The Inadvertent Farmer

Homemade Fruit Popcicle Recipe

Published last year but just as delicious!

How to make Homemade Popsicles your Kids will LOVE!

Welcome to our little Tuesday get together here at the farm.

Its called Summer's Simple Things.

This is the day we share the simple things we have been doing for fun this summer.  Those things that require no batteries, remote controls, or electrical outlets. 

Just good old fashioned summer fun!

Today is one of my kids' favorite simple things of summer...

Yummy homemade popsicles...or fruit pops as we call them.  I made 40 of them at a time for the breast cancer fundraiser last week.  As the weather turned a little chilly not many were eaten.  The brownies and peanut butter cookies on the other hand were devoured!

That means my kids have had the difficult task of eating them for me....ahhh poor babies!

I need the freezer room for freezer jam so I have been pushing fruitpops for breakfast lunch and dinner...yep that's the kind of mom I am.

Now you can either make these in plastic popsicle forms or as I did in paper cups.  Even I don't have 40 forms on hand!

My first flavor (and my favorite) is Orange Mango Strawberry Banana.  Start with a small bottle of organic orange mango juice.  Put it in the blender with a peeled, cored mango.

Add strawberries...

And finally a banana.

Whir it up.  You can leave little chunks or make it perfectly smooth...which is what I did.

Pour it into little paper cups. Since I made these for a grownup party I used 5oz cups.  For kids you might want to go with a smaller cup.

Put them on a cookie sheet.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap.

Insert a craft/popsicle stick into the mixture. (if you have really tough plastic you will have to make a tiny slit first to start it, trust me this helps tremendously!)

Pop them in the freezer till solid.  

Peel off the cup to eat.  If it is hard to peel let it sit for a few minutes to soften or if you are in a really big hurry run it under warm water.

Sweet Girl and I liked the Mangosicles!

Baby Boy preferred the Blueberry Pops.

Apple juice, blueberries, banana, and a touch of vanilla

Ya, its a tough job but somebody's got to eat all those leftover frozen treats!

 

Banana Coconut Vanilla Oatmeal...oh yeah!

I seem obsessed with two things lately...

Coconut

and Breakfast!

There just seems to be endless uses for coconut milk, coconut oil...and of course coconut!

Today we're going to partake in a warm bowl of deliciousness which combines not only my beloved coconut but also bananas and yummy vanilla, oh yeah baby!

First bring 2 Cups Coconut Milk beverage to a boil with 1 Cup Water and a sprinkling of Salt.

Then add your old-fashioned Rolled Oats...about 2 Cups (this will depend on how thick you want it)

Boil until your personal tenderness is achieved, I like mine quite chewy so only cook a few minutes.

Then add shredded unsweetened coconut (a handful or more depending on how much you like it), one very mashed banana, and a touch of vanilla (about 1/2 tsp or so).

Cover and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Top with banana slices, or banana yogurt, or anything that looks good!

Enjoy!

*****

And if you are wondering how I found all those wonderful flavors to combine...

Yep my very well used Flavor Bible...one of my most prized kitchen possessions, it seriously rocks, seriously.

( I do not get any $ from mentioning the Flavor Bible over and over again...I just really like it that much!)

Whole Wheat Banana Oatmeal Coconut Pancakes Recipe vegan or not

We are eating yesterday's breakfast for today's lunch!

We always try to have pancakes on Sunday mornings and yesterday I had a hankering for something new.  I searched the internet and found a couple recipes for Banana/Oatmeal pancakes, I combined and made some changes and in the worlds of my 8 year old "rock...these rock!"

Hubby who does not usually like banana pancakes ate two plates full!  They are fluffy and tender and quite honestly some of the best pancakes we've had in a long while!

Here is the recipe as I made it...

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked rolled oats
• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg (or egg replacer if going vegan)
• 2 cups coconut milk (or regular milk)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled (or vegetable oil)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 banana, mashed

Directions

1. Place the rolled oats into the jar of a blender and blend until the texture resembles coarse flour (I think you could use quick cooking oats and skip this step). Whisk together the blended oats, whole wheat pastry flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
2. Whisk together (or use your blender) the egg, coconut milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir in the well mashed banana. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes. If it is too thick for you liking at this point add a tad more milk
3. Heat a lightly oiled (I use coconut oil) griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter. Be careful not to overcook these as they seemed to do rather easily for me and also be diligent to keep your pan oiled as the bananas tended to make them stick.

As a side note I think these would be delicious with cinnamon or nutmeg, and also could be made most wonderful with blueberries. You could also up the coconut factor by adding shredded coconut!

So if you, like me, ever feel the need to mix it up a little at breakfast, I would highly recommend these yummy pancakes...your family will thank you!

Or growl at you...which in three year old boy world is the highest form of flattery!

 

the Friday Funnies! Birthday cake Car Wreck and Winner!

For those of you who left a comment on yesterday's kinderGARDENS post I will announce the winner of the Gardening With Children book at the end of this post!

But no peeking you have to read the post first...

*****

Baby Boy's 3rd birthday was this week.  All of the siblings and two of their girlfriends were here for the festivities.  After I made and frosted the cake I left my 22 year old second born son to decorate it.

Hmmm what is one to expect from a young adult male child?

Oh my there is a car wreck on the cake!

Mom its a sink hole...

Only a guy would think to make a car wreck involving a sink hole on the top of a birthday cake.

I'll take that as a compliment.

You would...

Bet the birthday boy will like it.

Yes considering his older brothers, I suppose you will.

We sang happy birthday and the little man blew out his candles.

When I set the cake aside to cut a little later I looked back and saw this...

My 20 year old third born son was playing with the cake...

What ARE you doing?

Popping wheelies!

Me rolling my eyes...

*****

So here are the results of our random basket grab...

Our Random basket...Sweet Girl was not thrilled I cut up one of her picture, sorry sweetie!

The grab!

The winner...Grace from Life Under a Blue Roof!

Congrats Grace...contact my prize department with your information.

Wait...I don't have a prize department...silly me!

email me at [email protected] with your address and I'll get your book in the mail.

Erin over at Garden Now - Think Later! needs to do the same.

Thanks everyone...this was fun!

Now go and get dirty this weekend...

In your gardens of course...

What did you think I meant?

Childrens Gardening Contest!

Do you ever have the feeling that you are just supposed to be doing something more?

You have this nagging in the back of your brain that with a few changes you could make more of a difference in this world?

That although you love your life you are meant to reach out beyond the borders of your little world?

I have felt this way for a while now about my blog.

There are a few things that I am passionate about.  Kids are one of them.  Gardening is another.  When I was an active Master Gardener I specialized in children's gardening.  I would go to schools and help set up gardens for the kids.  I also spoke to parent groups about gardening with their children.  Every time a child would light up when they picked a carrot or discover that potatoes were more than for french fries I was just as excited as they were!  When I could convince a parent that you don't need to live on a farm to garden with kids I was thrilled. Knowing that maybe I had helped just a few kids realize where there food came from, I knew I had done my job!

So I have decided I can use my blog to reach out to anyone who has children in their lives and are interested in getting the next generation excited about gardening. A way to help our children learn about their food and how to make healthy meal time choices.

So I have decided to host a Children's Gardening Contest!

I have arraigned for professional judging and will be offering some great prizes.

This contest will be a way for us to purposely plan a way to involve kids in the garden.  Whether it be giving kids their own raised bed to plant or helping them to grow a sunflower house. You can design for your own kids, your grand kids or even a garden space for the neighborhood children...any kids that would love to learn to garden with a caring adult!

So start thinking about some creative ways to included children in the garden.  Make it fun, make it edible, make it all theirs, and get ready to share!

I will officially start the contest next Thursday.  I'll have a weekly post with some children's gardening ideas and give you guys a chance to link up with your gardens too.

So let the creative wheels start turning and come back next week for the official kick off!

And get ready to get your hands dirty!

Note...there will be more changes and surprises this month so visit often so you don't miss a thing!

Real Food Challenge are YOU up for it?

OK...this is important.

My family watched Food Inc a few weeks ago with some friends.  We were greatly impacted by what we learned about our food system.  At the blog that I write for 'Not Dabbling in Normal' I posted my reactions and the subsequent challenge I uttered.

Little did I know that so many would enthusiastically decide to take up the challenge with me!

We are trying to make our food more 'real' for the month of March.  Less processed, less packaging,  fewer chemicals, more from scratch, and closer to its original form.

Why have I decided to take such a drastic step?  Why bother fighting a food system that is so much bigger than I am?

I have to look no farther than the small faces that sit across from me at the dinner table.  The unhealthy food system that we are putting in place now will be the food system that our children and grandchildren will be nourished by for the foreseeable future…unless we do something about it now.

So that is where you all come in...

I would love it if you would read my original post, I would also be thrilled it if you would join me in this challenge. 

No hard and fast rules, everyone is welcome.  All I want is a commitment to make a change towards real food.  It can be as small as cooking one meal from scratch a week or it can be as big as making your own bread for a month!

We are having link parties, giveaways, and tons of recipes.

We will swap successes as well as failures.

Real food...real dialog...real people!

*****

If you haven't seen Food Inc...here is the trailer.  You can also watch it in HD by following this link.

Silent Saturday the Fruit Edition or I miss Summer!

Betcha can't guess what I'm thinking about!

  

 

 

 

OK...that's it

I'm declaring winter officially over...

Summer is now in session!  

 Winter...I am so over you.

I can also be found today over at Not Dabbling in Normal where we're discussing Granola!

Roasted Peppers Playing With My Food Again!

Although my pepper plants are still producing a pepper here and a pepper there.  This was that last big harvest of the season.

And before I put them onto the BBQ to roast I just has to play with them just a little...

Also I decided enter this first photo in the Abundant Harvest Photo Contest over at Gardening Gone Wild.

 

These little yellow guys are called 'Yum Yum Gold' peppers...and they certainly are that.  So very sweet with hardly any innards to clean out.  A perfect out of hand snack!

Not to mention just plain pretty!

When I was done playing around I put them on the grill...

Since I'm a free and easy kind of girl I let the red and the yellow peppers co-habitat while they roasted...

Are you shocked?

No I am not a prude...call me progressive and open minded.

Just don't ask my teenagers...they would deny that strenuously!

For those of you that have never roasted peppers. The object is to blacken the skins all around making them easier to peel and imparting a sweet smokey flavor to the peppers...truly a marvelous was to do peppers!

Ohhhh the smell coming from that BBQ...I don't think a steak in the world can match it!

 I had to do a grill full of just the little yellow ones...the ones too shy and self conscious about their small size to co-mingle with the big lusty red ones.

I am in no way projecting here...

As each batch was done I threw them in a large bowl...

 

And covered them to let them sweat a little...like a sauna for peppers!

After they had cooled I easily peeled them, took out the innards and seeds and cut them into strips.

I would love to say that I ate none of these and left them all for the freezer and that night's pizza...but I must be honest...I ate some...

Ok...I ate a LOT.

They were just too good and frankly I didn't try very hard to resist!

In the deep dark months of winter when I am out of roasted peppers I will regret my lack of self control but for now I am enjoying these with no guilt...well very little!

Getting them ready for the freezer is as easy as taking the amount I would use on a pizza and putting it onto some waxed paper.

Folding the paper into little packets and...

Putting them into freezer containers...one for red, one for yellow.  That way if I want a yellow pizza I don't have to go searching through all the packets cause all the yellows are altogether already.  Color coding for the freezer.  Yes I am that girl...that highly organized color coded girl.

For those that know me in the 'real' world you can get up now...rolling on the ground laughing is just not dignified!

And I am all about being dignified after all.

Now stop that...seriously...you're making a scene!

Ughhh, some people...

 

The Great Grape Harvest!

Hey Everyone...Look what I've just picked! 

Yep...Grapes!

Mama had great plans for grape juice...

But we had other plans...

We're pretty sure none of these are gonna make it all the way to juice or jelly or even raisins!

 

Nope...the only place these are gonna go is in our mouths!

 

 

Hey mama...we think you might want to plant some more grapes!

 
 
 

Yummmmm! 

Playing With My Food Again!

October is almost at our doorstep!

As a gardener that means harvesting like crazy to try to beat the first frost. 

I have a wheelbarrow full of pumpkin, buckets of squash, baskets of peppers and tomatoes and...

I grew two kinds of eggplant this year...the usual dark purple and these lovely little gems.

They are 'Fairy Tale' from Territorial Seeds. I started them from seed...my first year of growing eggplant. The 5 plants in my garden have done remarkabley well!

They are beautiful but they are puzzling....

I have to admit after a whole summer of trying to cook with them that I am eggplant challenged it seems.

I have tried grilling them on the BBQ, putting them in casseroles, frying, roasting...I even tried baking with them!

They only tasty thing I like so far is roasted on pizza.

Will I grow them again next year?

Probably.

Even if it is only to do this...

Growing them for photo props seems like a good reason to add them next year!

Silent Saturday...

Since I have the Friday Funnies it seemed logical to me to have the Silent Saturdays...

Why? You ask... I do not see the logic.

You don't?

Well there is not really any logic per say...

It is just that I have so many darn pictures...

And Saturdays are usually kind of busy around my house...

And I don't get a lot of visitors here on the blog on this day...

And I wouldn't want to waste my precious words when no one is listening...

That would be too much like my real life...

So I am instituting

Silent Saturdays...

Yes a day with a little less talk and a lot more action...action photos...and still photos...and critter photos...and kid photos...and old photos...

Random photos that have no reason to be together than besides I like 'em.

We will see how many Saturdays in a row I can be quiet...

Starting next week

Because, well I have not been too silent today...

According to the men in my life I have actually never really been silent...

Except when I have been under for surgery or something...

But for some reason they don't think that counts...

 

I think that should count...

 

 

Homemade apple cake with homemade applesauce...heaven on a plate!

 

Come back next week and I promise I'll shut up...

Really I will.

 

Hey...I heard that!