Tuesday night dinner picture...

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Tuesday night dinner - Lucky Lab...

...getting back from a vacation even a short one is hard. We got back home late yesterday. Luckily there was enough food items in the pantry to fix an easy breakfast and lunch for the girls. Once the girls were in school I needed to catch up in my office as well. Next I needed to pick-up Mia Rosie earlier from school, because we had a meeting at Alena's school. Turned out to be an hour and a half meeting, and we were out of school at a quarter to five. - The whole juggling thing - work- mama - meal planner - shopper - cook got completely out of whack...well, so we went for a quick bite to the Lucky Lab on Hawthorne. The girls shared a BLT with chips, and Bento for the adults.

So tomorrow will be a better planned day - I know so, because I just returned from the grocery store :)

Happy Wednesday, all!

Snow - Sunday, May 29th, 2011

Mia Rose just loved the snow :) we overheard her say "oh, it feels so mushy" and I think Santa will come". I guess, that we should have left the sunscreen at home :)

Back in town...lunch and.dinner on the road

What a fantastic mini vacation the four of us had in Central Oregon. Lots of fun family time. Biking, canoeing on the Deschutes, hot tubbing, and family movie nights. Unfortunately, due to inclement weather - it was snowing (!) on Saturday, no outdoor pool time. Still, it was relaxing and fun family time.

Today we headed back to Portland. We first stopped off for a visit to the Hign Desert Museum - always lot's of fun -> www.highdesertmuseum.org . After a nice visit we ate lunch in the cafe. It was a tiny, tin bit challenging to find out which bread - if any - were safe for the girls. This however was resolved in one single phone call. Both hot dog, and hamburger buns are a no and whole wheat, and sour dough a yes. Yippee - Mia Rosie did get the turkey sandwich she so longed for ;) and Alena had no problem eating her hot dog without the bun. She had chips instead so who needs bread?! That was quite successful :)

For dinner we stopped in T Government Camp which is a out 1-1/2 outside of Portland. Great adult beverages, and good food. The girls shared a pepperoni pizza, and fries. Not quite the healthy and whole food we often try to strive for :) but it is still vacation after all. Well, at least until tomorrow morning when the alarm clock will bring us back to reality!

Have a great day!

Monday morning cabin breakfast...

...crescent rolls, cereal, yoghurt, and choice of OJ or chocolate soy milk.. Let thedaybegin. Happy and safe Memorial Day to all!

Sunday night cabin dinner...

...we cooked out :) - Steak, corn, rice orzo pilaf, mixed salad, and pink lemonade (for the girlies)

Happy long weekend :)

Sunday breakfast - cabin breakfast part 3...

...pancakes nectarines, chocolate soy milk, and OJ gets us ready for a day of playing, biking, and swimming. Happy Sunday all :)

Saturday dinner - cabin bean tacos...

...Alena's favorite bean tacos - and Mia Rose loves Tofutti Tacos with lot, and lots of tomatoes. Perfect on a snowy - yes, I did say snow - cabin evening :)

Perfect cabin breakfast on a lazy Saturday...

...Pancakes, Earth Balance, Maple Syrup, and chocolate Soy Milk. Let the day begin!!!

Friday night cabin dinner...

...Spaghetti Bolongnese with Parmesiano Regiano and mixed green salad. Perfect after a day of biking, playing, canoeing, and hot tubbing :)

Perfect after playground, bike ride bs in lunch...

...hot dogs off the grill, and yummy creamy tomato soup (Imagine brand)

Thursday Night Dinner - "Vesper" Salami, Ham, and Emmenthaler cold Cuts :)

Perfect and easy after a long afternoon of travel acoss the Mountain :)

May 25th, 2011 - Dinner - Soup again...

Today lentil with carrots, chard, onions, potatoes, and mini smoked sausages. OK, I admit there has been a lot of soup on our menu. We love soup, I love soup and it is still cold and rainy out. Plus - I fully admit to it too - soup is quick, and easy to make. That was exactly what I needed today. Such a crazy busy day for me today - so soup you were just perfect for us :)

Yes , we had dinner today :)

No dinner picture today as we ate out at Bridgeview Brewing Company in the lovely Pearl District. Plain pasta with olive oil for Mia Rosie while Alena ordered herself. Hot dog with fries. She told the waitress several times "I cannot eat any milk or cheese - so please no milk or cheese.." whoo-hoo for my darlings :)

Pajama Day at Mia Rosie's School

Today was pajama day at Mia Rosie's preschool. Complete with pancakes, fruit, and freshly squeezed OJ. - The kids made the batter, fried up the pancakes on a griddle, and squeezed the juice. What fun and excitement :) To make things easier I volunteered to bring the fixings for the pancakes; no difference or exclusion from the other kids enough for the entire class. :) - In previous years when Alena had PJ day, we always brought a separate batch for her. One for all however was so much easier. So what did I bring? Well, as the picture shows Bisquick was the one mix I was able to find this weeks which was entirely milk free. All of the other regular brands contained whey, or buttermilk. It is great to have at least one option :) So a box of Bisquick, soy milk, and egg beaters it was. Mia Rosie was so excited and she immediately got in line to help prepare the batter...for the griddle the tea hers had brought Earth Balance, and the parent helper of the day brought real maple syrup and fruit...how fun :)

Here is the lesson which I learned, everything is possible. There is no need to keep my children away from others out of fear that they may ear something they should not. Yes, I have not said this in a long time, but the sky is the limit. Everything is possible and Galactosemia certainly does not set any limitations on us, or our children.

The results of the blood-draw are back...

...and they are fantastic! I always quite nervous when it is time for the draw. Not just because it reminds me that the girlies have a disorder, and reminds me of that time when Alena was so sick - no, also because I worry that the levels could be off. I know, that does not sound like my usual self, but there always is this underlying worry that something may not be OK. Therefore, getting fantastic results to me is worth a small celebrations. I am so excited...and yes, in case you were wondering, leading up to the draw both girls continued to indulge in Emmenthaler cheese, Parmesiano Regiano, tomato, lentils, etc. It proves to me that the European approach of the diet works for our girls and for us as a family. This is such great news...oh, and here is a picture of both ladies on their celebratory after school bike ride today :)

Monday, May 23rd, 2011 Dinner -

Rosemary & Sage infused Navy Bean chowder topped with Balsamico, Olive Oil and fresh Croutos - served with a side of oven roasted asparagus.

Alena loved this meal and ate her entire plate :) - yay...

Sunday night dinner: Soup with florentine ravioli, spinach, snap peas, and Parmesiano Reggiano

By now you may notice a pattern...lot's of cooking creativity in the beginning of the week which slowly dwindles down ;) Sunday are nice, easy going and slow...perfect to recharge the batteries. So tonight's dinner was just that easy going...vegetable broth, florentine ravioli, fresh spinach and snap peas with a healthy sprinkling of Parmesiano. We hat ciabatta with it for a complete dinner :)

Have a great start into the new week:)

Mia Rose with her medal

One proud girl:)

Girls ran their first race today, May 22, 2011

This morning Ron ran a last minute 10K. For the first time all of us joined him :) The race also offered a kids dash, as well as a 1K. We entered Mia Rosie in the kids Dash, and Alena in the 1K. Both did great - they certainly get their running genes. Alena was the second fastest girl, missing the win only because she was high 5ing people on the course...at least that is what I will say :) honestly they both did great and had a lot of fun :)

Saturday May 21st 2011 - No dinner photo - was in wine country :)

No dinner photo today - Ron made dinner for the girls (frozen mini taco's - from Trader Joe's) as the mothership was out for a vine tasting for a B-day party wine tasting. It was an all day event out to wine country and I had a lot of fun. For those of you that do not know Oregon well, we have fantastic vineyards. The Willamette Valley is known for it's Pinot Noir's. There are many vineyards and all very close to Portland. Here is a link just in case :) www.oregonwinecountry.org . Have a great rest of the weekend

Sent from my iPad

Friday Night Dinner - Kids Night Out -> we made pizza

It's Kids Night Out - yay - which equals parents night out :) The kids are fed pizza and we always bring our own. Mia Rose and I made the dough in the morning enough time for it to rise by 4 Pm. We then roll it out and the girlies put the sauce and other toppings on. Today it's Peperoni, Kalamata Olives and Roasted Red Peppers. We bring it "As is" to school where it is baked to perfection :)

Treats after the show

Well, a great show calls for a great treat :) We went to Ben&Jerry's and the girls had their usual. Mango Sorbet with chocolate sprinkles for Alena and Lemon Sorbet without sprinkles for Mia Rosie. Delicious :)....

Mia Rose the Princess

Here she is right after the show :)

Family Night May 2011 - "The Gummi Worms Disappear"

What a fantastic show the kids put on. The class wrote the show, designed the stage, and everyone made their own costumes. Mia Rose was "the Princess" - do you see her? She is the third person from the right...

Thursday night may 19th, 2011 Dinner - Mandarine Orange Chicken, Couscous and Asparagus Almondine

It's my Friday night :) and tonight is also Family Night in Mia Rosies' preschool. This means we needed a quick and easy dinner. I usually do not like to use a lot of processed foods but sometimes....On our recent trip to Trader Joe's we bought frozen Mandarine Orange Chicken. I have to admit that we used to get it quite frequently :) In any case it's easy, yummy and safe for the girls. Mia Rosie absolutely loved it and actually had seconds. Whoo-Hoo

Wednesday Dinner - Lauchkuchen (leek"pie") & salad

Tuesday Dinner - 8-Bean Soup, baby green salad with tomatoes, and home made "No knead" bread

So I rest all weekend and by Monday I am back in the kitchen. Mia Rose and I are both off on Monday. It is the day to refill the pantry and get ready for the weekly roller-coaster ride.

Make breakfast, and lunch; drop girlies off at two different schools; work; pick-up Alena, pick-up Mia Rosie; make snack; start dinner; homework; read; play a little, and then bed time. It's a fantastic roller-coaster - truly :))) The snack offerings vary - yesterday it was Guacamole, chips, Edamame and Chocolate Soy Milk; today Hummus, Chips, Carrots, and Chocolate Soy Milk; what will it be tomorrow? Maybe Pretzles and Soy yoghurt?!

Alright - now it's time for this mothership to put her feet up :)))

Monday Dinner - mashed potatoes served with "Faulenzer Krautwickel"

Do you want to know what it is? Any guesses?! It is ground beef sauteed with White cabbage, onions, carrots, and "sour cream" - I use Tofutti brand. I Know, I know it does not look very appetizing but it actually is delicious. The potatoes turned out as well. I make them a Little different everything Time. Sometimes, I add olive Oil and water from the potatoes, otherwise times I cook the potatoes with garlic, this time I added plain soy milk, salt, and a good amount of vegan butter a.k.a. Earth Balance. Very delicious - Mia Rosie's statement should Be Proof "...this smells yummy..."

Mia Rosie and I went shopping today in order to refill the pantry for another busy week ahead. Today we found lots of great treats to last at least a couple of weeks. Tofutti frozen Blintzes - I am thinking that they will be a gerat after school snack; Chocolate covered anana slices for a treat, and Dairy Free Mochi for desserts. Both of those are Trader Joes brand. The Mochi is filled with coconut ice cream. They Look beautiful :) - I am so excited that there are so many safe treats for the girls and also about the confidence I have found. For us Galactosemia is part of our lives, absolutely manageable, and in some quirky way also a gift. A gift, because it gives me perspective and recognize what's truly Important in life :) Remember the glass is always half full :)))

"We are the World" - by elementary school kids from various Portland Public Schools

The girls joined other elementary school kids to sing at Director's Park in downtown Portland. Mia Rose joined her sister and friends to sing along. She is easy to spot in her bright pink pants - and we love our public school along with the music and arts curriulum. It is so important. Thank you :)

No dinner photo today :(

What a day! Sunday's always start out slow and then seems to somewhat spiral a little out of control. Where did the time go...oh well.
This morning we skyped with family as well as friends in Europe and then went out fo breakfast. Our pantry always seems to be empty when the weekend comes around and I am also worn out of the constant chore of making breakfast - lunch - dinner. Yes, I absolutely admit it :)
In any case, we spent the rest of this drizzly day at the Oregon Zoo. Rainy days at the Oregon Zoo are as it is the best crowd control ;) Ice cream at Ben&Jerry's after the Zoo was enjoyed by all - lemon sorbet w/chocolate sprinkles for both ladies - and we picked-up di ne at New Season's. There you have it - the mothership was a complete fail in the kitchen this weekend. Oh well...now here's to a fantastic start into the new week

Saturday Night Dinner - Out :) at Por que No Tacos :)

We had a busy Saturday - First Do Jump! Followed by Alena's School Meeting in Directors Park to perform four songs, next visit to OPB's Open House to meet Clifford the Big Red Dog in person :), then visit to the playground and last dinner at Por que No? on Hawthorne. Chips & Guacamole and Rice & Beans for the ladies followed by a dessert of guave sorbet.

Dinner: Fresh Spaghetti with meat sauce and side of baked asparagus

Safe travers to Flat Mia Rosie :)

Flat Mia Rosie gets ready for her Trip :)

Lazy Dinner - Hot Dogs, Emmenthaler, Avocado and Tomato

>
> What a beautiful sunny afternoon :) we enjoyed the outdoors and I did not spend any time thinking about dinner. So here it is - I admit to having been very lazy today!
>

Thursday morning breakfast - Fresh pineapple, chocolate filled crescent rolls and chocolate Soy milk

Who knew that crescent rolls are safe?! :) Happy Thursday to you!

Dinner = Taco Tuesday

Dinner tonight - Soup with Sweet Potatoes, Cabbage, and Little Links served with Corn Bread

Ok - the picture really is not the best and the soup does not great. Howeverthe soup turned out great. Light, yet filling. Who knew that sweet potatoes and cabbage make such a great combo?

Vegan Chai Pancakes and Bacon at "Jam on Hawthorne"

Once month Portland Public Schools Open two hours late. Alena's favorite restaurant is Jam on Hawthorne and this where we go on those late days :) Vegan Pancakes and two slices of bacon makes that girl very happy. It's a fantastic restaurant and we all love it - thank you, Laura!

Dinner - Pasta with Sausage & Baby Broccoli, and Tomato Salad

All done - this is the tram :)

Recall Railcorp Frozen Bakery Products Issues Recall of Market Pantry due to undeclared WHEY

Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products Issues Voluntary Allergen Recall of Market Pantry
Fri, 06 May 2011 20:06:00 -0500

These products contain undeclared whey (milk). People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to whey (milk) run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.

after the draw

Before the draw...

In the tram up to OHSU en route to the blood draw

Happy Mother's Day to all

Enjoy your day :)

Saturday Night Dinner - Leftover Linsen & Spätzle

Alena is so excited to have lentils two Nights in a row :)

Blood draw is coming up

It's been a Long, Long Time since the Girls had their last draw. Too long, really truth be said and that's why we will be going up to the hill on Monday. Both girls are - obviously - not thrilled, but the magic cream does the trick. The anesthetic topical cream really does work wonders. Or maybe they are also just more relaxed because they are older now and we are more relaxed. Truth be said I have the usual pit in my stomach. You know how I feel about Galactosemia. It is part of our life, not the focus nor what rules our lives,and certainly not what defines me, our kids, or our family. Still, the draw always puts a pit in my stomach, it always puts me back to the days when Alena was fighting for her life. Intersting, isn't it?

It's all good and the Glass is always half full...now it's time for my first cup of coffee :)

Friday Night Dinner: Lentils and Spaetzle (Linsen & Spaetzle)

This is a typical Swabian dish and wonderful when it's cold outside. Perfect for a rainy day. We all love it - Alena even had seconds. Yay :)

Tri-State L.L.C. Recalls 24 oz white & wheat bread due to undeclared MILK, Soy Flour and/or Soy Lecithin

Details are below on this recall

TRI-STATE Baking Company, L.L.C. Issues Allergy Alert On Undeclared Soy Flour, Soy Lecithin, And/Or Milk In Product
Thu, 05 May 2011 22:45:00 -0500

Tri-State Bakery, L.L.C. of Amarillo, Texas is recalling 24 ounce white and wheat breads purchased prior to May 2, 2011, identified through the description and the UPC and Item Codes listed below ("Recalled Bread"), because they may contain undeclared soy flour, soy lecithin, and milk.

Alena's ABST sandwich at the Hedge House

Alena loves her vegan ice cream dessert at Pix

Yummy - coconut chocolate sorbet :)))

Mia Rose enjoying her lollipop at Pix Patisserie

Mia Rose and Ron eating dinner

Dinner fun at the Hedge House

Dinner tonight out - Dinner at the Hedge House and dessert at Pix

Thursday is my Friday night and I am ready for break from cooking :) We are so lucky to have such many great restaurants very close to home and with a nice break in the rain all of us were ready for some al Fresco dinning.

We went to the Hedge House right around the corner. The girls played in the grass while Ronand I enjoyed a beer :) They have simple dinners and great beer. The girls always get the same - they share an PABST without the P. Are you wondering what it may be?! - A PABST is a Provolone, Avocado, Bacon, Salad, and Tomato sandwich with chips. The girls get an ABST which is without the Provolone. Delicious and safe :)

Pix is right next door to the Hedge House. Amazing desset most of are "unsafe" at Pix however there is always vegan sorbet, and generally another couple of vegan choices. Mia Rose chose a huge lollipop today while Alena ordered coconut-chocolate sorbet. Yummy - delicious. Wow - I am ready for the weekend :)

Please meet Flat Mia Rosie