Change and Vegan Hungarian Mushroom Soup!!

I have a few moments! The house is quiet, I have errands to run, but not quite now. I have this hour all to myself. It's morning, the sun is finally coming back to the north! That is a cause to celebrate, no matter what!!! Sickness made a rude appearance in our home, but is finally begrudgingly leaving. So there is much much hope in the air. Regardless of what circumstances may look like in your life, if you live in the north, when the hint of spring comes your way, hope comes with the sun. You may just have to live here to truly understand.

I was reading over the past several entries....Wow! A whole lot of change has occurred in my life since November. I am not sure where to begin. First, our Xmas was a refreshing time with God and family. My relationship with the Lord has simply grown, and continues to change everything about me...what I thought was important, who He is, my utter dependency on Him...for...everything!, and so as a chasm forms between what I believed and was is true...change takes place all around my life, beginning with the inside.

We came home from our vacation and had the opportunity to take in a teenager with her then 4 month old. We jumped at the chance, and prayed through the whole experience (and continue to). It has been a choice that has brought about much more noise, patience, laughter, and joy in our home. The transition is still happening, but it has been smoother than I could have ever imagined. Our family of 5 jumped up to  7. And technically I have become a "nana". I feel very cool! Parenting a teenager is a whole different ball game. I know I am in over my head, so I pray, a lot.

I am officially a Romanian citizen. I was elated to get the paperwork. Unfortunately, it seems when one door opens, all that is on the other side is 7 more bolted doors, and all I have is a feather to try to open them with. In order to get my Romanian passport I must make an appointment and fly out, in person, to the embassy in Washington DC, but I cannot got there without a current greencard. So what should be extremely simple...getting my green-card renewed, apparently is not.  I won't bother you with my rants, but it should be as simple as turning it the paperwork, them sending me to a place to get fingerprinted and have a new photo taken....then voila. The max time that they said they take is 90 days.  I applied on Oct. 1st of 2012, I still have not heard back. Until then, I cannot go to the Romanian embassy. After I get the Romanian paperwork settled and done, I will have to get the American paperwork done, as well.  I am not discouraged, but it is daunting and seems impossible. I must have a current Romanian AND American passport before I can start the actual adoption paperwork. sigh. So I pray, and wait.

One of the biggest changes about having a teenager and infant in my life is the unending hours of driving them around. I have a new route for dropping and picking up kids from school (none of my kids ride the bus) and top it off with doctor's appointments, glasses appointments, and everything else, and you have a mom, very motivated to teach her teen how to drive!

So when I have a moment to finally be in the kitchen, I feel grateful! I came up with this recipe out of a need. Thursday mornings are my favorite mornings. I have a bible study that I go to, and afterwards, I go to a local bookstore and get a salad. The problem is I want their Hungarian mushroom soup!! They have the soup in containers to buy. I stare at them, trying not to hear their taunts "Eat me, Eat me" it calls. Alas, with all the diary, there is no way I ever eat it. Surely there must be a better way. So I set out to make one of my favorite soups, and I was not dissapointed!

Here's what you need:

a medium onion chopped
2T of soy free earth balance (you can use olive oil, but for the buttery taste, I really recommend this!)
2 12 ozs of mushrooms (if you can do a variety of kinds, it's better, more textures)
2T of paprika (the fresher, the better)
1T of dried dill
3T of flour (I used buckwheat)
1 can of coconut milk (I prefer native forrests brand)
3-4 c of broth or water
salt and pepper to taste

super simple....set pot on medium heat, put diced up onions and earth balance, still till onions are translucent....add paprika, dill, flour, and stir......add broth and mushroom.....let heat on high till a slight boil comes on, then let simmer....gently pour the coconut milk, stir...and enjoy!!!

My teenager, who doesn't like mushrooms, gobbled it up, which equals great success in my world!



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Hummus and the family

I suspect that the emotions surrounding advocating for my children will never truly be a stoic experience. But I am praying that some of those intense feelings and reactions that occur within me (I have never been one for internalizing feelings, I'm more of a speak now, regret later, sort of gal :( will become less so, as I rest in the Lord.  Our oldest son has an IEP. For those of you that aren't sure what that is, it stands for Individual Education Plan, meaning Isaac has needs and issues that go beyond typical peers, his age. As a result, I must advocate for him. He has a team that meets and we discuss his needs, what services he qualifies, etc. It is an exhausting push...pull....balancing act. Bureaucracy reigns supreme in the public school system. Whines about funding, attempts to withdraw services because the child is actually gaining ground (after regressing without the needed services), are all moves that are choreographed in this dance that we do with the public school. It has been 5 years of a never ending amounts of meetings and advocating. Today was no exception. Just when you hear that your son will FINALLY get a much needed service, you hear suggestions that he may benefit in a classroom setting that would work on his social behavior. So I am trying to unwind from listening to input that I did not want and do not agree with...at all. I am not looking for the school to teach my son to be typical...or them to help me parent. I am wanting them to support him in a typical classroom so that he can be more successful....which is what he has been doing the past month....with the support now intact. It continues to be a difficult and shaky road for me. I do not yet have a team that I believe wants the best for Isaac. I still see bureaucracy and that is very difficult as a mother. Isaac will have his current support , which was my big desire. And he does happen to have the most incredible teacher that I have ever come across, so my heart is full of gratitude.

I would have never guessed that the fight in me, that I almost seem to have been born with, would actually serve a purpose in my life....to fight for my kids..... but it seems to have. That same fight is brewing within me to sustain the long journey of adoption that awaits us. My blog has been one of very impersonal post with recipes. This will no longer be how I blog.

I love food. I love nutrition. I love educating in those areas. That has come easily to me. My schooling is coming along well (in case you were wondering) and I will continue to write about food, nutrition, recipes...but I will be adding our adoption process and my motherhood tales, tying them all together,  with my faith.

If can boast of many things that seem to come easily, being a mother is NOT one of them. When the bible tells of boasting of our weaknesses because it is when we are weak, that Christ is strong, it was surely referring to Cristina's mothering. I want it to be clear that I am not very confident in this area. It does not come easily or naturally for me. It sure seems to for others, but I will boast of my weakness, because any strength in this area, surely is evidence of the invisible working through me.


This week I sent off my paperwork to the Romanian embassy in D.C.  I will then wait to hear back from Romania in regards to my Romanian citizenship. They will either reinstate it (my hope).....or I will have to jump many more hoops to reapply for that citizenship. I am praying this matter doesn't take months. In the meantime, I still have not heard back from USCIS (not so long ago it was referred to as INS) regarding my green card. I was on the phone with them this morning. It seems that my wait can be 3 1/2 months! Until the matter of my citizenship is resolved, the home-study will have to wait. I am praying I don't have to wait an exacerbate amount of time for Romania's response. So here I am typing away.



In food news. Toby and I did a veggie type cleanse last week....it was refreshing. I learned a whole bunch about my body's relationship and reaction to carbs/sugar. I have a diet with very little processed food....my baking is gluten free and made with coconut crystals (low glycerin palm sugar)....yet, I must confess, my body has a very strong reaction to any sugar, period. I have terrible cravings, as a result, and then my body is sent into an insulin roller coaster ride....I didn't realize how sensitive I am. I am the same way with caffeine. I hate the way it makes my body feel! I can barely ever tolerate it. Who knew?


I make hummus a whole lot in our house. It is a simple dip. I am hoping that at some point, my children will want to try it. But as of now, Toby and I, are the ones that enjoy it. It's a basic recipe and I really do eye ball the measurements. I blend the beans in my vita mix, but you can blend in a blender, or food processor, depending on your texture preference. 


I like to buy my grains and beans in bulk. I think it is just a better idea and it's much cheaper to make garbanzo beans from dry, than get them in a can (who knows how long they've been in a can and what has leaked in the beans), but I know we are a very busy society. I typically will soak my beans(a cups worth of dry beans) for a day or two, it makes all the difference! Why soak beans? Beans have an outer layer of indigestible sugars, tannins, phytic acid and tryspin inhibitors. This outer layer is the root cause of intestinal gas. I then will either stick them in my pressure cooker or a regular pot and boil them till they're ready (mushy)....wait till they're luke warm and then put in my vita mix


2c cooked beans (or a can of canned)
1 medium garlic clove (or two small)
1/2t of tahini (I usually put in 1/4c of sesame seeds, since my vita mix crushes em into tahini)
2T of extra virgin olive oil

1T of lemon juice or half a fresh lemon squeezed
1T of cumin
1t of turmeric
a few pieces of chopped onion
and I usually add some greens (like spinach or kale leaves)
I fill the container with water till it almost covers the beans (this really is a trial and error experience to get the right thickness you want)

I add salt as I blend...because it varies, but i start off with 1T of it....which is usually enough

add some oil and sprinkle some turmeric on top...voila!

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Adoption and tinctures

This year's family portrait, next year, I'm hoping there will be two more little girls!

 My life has been super busy!!! I assumed that once the kids were in school, I would have all these hours in the day to clean my house (how clean can it really get?) and stay on top of laundry, dinner, homework, and dishes. I had this completely distorted view of what "life with all kids in school" would be like.

A few weeks into the kids' school, I realized that I was very very wrong. My house is actually full of more clutter and crumbs than ever before. We had a nasty gnat infestation, that I am still trying to recover from. I hid my bananas in the microwave (which I rarely use) and oven to try to escape the numerous gnats that landed on them. I covered the harvested green tomatoes and covered them over. The few hours I have are full of partially touched on attempts to complete (laundry and clean counters are last battles, I must acknowledge).

I also added two new events to focus my time and energy on. Adopting internationally out of Romania, and working on my schooling degree. Both, I have longed for in my heart for many years. And this seemed like the right time. I am wondering if I have bit more than I can chew! We have just begun our home study and I just turned in my application to renew my green card. I will then need to apply for my Romanian citizenship followed by getting my American citizenship. It will allow my to get my visa. It is a long, bureaucratic process. At times it feels daunting....and I have begun to raise funds. This is the site that I have created to help us. Free gifts are always humbling to recieve....but we are grateful for the support that we have gotten all along the way!

I have not been able to sit and read and study, like I envisioned, either. Sneaking in time to focus on my studies has been very difficult! I am attempting to get my nutritional consultant degree. The anatomy and physiology part is intimidating. I will truck on. It is my desire to get my degree and begin a practice next year. We'll see.

So I will close out with Tinctures. I have just begun to dabble in them. I just finished a batch of echinacea tincture. I started to grow the plant from seed this last spring. I loved the site with the information on it. I have since given out some of the final product to friends I know that are battling cancer. We shall see what happens. Tinctures are simple. It is just a long soaking process with the plant exposed to alcohol or water. The alcohol preserves the nutrients that are pulled in the soaking process. I simple chopped up my echinacea leaves and part of the root and stuck it in bacardi 151 for 7 weeks, occasionally shaking it. 

I happened to make some vanilla extract at the same time

happy tincture making everyone!! I will let you know how my friends battling cancers do...But I have already taken some due to sick symptoms, or headaches.....and have felt great, and not gotten sick :) Pin It Now!

Kneading Some Gluten free Bread

My beautiful kids..Isaac, Bella, and Zaya

Some life events that have occurred since my last post....We've decided to work on preparing our luxurious home to sell...it is our dream home, but the idea of finding some land, building a much more modest home (our current home is really big :0) and having it be completely self sustaining appeals to us...I am a reformed city girl (I loved my fashion, parties, and make-up), so this is a pretty big redirection of my life, than what I imagined...to say the least. We want several acres to mostly farm...and feed a lot of people. Be more involved with WOOFing (google it). To be able to travel is a big desire I have. To live completely debt free. A better plan, than the current path we're on.

Our beloved Great Dane died, early January. I was completely devastated by the whole awful experience. I learned how much our 4 legged companions can teach us about unconditional love. He was completely kind and faithful, even though i was not. We got a new puppy, Lexi. And she is reaping from the lessons I learned from Wasgo, and am not going to repeat, with her. Btw, she is an incredible dog that I have become very attached to....I can't imagine our family without her.

We are pursuing adoption....I have yet to know for certain when, or how we will be finding out beloved little girl, but it will happen. We are going through the foster care system locally...and we are looking into international adoption....we'll see, I will keep you posted!

Confession: out of all the kitchen creations that I make, my passion is bread. Now I went a month of basically eating raw, and it was nice to know that I am capable of preparing food in that state, but I get excited when the perfect loaf of bread comes out of an oven. Maybe it's because I remember my mother baking bread when I was very little, I'm not sure exactly why, but i get a thrill, baking bread. Since I now eat Gluten free, the challenge of finding a good bread recipe still persists, and the hope it will come out good (oh soooo many have not) still leaves me in suspense. The quest I've been on is to find a bread recipe without any starch. Gluten free bread mixes and recipes do an awful lot of starch flours. Starch is broken by the body as sugar...sugar elevates our blood levels and taxes our body's system, if in the constant elevated state (as in, eating sugar often, and lots, which is quite typical in America) your body stops burning fat....and starts storing it, among many, many, many other issues that sugar brings to our health....sooo, all that to say, I don't want starch flours in my bread.

I am not sure I will ever have a gluten free recipe that I like more than this recipe I am gonna share. It may be possible, things change all the time (I'm learning this can be exciting, not scary), but I doubt it.

I can't take credit for this recipe. It is the lovely Ali's creation. I plan on making cinnamon rolls with this recipe because you actually need to kneed it. (Pretty cool, eh?) This bread rises wonderfully, and tastes very much like whole wheat bread......YUMM-0

Kneading GF bread
preheat oven with bread pan inside the oven at 350

mix
2 /2 c of pretty warm water with:
2 1/4 t of yeast (or a packet)
2 t of maple syrup (or whatever sweetener
SET ASIDE ABOUT 10-15 MINUTES...you'll see bubble form on top, it means the yeast is activated...mix dry ingredients while you wait....once you see the bubbles are formed add:
1/3 c of ground chia seeds (I use my coffee grinder)
1/3 c of whole psyllium husk
let stand 2-3 minutes...no longer....then mix with dry ingredients (I use my kitchen aid) with your hands works just fine, also.

Dry ingredients:
1 c teff flour (Ethiopian grass seed, I grind it in my vita mix, it is super small already)
1 c sorghum flour (make sure it's organic, this is a gmo product otherwise)
1/2 c of brown rice flour (I used sweet brown rice)
1/2 c of cornmeal (this is a must organic product, I buy organic popcorn and grind it...you guessed it, in my vita mix, because corn is sooo heavily genetically modified, organic is the only way to go)
1t salt (mix together)

Once the ingredients are mixed well (you may need to add a little more water) bring out the loaf pan and gently place dough in pan, smoothing out corners till it lays evenly flat....cover with kitchen towel and let rise 20-30 minutes....it should be nice and doubled....place in oven for 50-60 minutes....the center should be 180 degrees....I have forgotten to pull my bread out, and not burned it....So it is very forgiving bread.

Once you get your bread out of the oven wrap with another kitchen towel and let cool for an hour or so.....cut and serve or cut and stick in freezer.....toast later. It will be a delish experience...

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