One step at a time . . .

foodie monday

So, I am enjoying the homemade gluten fake meat stuff quite a bit. Here is the latest... thanks to my favorite blog... VEGAN DAD. He is so creative and has absolutely wonderful recipes!

So, tonight, we had "chicken tenders" on a stick. Who doesn't like food on a stick?

 INGREDIENTS

Tenders

- 12 mini bamboo skewers

- 1 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten

- 1/3 cup chicken broth powder

- 1/2 tsp onion powder

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp paprika

- freshly ground white pepper

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 to 1 1/4 cup water

Breading

- 1 cup plain soy milk ( you can substitute oat or rice milk)

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 tbsp ground flax seed

- 1 tsp lemon juice

- 1/2 tsp onion powder

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1/2 tsp paprika

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs ( I used plain whole wheat bread crumbs, but I think these are crispier)

 

METHOD

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Line a dark baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with oil.

2. Mix flour, stock powder, and spices together. Add oil and enough water to make a dough. The dough should be somewhat stiff, but able to be kneaded. Knead for a few mins then shape into a log and slice into 12 to 16 pieces. Stick a bamboo skewer into each piece of dough and shape around the stick. Wet your hands if you need to.

3. Whisk together soy milk, oil, lemon juice, and flax seed in a shallow dish. In a separate shallow dish, mix together bread crumbs and spices.

4. Roll seitan in soy milk mixture, then in bread crumbs. When all seitan has been coated, roll again in soy milk and press into the bread crumbs to get a thick coating. Place on prepared baking sheet.

5. Bake for 20 - 25 mins, until crumbs are golden and seitan has plumped up.

 

If you want bbq wings or any other sauce, pour it over the wings and put it back in for 5 more minutes. Vegan Dad has some great sauces for these on his blog. Seriously - check it out.

 

ENJOY!

little Aric

Aric shot a  few pictures of Anton experiencing his first Hope Soccer Camp. He spent a week being completely spoiled by his grandparents and attending soccer camp.

 

Play Ball

In the last six months, Anton has developed a love for sports that is borderline obsessive. His latest is baseball. Mary took him to a White Caps baseballs game (they had a peanut free game) and he has been crazy about baseball since.

So, Aric signed him up for YMCA baseball - coach pitch. After weeks of practice (with me, Aric, Papa, and anyone who would play with him), he had his first game. What is cuter than a kid in uniform?

1 and 2... the next generation

Today, Hannah competed in her 1st triathlon of the summer. She did it with her cousin, Elise... who happens to be Renee's daughter. They did the whole thing together. 1/2 mile run, 1 1/2 mile bike, and a 50 yard swim.

Elise beat Hannah by a few seconds. They did so great. Renee and I (all of us) were so proud. They really did their best and had a great time. They got t-shirts, water bottles, bracelets, and a huge dose of self-esteem. That's my girl!

1 and 2

 We are back from the lake (which I will blog about later), but I just have to share this story...

I had my 3rd triathlon of the season today.

My sister, Renee, raced also.

Here's the low-down...

We started the race with a 1500m. swim. I came out of the swim 10th (of the women). Renee wasn't far behind at 13th out of the water. We hopped on our bikes and rode 25 miles. By the end of the ride, I was in first. Renee was a few minutes behind me. I began the 10k run expecting to see Renee at any time. At this point, I had no idea where she was, except that she was not ahead of me. So, I just ran... and ran... and ran.

With about 3/4 miles to go, I could hear a woman coming up on me. I knew it was a woman because women run lighter than men. I didn't look back, but when she was right behind me, I said, "That better be you, Renee!" She said, "You're KILLING me!"  We ended the race 1st and 2nd. She beat me by 9 seconds. She deserved it. She ran a 6:06min. per mile 10K to catch me. wow. 

We both set personal records and she had the fastest run time (for women) and I had the fastest bike time (for women) in the race. How cool to come in 1 and 2. It was just so great.

My overall time was  2:16:01. My ride average was 22mph and I ran 6:41min. per mile pace. That is so much better than I ever thought I could do. It was such an exciting race. (Thanks for the coaching Tom)

I write all of this for 3 reasons.

1. I am so thankful to God for a healthy body - and it is so exciting to me to see what we can do with this amazing gift.

2. I just want to remember how excited I am and how much I enjoy this.

3. I love that my sister and I could do this together.

Lake Michigan

We're leaving today for Lake Michigan - we're spending a week with Aric's family in a beautiful "cottage." I put cottage in quotes because this "cottage" is about 2 times bigger than my house and is complete luxury. :) 

So, I'll blog if we have internet access, but if not, I'll catch us up when we return.

Back to packing...

The boys - a movie

Here is a short movie I took at Meijer Gardens the other day. It just cracks me up...

Download FMG_2008-06-12.wmv

Deer Run State Park... OHIO?

Yes, I dragged my poor family almost 6 hours south for a long weekend (last weekend) at Deer Run State Park in Mt. Sterling, Ohio. Why? So I could do a triathlon there.

We stayed at the state park in these little cottages (or, as Christian says, "my little house") Thursday through Sunday. And, I have to say, it was a perfect little family vacation.

The state park was lovely - it had a big lake, outdoor and indoor swimming pools, tennis courts, softball fields, trails, and even a little mini-golf course. It also had horseback riding and a huge, lovely actual golf course... but we didn't take advantage of those.

Our days went something like this: wake up, breakfast, play a family game of softball, go swimming, lunch, chill during Christian's nap, play mini-golf, dinner, bath, bed. It was just quality family time.

Then, on Sunday, my family cheered me on as I did my first Olympic distance triathlon. It is a 1500m swim, 25 mi. ride, and a 10k run. It was a scorching hot day... about 90 degrees, not a cloud in the sky... and not an ounce of shade on the whole race course. Still, I had a great race and now have some confidence going into this racing season.

All in all, it was a great weekend!

Other than pictures of the triathlon, Aric didn't spend very much time behind the lens... so this was one of very few pictures that turned out.

=

My Boys

My  boys and I spent the morning at Meijer Gardens. It was warm and overcast skies, not too busy, and we had a great time. If you are observant enough to notice the change of clothes, that is because my guys get completely soaked at the boats and I bring a change of clothes so the sand-play doesn't become mud-play.

sandbox

Since the weather warmed and the sandbox cover came off, Christian has found his favorite spot. Take anything with wheels and put it in sand; add Christian and you've got one happy fellow.