What's In My Flower Bed

The greenhouses and garden centres are overflowing with tons of different flowers.  Choosing the right flowers for your flower bed can be an overwhelming process.  Unless that is your like me and you just snatch up all the flowers that interest you!  To help make your next trip to the greenhouse a little easier I thought I would share what I planted in my one and only flower bed. 

 

This flowerbed has a south exposure so all of these plants are meant for full or part sun.  I purchased a lot of perennials because I find them more cost effective than annuals.  You buy the plant once and you have years and years of flowers!  Plus many perennials will multiply so they will fill in a lot of the space I have.  You can also divide them up in the fall and share them with friends and family; my Mom has already called dibs on my purple lily when it needs to be slip up.

This gnome is a recent addition to the flowerbed.  I spotted him at WalMart this weekend and just had to have him.  John wasn't too sold on the idea of a gnome but when he saw that it was a team Italia World Cup Soccer gnome he really couldn't say no.

We also have a few pin-wheels in our flowerbed.  My Mom gave Roman his first pin-wheel and he was immediately in love, so I picked him up another on one of our many trips to the holy land; the dollar store!  This particular pin-wheel is actually Roman's second I purchased for him because he snapped the first one in half while playing with it this weekend.  This is why we buy things from the dollar store!  There is also a tiny owl on a spike that Roman just had to have (or maybe it was me).  All of these things make great distractions when I'm trying to pull weeds with Roman.

 

 

Let's start with the perennials.  I have loved lilies since I was little and found wild tiger lilies growing behind our house.  This year I planted two daylilies (pictured above) and one traditional lily (at least that's what I call it.)  The pink daylily is called Lacy Doily and the purple/orange is called Exploded Pumpkin.  The traditional lily is called Graffity and is a gorgeous lily.  The base color of the petals is a bright yellow color with deep purple spots starting at the centre of the flower and fading out toward the tip of the petals.  I can't wait for this to bloom!

 

 

This interesting looking flower is called Lupinus "Tutti Frutti" Mix.  This flower was so unique looking that I couldn't resist picking it up.  I was told at the greenhouse that if you don't trim back the flowers in the fall the seeds will drop and they will re-seed themselves, but they aren't particularly invasive.  I can't wait to see what other color flowers this plant will produce!

 

The last two perennials I purchased were Primula Pubescens "Exhibition Series Mixed" and a 3D Purple Osteospermum.  The Primula Pubescens has clusters of small flowers that form balls.  The flowers themselves have yellow centres with deep purple/pink petals, so cute!  The Purple Osteospermum resembles a gerbera daisy but it has a centre that almost looks like a mum.  So pretty!

 

I already had some tulips and irises that were planted in the fall.  Unfortunately we've had a few visits from deer and my tulips were on the menu.  I was lucky enough to have one tulips bloom out of the three bunches I had planted.  Maybe I'll have better luck next year.

 

 

I only planted a few annuals this year, mostly because I had bought so many perennials before I started looking at annuals, and partly because John banned me from the greenhouse after he saw all the plants I bought....  I did manage to snap up some super cute ones though!  The first is the Colorblaze Keystone Kopper.  I bought this plant because I love foliage plants and this one had such a unique color that I couldn't resists.  It's also deer resistant which was also a selling point.  The second flower is a Miss Sunshine Sunflower.  This is a dwarf version of the regular sunflower that doesn't get seeds.  As soon as I saw them I knew I had to have them!

 

For a little ground cover I picked up a couple Goldilocks Creeping Jenny.  This is another foliage plant that looks like a vine and has small, bright yellow-green leaves.  As I was hunting for a site to link to this post of the Creeping Jenny I also learnt that it's also deer resistant.  Win!

 

Now that we are starting to get more heat during the day it shouldn't be too long before these beauties start blooming.  Here's hoping I can keep the deer and Roman away from them long enough to enjoy the blooms!

Apple Walnut Oatmeal Bars

The quest for breakfast finger foods continues!  Now that Roman is a little older, has two teeth, and is better able to chew food, it opens up a lot more options for food.  Again I decided to stick with the oatmeal in the hopes that I'm getting all the iron into him that he needs. 

While I was cruising the Internet looking for inspiration, I found a post on a mom forum for this oatmeal bar.  I decided to give it my own twist with the addition of fruit and nuts to keep things interesting for Roman.

Apple Walnut Oatmeal Bars
1 cup quick oats
1 cup water
1/4 cup chopped apple
3T chopped walnuts

Mix oats, water and chopped apples together.  Pour into the bottom of a loaf pan and sprinkle walnuts over top.  Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.  The bars will be soft and will stay this way.  Slice into bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

To serve the oatmeal bars I simply pop them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.  I will often top the bars with a fruit puree so that I can sneak more fruit into Roman.  Then I cut them into pea sized pieces (seems to be the perfect size for Roman these days) and dump them onto his tray.  Then the madness begins!!

**NOTE: I am not a dietitian or doctor. Always consult a health care professional before changing your infants diet.

Pecan Crusted Honey Mustard Salmon

 John did the last round of meal planning and I have to admit I was a little intimidated when I read the title of this recipe on the list of things we were making this week.  How was I possibly going to have time to make a crusted salmon while watching Roman during the day?  However, once I read the recipe all my fears melted away. 

This recipe is quick and simple but tastes incredible!  I prepared the breading and sauce in advance and left it in the fridge until I was ready to crust the salmon.  This way I wasn't trying to chop and measure with a kid hanging off my leg.  I decided to leave the honey out when I made it so that we could share with Roman, and instead used a bit of brown sugar to replace the sweetness of the honey.  I can only imagine how delicious this would be when made with the honey mmmm.

Pecan Crusted Honey Mustard Salmon
4 - 4oz salmon fillets
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
3T Dijon mustard
1 1/2T honey
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup bread crumbs
4t chopped fresh parsley
salt & pepper to taste

In a small bowl mix together oil, honey and mustard.  In another bowl mix together bread crumbs, pecans and parsley.  I prefer to use Panko bread crumbs because they have a great crunch and don't become soggy when baked like traditional bread crumbs.

Place salmon fillets on a parchment lined baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.  Pour honey mixture over top.  Sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture.  Bake at 400° for 20 minutes.

I know I found this recipe somewhere online (Once A Month Meals I'm guessing) but I can't for the life of me find it online anymore. This dish could easily be turned into a freezer meal by simply crusting the fish as the recipe says then popping the baking sheet in the freezer.  Once the fish is frozen you can wrap each portion in plastic wrap then pop them in a freezer bag.  When you want to cook the salmon just thaw and bake as the recipe directs.

I decided to serve the salmon on a bed of rice and vegetables and topped it with a hollandaise sauce.  Now that may sound fancy but in reality it was a package mix and all I had to do was add butter.  A restaurant looking meal that is super easy to make is always a win in my book!

Building my Garden

As soon as we bought our house I knew I wanted to have a garden to grow vegetables, herbs, and maybe try my hand at some fruit.  We use a lot of fresh tomatoes in the summer and a lot of canned tomatoes during the winter, so it only makes sense to grow my own.  I also love cooking with fresh herbs but often the ones I buy in the grocery store are already in rough shape or wilt in no time flat when I get them home.

At first I thought we would just dig out the grass, till up the dirt and plant.  But I quickly decided that was a bad idea.  The previous owner of our home wasn't much for watering the grass and a large portion of the backyard has reverted to prairie grass, complete with fox tails, so I didn't want battle for growing space.  Plus I like the idea of a raised garden bed so that I don't have to crawl through all the dirt to get to my veggies, and hopefully the dogs won't tear through a raised bed.  Hopefully... (This has already proven to not work).  John had been itching to get his hands on a summer building project so this was right in his wheel house.

 

Square, U-shape, rectangle, so many options for a raised bed.  After cruising Pinterest, thinking about what and how much I wanted to grow, I decided on an E-shaped bed.  Out to the yard I went to measure out the size of the space I was working with.  I then drew a to-scale plan on a sheet of graph paper, complete with measurements of my garden.  This is an integral step as it not only tells you how much lumber your going to need, it also lets you calculate how much dirt you will need.

This garden has a massive 126 sq ft of planting space.  This should be more than enough space for us to grow a variety of vegetable and will also give us some room to grow.  Now because I am a planner I decided to map out exactly where I was going to plant the different vegetables.  Yes this is a little overkill but it will be a great help when I head out to the greenhouses to buy my plants!  I left some empty space in my garden in case I come across some interesting vegetables or fruits while I was at the greenhouse. 

What I decided to plant:

Tomatoes                       Beets

Green Peppers               Basil 

  Yellow Peppers             Parsley

 Chili Peppers                Thyme

   Green Onion                  Chives 

 Carrots                               Dill

      Cucumber                     Asparagus

         Peas                              Watermelon

        Green Beans                 Strawberries

Now it's time to build!  We started out by spray painting the location of the beds onto the grass and digging out the grass.  This way we didn't have to keep measuring and referring to the plan while we were digging the grass out!  Then John went about cutting and screwing the boards together to form the frame of the garden.  Because we used 2x12 boards we needed to support them with wood stakes at the corners to keep the boards for bowing under the weight of the dirt, which John pounded in once the frame was complete.

Luckily John knows a guy that has a livestock business.  Why is that convenient when building a garden you ask?  Well he has dirt that has cow manure mixed in with it and he could deliver it to our house!  Super handy when you need 5 yards of dirt, which is approximately 2 half ton loads.  *TIP - when having dirt delivered to your house, lay a tarp down before the load gets there.  This way there isn't near as much dirt stuck the the driveway that you have to sweep/wash away!

 

 

Time for the fun part, planting!!!  Quite quickly I realized that my plant-o-gram was not going to materialize the same way I had drawn it.  The tomatoes ended up taking up more space than I intended so I had to jostle everything else around.  Thankfully it all still fit. 

Unfortunately I made the mistake of trying to get a jump start on the growing season and paid the ultimate price.  I lost most of my tomato plants, a large portion of my pepper plants and all of my basil to a night of frost.  Lesson learned.  So back to the greenhouse Roman and I went to buy replacement plants. 

Now that the new plants are in the garden, all that is left to do is water and wait for the sunshine and delicious food to sprout from the ground!

Chicken Packets

I realized a few days ago that we haven't had chicken in a long time since we have a freezer full of beef.  So I decided to bust out an old recipe that I haven't made in close to 5 years.  John absolutely LOVES this recipe so he was ecstatic when he realized what I was making.  It also happens to be a one dish meal that can be customized to what you like or what you happen to have in your fridge!

Sometimes that hardest part of deciding on what to make for supper is coming up with a side dish.  Steamed veggies can get old after awhile, and there are only so many things you can do to rice.  What if you could make your main and side dishes all at once and they would all taste amazing?  It is all possible with these chicken packets and I'll show you how!

Chicken Packets - Makes 2 Packets
2 chicken breasts
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 cup broccoli, cut into florets
2/3 cup salad dressing of your choice
salt
tin foil

Cut two large pieces of tin foil.  You want them large enough that it will they it will completely enclose all the ingredients in a pouch.  Divide the rice and vegetables in half and layer them onto the tin foil with the shiny side in.  Top each portion with a chicken breast and sprinkle with salt.

 

This is where things get interesting!  Pour salad dressing over each portion and top with parsley.  The salad dressing will form the sauce for the entire dish.  Changing the dressing you use completely changes the taste of this dish.  We all have a few salad dressings in our fridge that hardly get used, so this is a great way to use them up.  Plus you could make each portion a different flavor, catering to everyone in your family's tastes, all while only having to make one meal!

 

Fold the tin foil over the chicken and seal all the edges.  *TIP - make sure to fold the tin foil up rather than down as this will prevent juices from leaking out of the pouch.  Place the pouches on a cookie sheet and bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Open the pouches and enjoy!  You can either transfer your meal onto a plate or, as John and I like to do, eat it right out of the pouch (just be careful not to eat the tin foil!!).  The broccoli and peppers are perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious because they steam inside the pouch in the salad dressing.  The chicken is always super moist and best of all you don't have to use an ounce of oil! 

This dish is not only delicious and good for you, but its incredibly easy.  These pouches can be assembled the night before and all you have to do it pop them in the oven, which makes them a great option for a busy family.

Oatmeal Pankcakes

Normally Roman has oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, but nobody wants to eat the same thing every day for breakfast, not even a baby.  I like the nutrition that Roman gets from his oatmeal so I decided to just switch up the way I make it!

This is a childhood classic and I knew it was time for Roman to experience the pure joy that is the pancake!  This recipe was originally posted on Simplistically Sassy and I made a few changes to tailor it to Roman.

Oatmeal Pancakes - Make 13 pancakes
2 1/2 cups oat flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2T oil
2T unsweetened applesauce
2T baking powder

Whip eggs with a whisk and add in all other ingredients.  Since I already have whole flake oats on hand that I use to make Roman's oatmeal, I decided to mill them down into a fine flour rather than buying oat flour.

Spray a pan with oil and heat to medium high.  Drop 1/4 cup of the batter onto the pan.  Cook until bubbles form and pop on the surface of the pancake, about 1 minute.  Flip the pancake and cook for 1 more minute.

Not likely your little one is going to eat all these pancakes in one sitting.  Allow the pancakes to cool completely and wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then pop them into a freezer bag and freeze.  To serve, simply defrost in the microwave or pop them in the toaster!

Obviously I didn't submerge Roman's pancake in a delicious sea of sticky, sweet syrup.  Instead I topped it with a smear of peanut butter and a few raspberry pieces.  You could also make a thick fruit puree and spread it on top like jam.  PB & J pancakes, how could a baby resist?!

As you can see these pancakes have received the Roman stamp of approval!  He couldn't get the pancake into his mouth fast enough!  Not only is this a great way to switch up breakfast, but it also gives him the opportunity to learn how to feed himself.  It's a messy affair but they have to learn somehow!

**NOTE: I am not a dietitian or doctor. Always consult a health care professional before changing your infants diet.

Rethink Leftovers

We all have them in our fridge, some of which might be furry (don't be ashamed, it happens to everyone), and others may never be eaten.  But what if there was a way to turn your leftovers into something new and delicious?  Sounds like a great idea right?  Sometimes all it takes is a little creative thinking to whip up a tasty meal!

While digging through the fridge I found half an onion, half a pepper, and some deli ham from Roman's baptism (don't panic, this post was written right after Roman's baptism but it kinda got lost in the Easter posts.  I did not eat 2 month old lunch meat!).  Doesn't really sound like much of a meal, but when you add it to crushed tomatoes, shredded cheese, and a frozen pizza crust, you have one delicious meal!  I don't normally put meat on my homemade pizza, let alone deli meat, but John and I are REALLY getting sick of eating sandwiches!

Homemade pizza is a great way to use up leftover veggies from a weeks worth of meals.  Plus when made at home, pizza is a fairly healthy meal!  I love to use naan or flat bread as a pizza crust because they are the perfect size for a personal pan pizza.  This way John can have his with minimal sauce, tons of meat, and hot sauce and I get my super saucy, veggie packed, pizza!  It would be great to let kids create their own personal pizza as well.  Then if they decide to put strange things on it you don't have to eat it! 

I used the leftover can of crushed tomatoes from the pizza to make pasta sauce the next night.  There is something so satisfying about making food that uses up odds and ends in the fridge!  Using food you already have on hand, that would otherwise end up in the garbage, also saves you money.  Maybe I just need to get out more if I find this exhilarating...

Lemony Garlic Shrimp with Vegetables

This post is going to look a little different than most of my recipe posts because I didn't start out with the intention of making it a blog post.  This recipe was just one of many I was making in my latest freezer cooking day.  The smell of this dish cooking had wafted into the living room where John was watching Roman and he immediately came running into the kitchen to taste it.  Even scalding hot, John was immediately in love!  As soon as I tasted it for myself I knew I had to share!

The originally recipe was posted on Renee's Kitchen Adventures.

Lemony Garlic Shrimp and Vegetables - Serves 8
4 bell peppers, diced
2 bunches asparagus, diced
2 lemons, zested
3/4t salt
3/4t pepper
5t minced garlic
1/2 cup onion, diced
6 cups shrimp cleaned & peeled (thawed if frozen)
3 cups chicken broth
6t cornstarch
2 lemons, juiced
3T butter
3T chopped parsley

Cook peppers, asparagus and lemon zest in cooking spray on medium heat until tender crisp.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Spray pan again and cook garlic and onion for 1 minute.  Add shrimp and cook until they turn pink.  Whisk broth and cornstarch together until smooth and add to pan.  Cook stirring until the sauce thickens.  Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, butter, vegetables and parsley.

To Freeze - allow it too cool and divide it into large bags.  Lay flat to freeze.
To Serve - Thaw and reheat in a pot on the stove.

We usually roast, boil or maybe even BBQ our asparagus.  Obviously I have been living under a rock because it never occurred to me to chop up asparagus and use it in a recipe like this!  The subtle crunch that they give to this recipes is absolutely perfect!  I will definitely be adding it to more recipes in the future!

Smart Mac & Cheese

Everyone loves macaroni and cheese, but we also all know that it probably isn't the best thing for us to eat.  Whether or not we listen to what we know is an entirely different question.  I've never had good luck with homemade cheese sauce.  It always ends up thick, goopy, and regardless of how much cheese I add, never cheesy enough.  So when I saw this recipe on an episode of The Social I knew I had to try it!  Not only did it look delicious, but it's also good for you!  Blasphemous!

I know what your thinking, it's probably going to taste unappetizing and be runny.  Your wrong!  This sauce is thick, creamy, cheesy and a glorious orange color!  John and I have fallen in love with this recipe, and I'm confident enough in this recipe that I even give it to Roman with little pastina!  Okay, enough with the chit chat, let's get to the recipe!

Smart Mac & Cheese
3 cups butternut squash, peeled & cubed (approx. 1 whole squash)
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 1/2 cup 2% milk
4T cottage cheese
1t salt
1t pepper
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
4 cups macaroni

Combine squash, broth, milk, salt and pepper.  Simmer for 25 minutes or until squash is tender.

Add squash mixture to a blender and puree.  Return the puree to the pot.  *TIP - let the squash cool a bit before blending or it may explode out of the blender, not fun.  You can also use an immersion blender and blend it right in the pot you cooked it in.

Add the remaining ingredients, except pasta, to the sauce.  Heat the sauce on low heat until the cheese is melted.  If you want it extra cheesy you can add more cheese to the sauce.  In a separate pot, cook macaroni as directed on the package.  Serve the macaroni with a heaping scoop of cheese sauce.

Doesn't this picture make you drool!  I would choose this over boxed mac and cheese any day of the week!  I promise this will become a family favorite in no time!  I'm not going to lie and say that you can't taste the squash, you can.  However, the sweetness of the squash is a perfect compliment to the cheese and adds the creaminess that mac and cheese has to have to be fulfilling. 

Quite possibly the best part is that it freezes extremely well!  I usually use half of the sauce for our meal the day I make it and pour the rest into a freezer bag and pop it in the freezer.  When you want to use the frozen sauce, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat it in a pot on the stove or in the microwave.