ideas from their site (and sprinkling in some of my own creativity), we had a fun date night.

It started with an invitation outlining who, what, when, where and why, that I planted in his at home office when he briefly got up to do something else.

Who: Me and You

What: A fun free date night, beginning with snowman building and a snowball fight, and ending with tea and games in a blanket fort.

When: Right after dinner

Where: Outside/Inside

Why: Because I love you

He was very surprised.  Unfortunately the snowman building and snowball fight didn't work out super well, because the snow was all powder, which made it perfect for snow angels.

Then after we were all frozen from playing in the snow, we came inside, grabbed some chairs from the kitchen, blankets, and pillows and built a blanket fort complete with tea and Christmas lights.

We spent the evening in the blanket fort playing games like The Newlywed Game and "It's a Love Match! as well as various other "20 Questions Games for Couples" found across the internet.  

All in all it was a great night to have fun together and to take time to slow down, lock ourselves away from the rest of the world and just talk.  Dating isn't just for single people.  Marriage is like a box.  

The Chrysalis

chrys·a·lis

 noun \ˈkri-sə-ləs\

: a moth or butterfly at the stage of growth when it is turning into an adult and is enclosed in a hard case

: a hard case that protects a moth or butterfly while it is turning into an adult

My husband and I were married May 7th 2010.  The following January, we decided we wanted to start our family.  Initially, we thought things were taking time.  A year later, we started to become concerned, and the beginning of 2013 we officially began fertility testing.

On June 24th 2013, we heard the most crushing news we had heard to date, that medically speaking we were unable to conceive children naturally.  Although this process has caused us to grow closer together as a couple in some ways, it has also caused us to lose touch as a couple in other ways.  It has been an emotional roller coaster and has been challenging physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Metaphorically speaking it is a "hard case".  But we know that God has bigger plans, and that this whole situation could, can, and is being used to help us both grow: physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

We've made it our goal for 2014 to get healthy.  Our focus for this year is our physical health, spiritual health, mental health, and marital health.  Espoir Vivant et Sain Blog is a place where we'll share our thoughts and adventures along the way.