Why Not Roll Your Own Sushi

Tags

Asian, Main course, Seafood, Sushi

One of our favorite meals to make together as a family is sushi rolls. I cook up the rice and cut up all of the seafood and veggies, then we all gather around the table to do the rolling! It is fun to see what new combinations we can come up with.

Rolling your own sushi may look intimidating, but it really couldn’t be easier. All you need is a sushi. After a little practice you will be a pro!

I found my sushi rolling mat at my local Super H Mart, they have an online store too that you can purchase the mats and wrappers from in case you don’t have an Asian supermarket in you area..Most grocery stores now carry nori sheets for rolling sushi.  That is where I found these 1/2 size sheets.  I really love the smaller size, so much easier to handle!

Once you have your supplies, it is time to make you sushi rice.  Here is my sushi rice recipe:

• 1 1/2 Cups Calrose Rice
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar.

Bring the rice an water to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.  Whisk together the vinegar and agave and pour it over the rice. Stir it together and you are ready to roll.

While the rice is cooking I cut up all of my veggies, fish, etc, into strips about the size of the nori wrappers.  A couple of easy make at home sushi rolls:

The Texadelphia Roll:  Smoked Salmon, cream cheese, avocado, and jalapeno (my signature roll)

Spicy California Roll:  crab stick, avocado, cucumber,and siracha mayo

These are just to get you started.  The sky really is the limit here!

When it comes to rolling it up there are two options.  You can do rice on the outside, or put it on the inside.  I do a little of both usually.  Rice on the inside is much easier though.

 

First you will want to lay a sheet of nori on the bamboo mat.  Get your hands wet (I either work by a sink or keep a big bowl of ice water next to me), this is a very important step because it keeps the very sticky rice off of your hands,  Grab a handful of rice and evenly spread it across the nori sheet.

Stack up the desired filling on the end nearest to you.  Then take the mat and fold it just past the end of the filling (the avocado in the picture above.  Continue pushing the mat in a rolling motion and you should end up with a nice tight roll.  If the first one isn;t perfect, don’t worry, each one after will be a little better. 😉

Repeat the process until you have used up all of the rice and or filling.  Get creative!  After the rolls are made, grab a sharp non-serrated knife and wet it.  Slice it all up into little bite sized pieces.

If you make this be sure to snap a quick pick to share with me on Instagram @jennygarvin

XO-Jenny

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The Best Vegan Cheesecake

Tags

chocolate, Dessert, mommyhood, Vegan, Vegetarian

Hi Y’all!  The inevitable finally happened.  My baby, Minda, started Kindergarten.  As we walked to the school on the first day, I had to force myself to put on a brave face and hold back the tears.  On day two when she cried and didn’t want to go inside the school when we arrived, I wanted to scoop her up and tell her it was fine to come home and that she could stay my baby a little longer.  Day four and she was still a little hesitant, but is getting braver everyday.  I miss her so much while she is at school, but I also love hearing her joyfully recount her day each afternoon on the way home.

To celebrate this milestone I made my new favorite homemade dessert, Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake via a A House in the Hills. It’s as if a cheesecake and a Reese peanut butter cup met and had a baby.

A baby that went all holistic and decided to become a vegan.  If you are like my husband, and insist that this technically cannot be a cheesecake because there is no cheese then go ahead and call it what you want.  I just call it delicious.

The recipe is waiting for you here, so check it out, and if you do make it be sure to save me a slice!

XO-Jenny

 

 

 

Cinco de Minda!

Tags

Entertaining, fiesta, kids party

Hola amigos! If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen that Minda turned 5! To celebrate we had a Mexican style fiesta we dubbed “Cinco de Minda.”

I would say that we haven’t always been the type to make a huge deal out of birthdays. With so much attention going toward the baby these days I thought Minda deserved an awesome celebration to remind her how much she is loved.

I am so grateful that all of her family were able to celebrate this special day with us. It just gives me another reason to love being home in Dallas. I know that Minda had a great day, and I hope five is the best year yet!

XO Jenny

Nesting in Progress…

Tags

38 Weeks, decor, Master Bedroom, Nesting, Nursery

Today I am officially 38 weeks, aka, ready to pop.  At our ultrasound a week ago the baby was already weighing in at 6.5 pounds.  Hopefully this will be the last bump shots you see from me, ever!

 

Meanwhile, I have been too nervous to sleep, eat anything decent, or have any interests other than vacuuming and decorating the baby’s nursery (our master bedroom for the time being).  Nesting is one of those oddities of pregnancy I have yet to comprehend.  It is complete neurosis I tell ya!  I had an image in my mind of exactly what I wanted it to be: a colorful and serene bohemian retreat. Something like this with a crib thrown in:

VIA

The first thing on the agenda was to find a peacock chair.  If you saw a frazzled looking lady with two little girls at the Garland Road thrift store, or any other thrift store in Dallas recently asking the staff if they had any peacock chairs hiding in the back, that was me.  I don’t know why, but a peacock chair was a MUST, and seemed impossible to find.  Finally, I gave up the hunt and purchased a pair of wicker chairs from a thrift store for $10 thinking they would have to do until I could find the peacock chair of my dreams.  When I drove around to the back of the store to pick up the wicker chairs, right there sitting by the dumpster, in the middle of a downpour was a peacock chair they were just going to throw away!!!  I know, I can’t believe it either!  I rescued it and here she is in all of her weathered glory:

It is not in perfect shape, but I REALLY love it!  The sheepskin is an old one I got from IKEA years ago, and the pillow is this one from World Market.

To add a pop of color to my formerly black an white bedding (dog included), I tie-dyed my plain white duvet cover with some blue dye.  I still need a rug and few more throw pillows to add some more pattern to the space…

Next up, adding in a place for the baby to sleep (hopefully some of which will happen at night).

The crib was a gift from my mom when I had Minda almost five years ago.  It has definitely gotten LOTS of use over the years.

The artwork over the crib is from my Etsy Shop, Opal and Eve.

I have found lots of amazing baby finds too while I have been out shopping.  These linen swaddle blankets are a perfect lightweight option for our hot Texas summer that is quickly approaching.  I am planning on trying to be a bit more natural and Eco-friendly with my diapering and body care choices this time around.  I tried cloth diapers with Kaya, and it is just not for me.  I decided the next best thing would be to sign up with Honest Company to receive a diaper and wipes each month.  The prints are adorable and they are delivered right to your door!

The Shea Moisture Baby Wash and Lotion I picked up at Target.  I am really excited about using it because it smells divine.  I may have to test it out on myself.

Thanks for bearing with me through this crazy post.  I have to say that we are beyond excited to welcome the new baby.  Looking back to five years ago, I was pregnant for the first time, and had no idea what to expect.  I never thought of myself as the maternal type before having my girls, but being a mother has turned out to be the greatest love and joy I have ever experienced (I know everyone says that and it sounds so cliche, but it is absolutely true).  I hope that next time you hear from me our baby will have moved out of my womb and into my arms!

 XO-Jenny

 

 

 

The Simple Life

Tags

Country Life, Intentional Living, Medicine Mound, Rural America, Sunsets, Texas, Yoga

Hi Y’all!  I hope you had a fun-filled and relaxing weekend!  With my due date looming closer every day, we thought it might be our last chance to get to our farm house for awhile.  The city may be where we make a living, but the country is where we live.  It is really the best of both worlds.  I really never think of how special our country house is until I have been away for awhile.  When we got there this weekend it was like my balance was immediately restored.  All of my worries and day to day stresses were forgotten.

Saturday morning began with the most beautiful sunrise over the wheat field beside our house.  I was so thrilled to see this big ball of fire that I just had to give it a big hug and do my happy dance!

No one loves coming home more that our dog Beau Ty.  We try to play fetch in our backyard in Dallas, but nothing compares to running free through the fields.

I went for a morning walk down our red sand road.  Walking out here is like a moving meditation.  There are no cars or houses to remind you that you are anywhere but the present moment.

This hawk was flying back and forth through the wheat fields putting on an aerial show for me.

We went to town and stopped by the ghost town of Medicine Mound.  There is a museum in the old general store that is only open for two hours each Saturday morning.  This was news to me, but when we saw the door open we decided to make a pit stop. The entire town was burned in 1933 by a woman who lived there.  She had gone mad years after her teenage daughter committed suicide after she was forbidden to see her boyfriend who also happened to be the town school teacher.  It was never rebuilt, and all that is still standing is the general store and a gas station.   I love playing local tourist!

All of the artifacts in the museum were donated by local families.  I was drooling over this old stove and vintage wedding dresses.

It turns out the girls favorite part of the town was the antique merry-go-round.

While in town we picked up the usual:  ribs, burgers, veggies, and a chihuahua.  We found this poor girl walking down the road about to have a heat stroke.  We took her to town and asked if anyone knew her.  You would think in a town of 700 people everyone would know everyone and their dog too.  It turned out someone did recognize her, but when they called her owner, he denied that his dog was missing saying “no my dog is in the backyard!”  So now this little amiga is home with us.  Minda is thrilled to have a girl dog and is dressing her up in ribbons and bows right this moment.  We are going to the vet this afternoon; I am praying she is not pregnant!

Once home we fired up the smoker and my Matt made the aforementioned ribs.  The kind that fall off the bone and are simply irresistible.  They were delicious, and I am trying to remind myself today that peace of mind comes with living without regrets!

It was about 100°, so we filled up the pool aka an old stock tank with a tarp and splashed around to cool off.

By the evening storm clouds were rolling in.

And the sun began to set on our beautiful day.  Who says you can never go home?

Wish me luck at the vet with this new dog!

XO-Jenny

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dallas Blooms

Tags

Arboretum, Dallas, Gardens, Inspiration, travel

One of the best things about moving home to Dallas is being able to take my girls to some of the places that I loved growing up.  The Dallas Arboretum has been on the to do list for the last couple of months since the Dallas Blooms festival started in February.  I am happy to say that yesterday we finally made it, just in time for one of the last day of Dallas Blooms.

It was every bit as beautiful as I remember.  There were tulips galore.  The Children’s Adventure Garden just opened last year.  It is a sort of outdoor interactive science museum for kids.

This is where we started our self-guided tour.  Most of the stuff I found to be appropriate for older kids, but we found plenty for the preschool set too.

We checked out the goods in the Incredible Edible Garden.

And the rocks in the geology exhibit.

There was area just for tots, which was our favorite!  Kaya explored hidden tunnels,

And met some curious creatures.

We found puddles for splashing and even got swept away in a wind tunnel.  We might have spent an entire day here in the children’s garden, but our tummies were grumbling, so we took a break to grab a quick bite.

Spinach Salad with goat cheese for me.

And an eyerolling tounge waggingly good PBJ sandwich for the girls.

Then it was off to explore the main gardens.

A place so zen even the statues are practicing asanas.

We dropped our shoes too and got in on the action.

We had plenty of room to run around and even got a couple of shots of the baby to be.

Only eight more weeks before she makes her appearance!

Each pathway seemed to lead to another enchanting spot.

We even spotted some of the parks wildlife.

And made ourselves at home in a human sized bird nest.  I saved perhaps the best for last.  A splash in the spitting toads.

Before there was a children’s garden this is what I remember playing in at the Arboretum.

Seeing their joy made my month.

And I hope theirs too.  We left completely soaked and blissed out.  Minda enjoyed it so much she asked on the way home if we could come back the next day.  It was the perfect way to celebrate spring.  If you are from the area, I cannot recommend this place enough for both young and old.

XO-Jenny

 

 

My Yoga Journey during Pregnancy

Tags

Happiness, Life, Pregnancy, Yoga

It is here!  Week 27. The third trimester.  The home stretch…

I promised to share some of my pregnancy tips with you, so I thought it would be a good time to do just that. I am feeling really good these days physically.  I feel like I really owe it to my yoga practice.  Prior to my second pregnancy, yoga was not really a part of my life.  I spent a lot of time working out.  I was training for a half marathon when I found out I was expecting Kaya.  I was running ten miles every Saturday and logging lots of short runs during the week.  I was lifting weights too.  I thought that my fitness was at its peak.  That was until I found out I was pregnant.

I am sure I could have kept up some of my routine, but I just did not have the energy in the first trimester to keep up the intensity of my workouts.  My runs were leaving me physically exhausted instead of energized.  I backed off, and started going to yoga class in my neighborhood.  I immediately fell in love with the practice.  It seemed like no matter how crazy things got at home with my life, that little bit of time on my mat was my own.

I continued to practice almost daily after Kaya was born, often waking up before the sun to fit it in.  I noticed a change in my body too.  I was leaner and stronger than I had ever been as a runner.  Yoga had transformed the way I thought off of the mat too.  I started to care more about what I put in my body and on my skin.  I cared more about the environment.  I started to eat a mostly vegetarian diet, and started this blog about my journey.

Since that time life has taken many twists and turns.  As my daily yoga practice kinda went to the wayside, so did so many other things that I held so dear.  My clean diet slowly got messier, I quit blogging, and I started to feel really depressed at times.  When I found out I was pregnant this past September, I would say I was probably in the worst shape of my life.  I was still walking my dogs a few days a week, but not enough to make an impact.  I had no problem eating at Dairy Queen a few days a week.  We were living in a small farming community, and it is just what everyone did.  I thought I was just fitting in to my new life.

Then my husband heard from an old coworker.  He was at a new job in Dallas, and they were needing geologists.  My husband was working on his family’s ranch, with really no intention of going back and restarting his career at the time.  We thought we were happy.  The opportunity seemed too good though to pass up though.  We are both from Dallas.  I was so excited at the thought of moving home.

Move home we did.  On January 1st of this year.  I set some new goals to get back into shape, and to not use my pregnancy as an excuse to laze around all day any more.  I joined the YMCA.  I have gotten back into my yoga practice, practicing three or four days a week.  I have started fueling my body with clean and healthy food again.  I started taking a barre class and walking my kids to the park on the days that it is nice outside.

Now at 27 weeks into my pregnancy, I am actually stronger now than I was before I was pregnant.  The body is an amazing thing when you treat it the way it deserves.  I feel happier too knowing that by taking care of myself I am also connecting with and nurturing the life inside of me.

Now I do not think I could ever let myself go again.  I have found that by losing my yoga practice, and coming back to it, how important it is to my overall health and happiness.

Have a great week yogis!

XO-Jenny

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Berry Smooth Breakfast Bowl

Tags

breakfast, Smoothies, Vegan, Vegetarian

Happy Friday Y’all!  I have been pretty lame lately when it comes to breakfast.  It usually takes me a good hour and a couple of cups to wake up, but my stomach always rouses a little faster than my brain.  I will typically reach for something I can throw in a bowl without too much thought.  I always have some homemade granola waiting in the pantry, but I have been getting pretty bored with it day after day.

Last week I was browsing the lululemon blog and stumbled upon these breakfast criminal smoothie bowls.  I immediately had one of those “why didn’t I think of that” moments.  Basically you just throw a smoothie in a bowl and top it with granola, fruit, and whatever else your heart desires.  Genius!

Here is what I did, but you can customize this to your tastes.  The possibilities on this one are endless!

For the Smoothie:

• ·         1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  
• ·         1 cup raspberries
• ·         1 banana
• ·         ¼ cup spinach
• ·         1 Tbsp flax seed meal
• ·         1 Tbsp almond butter
• ·         1 squeeze of lime

Topped With:

• Homemade Apple Cinnamon Granola
• Banana
• Blueberries
• Raspberries

It is so pretty too!  I think it will be the perfect thing to get me out of my rut!  You can also throw all of the dry ingredients in a ziploc ahead of time and pop it in the fridge, so all you have to do in the morning is throw it in the blender with your liquids!

Do you love this idea as much as I do?

XX-Jenny

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Thai Buddha Bowl

Tags

Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

We have really had our first good dose of spring this week.  It has been loaded with sunshine!  We have enjoyed too many hours at the park by our house. I even have a hint of a tan line from my tank top!

We even made a few new friends too!  Weeks like this make me realize how much I love my job as a stay at home mom.

With the perfect weather outside, the last thing I have wanted to do is spend a lot of time cooped up in the kitchen.  For a quick lunch today I made the Thai Buddha Bowl from Tone It Up.  This recipe is like spring in a bowl y’all! It was super healthy and took me only about 15 minutes. When momma said to eat your veggies, this is probably what she had in mind:

Gorgeous, right?! As much as I liked getting my daily dose of veggies, I have to say that the absolute best thing was the sauce (aka Awesome Sauce!).  The flavors in the vibrant green sauce were pure perfection, I could imagine it on so many things!  I stuck to the original recipe for the veggies, but I did modify the sauce just a little because I did not have the green curry paste the recipe called for. I basically just substituted a green Thai pepper and a little lemongrass.  It was just the right amount of spice for me.

Thai Buddha Sauce

1 cup coconut milk
½ cup cilantro
1 green onion – blend with sauce
½ c. minced basil
1 Tbs. tamari
1 Tbs. grated ginger
1 green thai chili
1 tsp lemon grass1 lime, juiced

I am going to be dressing up all sorts of veggies with this stuff in the future!  For the full original recipe, and a great dose of fit inspiration visit Tone It Up.

XX-Jenny

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My Favorite Fall Recipes

Tags

Fall, Vegetarian

Fall is hands down my favorite time of year.  The chill in the air, football, Halloween, and the list goes on and on.  I have really been caught up this year in all of the fun festivities in our tiny town.  Just when I was ready to give up a flee back to the nearest suburb with a Starbucks, I have finally found the silver lining to this place.  Everyone is so nice, and even the littlest kids get to participate in things like the homecoming week festivities.  Of course trick-or-treating was probably the highlight of the season.  Just look at this happy face, and that was before she had any candy!

I haven’t had any new recipes to post lately for one main reason:  I am expecting another baby!!  I am beyond thrilled, but honestly pregnancy does something awful to me.  I turn from a veggie loving foodie to a pizza takeout eating junkie!  So I collected some of my old fall favorites into a list for your gastro pleasure.

1.  Butternut Squash Enchiladas Verde

2. Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Pepitas

3.  Chipotle and Lime Roasted Acorn Squash

4.  Butternut Squash Penne with Sage Pesto

5.  Poblano and White Bean Tortilla Soup

Hopefully I will be feeling back to my old self soon, until then I am on a strict diet of cheese and carbs.  Have a great weekend!

XX-Jenny

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