Lazy Sundays and Homemade Pizza

Saturday, I was sick, and since I wasn't feeling up to much, my plans for cooking up a storm and meal prepping went out the window.  The boys were supposed to make home made pizza for their Home Life class, but I was just not up to it.  I usually save Home Life classes for Saturday, because there's more time to work on them, and we can focus on one subject.

Luckily, I was put on call at work this morning, so didn't have to go in.   I was at least keeping food down, so the boys and I decided to tackle to home made pizza pie project.   This is what I love about Connections.   It's so flexible.  Instead of the boys missing out because the lesson wasn't done on the scheduled day, they still got the lesson and all the benefits; just on a different day. With that flexibility, we were able to make it work.



Don't get me wrong; you can't just put off lessons inevitably.   But you can make up late lessons. Because the goal is learning. So   if you or your child is sick for a day, you can still get that work done and make it up.  You don't lose that day.

It took us two hours, but we - they -  made pizza -- from scratch.   The boys made the dough, and rolled it out, and made their crusts.  They spread their own sauce and put on the toppings.  We had a blast. Granted, Kaos tried to sneak in there and steal some toppings, and while I was removing
her, Clay (my literal one) added all 4 cups of water (it called for 3-4 cups), and I turned around to find a very liquidy batter.  My initial reaction was exasperation, but I realized he'd never made dough before, so we used it as a learning opportunity.   You add water gradually to dough, Just enough to make it sticky.  Ethan thought we had to throw it out and start over.    But we fixed it.   We added to more flour.  And we made it work.  And they both learned.  One, to exercise caution.  Two, that mistakes can be fixed, and not to throw in the towel the first moment something goes wrong.


The dough was super sticky at first, before we started kneading.   But we added flour, and they got in there and started kneading.  They got their hands covered in dough.  But, they learned how to knead and make dough from scratch. They chopped vegetables, and no one lost a finger.   We all worked together and had fun, and the kids learned how to make food from scratch with their own hands and their confidence in the kitchen, and in themselves grew.   Ethan declared that it tasted better than Little Ceaser's (where we usually go, yeah, I know, the height of gourmet dining).

And they got to see that making a meal from scratch takes work, and time.  But that wasn't the most important thing.  It got us together, working  together.  It got us talking.  And instead of everyone off in a different room doing their own thing, like we usually do on weekends, we were working and learning together outside the classroom and having fun.

The Connections teachers keep telling me I'm giving a gift to my children by doing this and being their learning coach, but the truth is, Connections has given ME the gift.  We are spending more time together, the boys are growing closer, and we are growing closer as a family.  And that is the best gift of all.

 

 

Progress Report

So my son got his progress report from NCA today, and I couldn't be happier.  He  is a solid B average, which for some parents may not seem like a big deal, but this was a child that was having  F's and D's last year.  This was a child that was disconnecting at his old school and if he didn't get it, would give up.  This was a child that thought school was boring.  This was a child who wouldn't do his work in class and wouldn't bring home work home.   Homework was a battle.  Math was torture.   Getting him to write was like pulling teeth.

Now, he is doing his lessons without anyone telling him to do so.  He is interested, actually likes school, something he hadn't said before.  Every day, I can check his lessons, and see if there's a problem.  I can see if he needs help, even if he doesn't ask.  And we can work on it right away, not find out about it and try to address it at a quarterly meeting.

He is thriving.  He is thinking outside the box.  Today, when he was stumped by a paper he had to write on Alexander the Great, I told him to make a comic of his life, instead of using an outline.  We worked through the paper, but he enjoyed making the comic, so the research he did to support his comic was done, but he didn't see it as work, because he was making a comic.

I love how NCA gets the student.   They can see that a student might learn with a different learning style.   It fosters a learn,ing environment.

We are all learning with Connections.   I love it because I can see, right away, if there's a problem.   We can work through it together.   If we are both stumped, we can email a teacher and get a response very quickly.  So for me, I love it because I can work with him and I know exactly what he is learning and what he needs help with.   I can recognize immediately if he is struggling, vs. finding out at a parent teacher conference

For Clay, the difference is amazing to me.  His teacher called us to personally this week, to speak with Clay, and find out how things were going, and see if he had any concerns,   She asked what his favorite thing about NCA was, and he said, "I can take more breaks".   I laughed to myself, but the difference I see is so readily apparent.

He is not failing anymore.   He is interested.   He is not distracted by other kids talking or goofing off in lessons.  He cannot say, "Nope, I don't have homework," because I know!   I can check on his lessons and we can work together on something if I see he isn't grasping the concept.  Right away.  Not quarterly, after realizing this at parent teacher conferences.

I appreciate teachers, especially since we have started this journey.   His old teachers, while he was enrolled in the traditional brick and mortar public school (B&M for short), were great.   But they had a whole classroom of students, each with individual needs and learning styles, and they had an hour to get that lesson across.  They also had to deal with behavioral issues.  So to spend individual time on each lesson, with each student, was just not feasible.

With NCA, it IS possible.  He HAS a public education.  He has qualified, educated, certified teachers.  He also has his parents, AKA learning coaches, who follow his education, and know immediately when he is struggling.  We know when he has an assessment, or test, and can help him review.   We can see if he's struggling on an assignment and can help him review.

The other day, he was frustrated by a paper he had to write on Alexander the Great, so I told him, "Make a comic of this.  Draw your story.", and he did.   Because he doesn't like writing, but he loves to draw comics.  So, I thought, why not get him engaged with making a comic about this?  And, it worked!  After he drew his pictures of important life events of Alexander the Great, he was able to form a rough draft of his paper.   The comic was his outline.  But in making his comic,  he researched to get more information, cited (with coaching) that information, wrote down facts, and learned history.   And thought it was fun!

He is able to take art class now, something wasn't available at his other school, due to lack of funding. He loves to draw, and is really enjoying this.  He is learning computer skills, how to type, how to create files, and organize his work.  He is learning how to write and format papers.   Many of his classes involve class discussions, where he has to post a question or statement, and respond to others, so he is participating in his NCA classes more than he did at his old school.   NCA also has multiple clubs the students can join, with fun activities and opportunities to learn.   Clay signed up for the gaming and technology club, where he  will learn how to write codes, make his own games, and share with other gamers.

He is thriving.  His brother is thriving, and they are both learning and growing.   This is why we love Connections.

DIY Solar power

So in his science class, Clay learned how to make a solar cooker.   It was pretty cool.   The project suggested cooking a hot dog, but since we had none in the house, we used a potato and some mushrooms.

We started out with a box, which, ironically, was from Hello Fresh, so said, "Get Cooking".  We cut out the front, and used that for the sides of our "oven". 

 

Initially, since the instructions stated that the oven wall had to be 9x14, we measured the sides to be 9x14", but once we put it up to the 9x14 wall, we realized we had not done the sides right; they needed to fit to the wall.  So we recalculated and got sides that actually fitted the wall. 

Measuring out the "oven

The final result of the sides.  

Attaching he sides to the wall.  

Applying the tin foil

Attaching the food to the skewer.  We used potatoes and mushrooms, since we had no hot dogs.  

Cooking!  We placed the box facing the sun.   

That day was a cool day, but the mushrooms actually dehydrated, although the potato did bake.  I was not expecting the dehydration result, so it was interesting.  Also, now I know how to dehydrate mushrooms.   It was pretty cool.  The wind blew the box around the yard, though, so I'd recommend using a weight of some kind in the heater if you tried this.   

It was really fun for both the boys to see an example of solar power, and get some hands on experience.   Instead of just reading about it, they got to do an experiment and see how solar power works, from something they created.  It is really exciting to see them learn with Connections.    And I'm learning with them!  I really like the hands on opportunities.  

Hearty Vegetable Tomato Soup

So, today I started out making black bean soup.  It's fall now, and I wanted something warm but filling.   I also wanted relatively quick, because when I'm doing school with the boys, I don't want to cook something that will take forever.  

I started out by chopping up all my veggies, and got those cooking, and went to the pantry to get my beans and realized I didn't have any canned black beans.  I had dry ones, but I needed them now, so that was no good.  

Well, I did have pinto beans, so I threw them in, and added the spices, and the broth and said a Hail Mary.  

When it had simmered for 25 min or so, I took 2 cups of the soup and blended it, and then added it back in, to make the soup creamier.  I then thought that some orzo would be nice so added about 1/2 cup or so, but then needed to add more water.  Broth would work too.   It really tasted kind of bland, I threw in 1 TBSP each of Basil and  Oregano and a little more salt.   The Basil made me think tomato would be a nice flavor, so I threw in a can of tomato sauce, since I was out of tomatoes.  The tomato was the key.  It was delicious!  Even my picky 8 year old ate it up.   

Here is the recipe:

Hearty Vegetable Tomato Soup

1 TBSP olive oil

1 med. onion, diced

2-3 cloves of minced garlic (or more, you can never add too much garlic)

1 bell pepper, seeded and diced

2 carrots, diced

2 ribs of celery, diced

1/4 tsp. cumin 

1/2 TBSP chili powder (optional)

3 cups vegetable broth

2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed (or 3 cups cooked beans)**

1/2 cup orzo

1 cup water

1 TBSP oregano

1 TBSP Basil

1/2 tsp. salt

1 14 oz. can tomato sauce

Heat oil in large sauce pan on med high heat.  Add veggies and cook for about 10-12 minutes.  Add garlic, chili powder, and cumin, and cook til fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.  

Stir in broth and beans.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.  After the 25 minutes, take 2 cups of the soup blend in a blender until smooth.  Return pureed blend back into the pot, and stir in.   Add the orzo, water, tomato sauce, basil and oregano, and simmer for 9 more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the salt, more or less, to taste.   

Notes:

* - I had already added the chili powder when I decided to try something else, so the end result was kind of accidental

** You can save the liquid from the cooked beans, called aquafaba as a replacer for egg.   It's also great for making vegan mayo.  

chocolate asphalt

Clay's next project was making "asphalt" out of chocolate.   He used aggregates of oats, coconut, nuts, and candies and mixed them with the binder of liquefied chocolate.  First, we got everything together:

 

 

 

 

Next, we melted  the chocolate:

 

 

 

Then we made the aggregates:

Control






 



Then, we added the chocolate "binder":

 

Then we placed the mixture on wax paper and added another layer of wax paper on top, so we could smooth it out:

 

Smoothing out the pavement:

 

 

The finished product:

 

All four samples, cooling, ready for taste testing. 

 

 

Very fun lesson, made yummy food and got to learn about how roads are made in the process.  I love how his school gets him to think outside the box. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hands on History

So, Clay is currently studying ancient civilizations, and his current project required write about foods from ancient civilizations and then cook something.   One of the civilizations was Israel, so we picked Israel and decided on honey cake.   Well, he decided on it.   He wanted something sweet.  It's not vegan, but since Clay isn't vegan, we did what he wanted.   After some searching on line, he found this recipe from Tori Avey's blog:

 

Getting all the ingredients together.

The next step was adding the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

 

Breaking the eggs

Adding the oil



Adding the brown sugar and mixing it all
together with the dry ingredients.




Chopping the dates, which we folded into the batter

Baking

Testing for doneness

Finished product, cooling

Tasting the final product



Ethan trying it out.

 



Vegan Lox? Whaaaat?

So when you go vegan, you often crave foods that you used to eat.  Well, everyone knows a perfect bagel has cream cheese, salmon or lox, and red onion.   So, when I heard about vegan lox, I was intrigued.   And I decided to make it.  That was one of today's projects.  

Saturdays have become my cooking days.   Since I've been home schooling. the day is filled with helping with studies and going through stuff and making sure work is done.  So experimenting in the kitchen is out on those days.  

But on Saturday, while the kids play and do their thing, I cook.

Today, I made a Giant Burrito Crunch Cake for supper, which was not only delicious, it was packed with healthy vegetables and plant proteins.   I made up a guacamole  to serve with it and it was even better.

The guacamole was my own recipe

2 avocados, mashed
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 TBSP lime juice
1 cup thinly sliced cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste


I also made carrot hot dogs, which I was pretty excited to try.  I mean, I was skeptical; how could carrots taste like hot dogs?  But I decided carrots aren't that expensive, and I had all the ingredients on hand, why not give it a go?  And I did.  And I did not regret it.  They were delicious!  The boys both liked them, but hubby refused to try.   His loss.  This was the recipe.

I decided to tackle a recipe for home made ricotta cheese, but I cheated and used store bought almond milk and it did not turn out.  

But I also found that recipe for Vegan Lox, and threw some carrots in the oven, covered in salt, and let them roast.  Then, after they had cooled, I added the brine.   Now they have to sit for two days.   I can't wait.   I have bagels and vegan cream cheese just waiting...

 But while I was waiting for the carrots to roast, I whipped up some of our family's favorite, these Mama Glo Bars bars from Oh She Glows.  

They are so good, and everyone loves them.  The best thing about them is they are pretty healthy.   No additives or high fructose corn syrup, they are sweetened with brown rice syrup.   And packed with lots of mother earthy type ingredients that you can feel good about, and they taste delicious.  So a win all around.

Everyone talks about how expensive vegan/vegetarian food is, but the truth is, you can make so much of that stuff at home at a fraction of the cost, AND it tastes better.  So it is possible to be vegan or vegetarian and live on a budget.   It is also possible to get all your nutrients in a vegan diet.  For example, people are worried that I won't get calcium if I don't drink milk.  Almond milk actually has MORE calcium than dairy milk does!   And B-12 can be found in lots of plant based foods, not just meat.

We've literally spend about a third of what we usually spend on groceries when I cook from scratch.   And that's with hubby, who is an omnivore, buying stuff he wants to eat.

And every week, it gets even easier, because I find recipes we all like and I know those work.  

Hope you enjoy these recipes!  I sure did.

Culinary Disasters

So learning to cook vegan, in may ways, is like learning to cook all over again.  Because I have things in my pantry and fridge that I never previously knew existed, let alone cooked with.

One thing I knew existed, but wasn't crazy about, was beets.   But I had them in my fridge, because I'd used some in a recipe, and had about half of a can of beets left over, so I threw them in glad ware, and unfortunately for me, forgot about them.

It gets worse.   Because I forgot about them, I shoved something into the fridge, and it pushed the container back, dislodged the lid and sent sugary beet juice everywhere.  It pooled on the top shelf, pooled under the glass shelves, dripped into crevices, down the walls, and onto the shelves and drawers below.   It looked like the scene of a mass murder.  I felt like I was in an episode of CSI: The Kitchen.  

I didn't discover this until I went to put groceries away and opened the fridge, and went to make room and moved a few tupperware containers and saw this red liquid pooling everywhere.   I thought, whatttt?!! And then discovered the beets container, and realized what had happened.

Probably, the best thing to do is store them in a place like, I don't know.. the trash.  

So instead of putting groceries away, I had an impromptu cleaning of the fridge.  Then again, it needed to be done, so this just forced me to do it.

Then, later on that day, I was following a recipe for mushroom gravy, and the instructions said to blend the hot contents in a "food processor" or blender, so I did indeed, foolishly opt for the food processor.    As soon as I turned it on, I realized it was a mistake, because hot mushroom liquid sprayed everywhere, including all over the recipe book that came from the library.  So now, everything covered in a fine spray of mushroom gravy, and the mushrooms still not chopped, I threw it in the blender to achieve the gravy consistency.   Finally, it worked.

Note to self: Use the blender next time.  It works much better.

Experimenting and Learning About Energy (And My Lack of It)

So last night, I foolishly indulged in reading a very good book, past the 3 AM mark.   It was that good.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, and I couldn't put the book down.   But this morning, I regretted this, as I woke up exhausted and did NOT want to get up and do lessons  or anything that involved thinking.

But there were tests and assessments and projects to turn in and Clay had his first experiment that he had to hand in and be graded on.

Something simple?  Well...

We had to make a thermometer.   My eleven year old had to explain how mass and kinetic energy made a thermometer work.   I couldn't help but see the irony, in the fact that the greater the mass of an object, the more energy it had; because I have plenty of mass, and definitely no energy today.

So we printed off our supplies list and gathered everything together, at which point we discovered we had no metric ruler, aside from my measuring tape for sewing, and a protractor.   Ethan had a ruler that came with his art kit, but when he went to go get it, it was not in his art kit and he had no idea where it was.  And we couldn't find it.  So, we grabbed the protractor.

The list called for a 20 oz drinking bottle, and I searched through our recycling and of course we didn't have any this week.   But then I remembered that I had a half empty bottle in the truck, so I went and got that.  Kaos got excited when I went out, thinking she was going outside too, and began barking and dancing at the gate.   I look at the instructions to see if we need anything else, and realize I need a glass bottle.

I just happened to have a clean maple syrup bottle to recycle, so we used that.  So, we made a maple syrup thermometer.

We also needed red food coloring, and it called for three drops.   So, Clay removes the cap and sticks the dropper in and draws up the coloring.   Then he decides he has too much, so squirts it back in.  He also gets some on the counter.  It immediately stains the counter, but since we have a nice multi colored counter top, the splattered look blends well.

Carefully, we follow the instructions and fill the beaker with water and then add the coloring.  We then pour the mixture into the bottle, which is supposed to be filled to the top.  It fills about one fourth of the bottle.   I start to fill the beaker and then think to myself, "screw it,", and just fill it with tap water and throw some more coloring in.

I mean, we aren't working with reactive chemicals here.   Water and food coloring.   We can skip steps and not go blind or lose a limb in the process.  

So, bottle full.  Check.   Now the instructions say to put the straw in, and leave 10 cm out from the top, and hold in place with modeling clay.   Then add enough colored water so that 5 cm is in the straw.  Finally, top with a drop of cooking oil, to prevent evaporation of water.  

So, now we see if it actually works.   First task is to stick it in hot water, so I boil up the kettle, pour the very hot water in a bowl and set our thermometer in.   Sure enough, it goes to the top. 

My eight year old decided to hang out and observe, but didn't stick around for the written work. Don't mind the dishes that haven't been put away yet or the drool spray the dog has left on the dishwasher.  One thing I learned quickly with our dog was that she drools... ALOT, and when she shakes her head, the drool flies.  So we wipe down appliances and cubboards frequently in this house.  Oh, who am I kidding. I wipe them down.  There is no we. 

Anyway, the next test was to put the thermometer in ice water.  Clay tells me that the water in the straw won't go below the five cm, where it started, but dutifully put the ice water in the bowl and set the thermometer in.  

As you can clearly see, the water DID go below the five cm.  And then we had to mark the lowest point, and the highest point the water went, test two other water temps, and record those temperatures.  Clay had a few pages of questions, one of which was "did you learn anything from this experiment?", to which he shrugged, and told me, "no, I knew what was going to happen,"

I reminded him that he had said that the water would not go below its starting point and he pretended like he couldn't remember making that hypothesis.    He was not impressed with my ability to recall that fact.  By the time we finished this, it was time to make supper.   So tomorrow we'll scan worksheets, and send in the pictures  to complete the assignment.   Thankfully there is flexibility with this program.  

So we have a thermometer!  While I don't recommend it for checking temps when cooking, it does work.   

So that was our first little experiment, which I managed to guide him through relatively successfully.   I think it was neat that he got to visualize how the heat expanded mass, and how the cool water decreased the mass.  Not just reading about it, but seeing it.  

On that note, I'm going to work this "heat expands mass" concept.   Clearly, the fact that I can't lose weight is because I live in a desert, so the HEAT is expanding my mass.  Sounds reasonable to me.