losing steam...

well, as you can tell my crafty drive and kitchen experiments have slowed down.

mom was in town this past weekend, and we had the perfect girls' weekend! full of eating, talking, and shopping! i got to take her to my grocery stores around town, and then we went to Jacksonville to get some serious shopping in. i even got an early bday gift which is perfect for the first football game of the season tomorrow! it's the Dooney & Bourke Mini Flap Crossbody in Bordeaux. It's the PERFECT maroon color!

Zach started his pediatric rotation this week. he's enjoying it but his heart still belongs to surgery.

i traveled again for work the beginning of this week, but i'm more than happy to make the quick turnaround... i'm flying to memphis tomorrow!! yay!! i'll get to cheer the bulldogs on as we dominate memphis in the liberty bowl! i'll be sitting with my parents at the game! i'll get to spend friday with my in-laws and my baby niece! i'll be spending the weekend with the one and only, mary renfroe! pumped! (and that doesn't even begin to describe it!)

i'll be back next week with a newspaper basket i'm currently weaving and pics from the weekend!

sewing projects: maroon friday!

i'm so excited for football season, i decided to make a couple tops! this first one is basically like the classic "pillowcase dress" for little girls. i'm very new to sewing clothing and haven't quite mastered fitted styles. but i like a nice draped top! the tie is a satin fabric that had some nice maroon hues in it!

my inspiration for this game day top came from Anthropologie's Diverse Density Tank. the one i made is a little more fitted than this style, but i'm really happy with the way it turned out!

...and while i was taking pictures, we decided to have some fun with Nora, too! zach fashioned this toy for her... it's a duck... on a string... i wish it was a colonel reb... she is pretty ferocious! alright, that's all for today. GO STATE!!!!

jambalaya

LOVE this recipe!! it is soooooooooooooo yummy!! ok- so i picked up some wonderfully fresh and local veggies and got to chopping!

::ingredients::

3c onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2c scallions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1c parsley, chopped
1 Tbs oregano (used an italian blend)
1 tsp thyme
3 bay leaves
2 pinches of cayenne pepper (use more if you like spicy)
1.25c white rice, uncooked
4 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
1 Tbs tomato paste (did not have, so i used tomato sauce and a little corn starch)
3.75c water
1/3c lentils, uncooked
1 tsp sale
2 ears of corn, kernels cut off
20 olives, pitted (did not use these- i hate olives)
S&P

::directions::

heat some oil or chicken stock or butter in large stock pot. add onions, peppers, scallions and saute for 10 min. add garlic and spices and saute for additional 2 min. mix in rice, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, lentils and salt. increase heat and bring to a boil. stir until everything is mixed well, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 min. add corn and olives and cook another 5 minutes until lentils and rice are cooked. season with pepper and serve.

oh, boy was it delicious!
zach loves meat, so i added some sausage to his and ate mine vegetarian. i will definitely be making this again! it would be great to take to a tailgate later this fall! (can you tell that i've had collge football on the brain this week?)

microwave applesauce

this turned out to be the perfect snack! i had 4 apples that had been in the fridge over a week. so i decided to make some quick applesauce! i've seen other recipes that involve slowcooking and a lot of time. but this is super quick and perfect if you just want to make a small batch!

peel and cut up apples into tiny pieces. place in a bowl and mix in cinnamon and agave to your liking. microwave about 6 minutes on high until softened. send through your food processer and voila! applesauce!
we enjoyed it as an appetizer before dinner, but i'd love to make a larger batch to snack on throughout the week!
note: 4 small red delicious apples made a little over 1 cup of applesauce.

slow oats

i love making this for breakfast! basically, you just mix 1 part oats (rolled, steel cut, etc), 1 part milk, and 1 part yogurt. you can also add fruit, nuts or granola- skys the limit! got this amazing yogurt from the co-op! so yummy!
Nora was super intrigued by the yogurt!

mix it all together... and put in the fridge until morning

it gets thicker overnight. i wanted to take it to work, so i just transferred it over to a different container.

YUM! Can't wait to try some other combinations!

vegan alfredo sauce & zucchini noodles

me: i'm going to make alfredo this weekend.
zach: oh, great- i love your alfredo!
me: well, it's not exactly the kind of alfredo you're used to with butter, cream, and cheese...
zach: ... then don't call it alfredo.

if you couldn't tell, zach was not excited about this. he has been open to me adding vegan and vegetarian dishes to our meals, but he has been vocal is expressing his skepticism also. you know, if he wants to get in the kitchen and cook, he is more than welcome! until then, i'm going to keep experimenting =)

here we go...

::ingredients::

3 large zucchinis
1 cup raw cashews
3/4c water
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp nutmeg (this is SUPER important to get the right flavor)
1 tsp thyme
2 garlic cloves
S&P

1. soak raw cashews in water for 20 minutes. i was able to find these at my local grocery store (read: not Publix). you might need to seek them out at a whole foods or somewhere like that.

2. while cashews soak, pull zucchinis and discard skin. then starting from one end of the zucchini, peel a long ribbon down to the other end. this is your "noodle". turn and repeat until you're left with a core that is difficult to peel. the recipe i followed actually had you leave the noodles just like this, raw. but i decided to boil them for a few minutes to soften them up! your choice!
3. to make alfredo sauce, combine the rest of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. that's it!!!

these are my boiled zuchinni noodles waiting for sauce

4. combine sauce and noodles. top with basil. season to taste. ENJOY!!

me: so, what do you think?
zach: (munch, munch, munch) this (munch, munch) is (munch) amazing!
...so, needless to say, the skeptic LOVED it!

we had some of the sauce leftover, so i boiled up some regular pasta. it was even delicious on that!

while it did not taste like traditional alfredo sauce, it is a delicious alternative and SO MUCH better for you! you'd be surprised by the creaminess of the sauce. hard to believe it's only cashews and water!

sewing projects

look at what i just got in the mail! i feel like i'm on project runway! i've really been sewing up a storm lately! just trying some things out... some patterns... some original ideas... a few things have turned out... but most have not...
i'm particularly pleased with this newborn dress! i can't wait to give it to my new niece, Korbyn. i just hope it fits... we'll see! the straps are adjustable, so that's a good start!

i also made this camera strap cover. and i ruffled for the FIRST time! i think i'm addicted! but silly me, i put it on the strap, and now i can't really take a good picture of it. oh well.

then i made this SUPER EASY skirt! it's one piece of fabric, 2 seams, one piece of elastic. done.

i've also made an infinity dress which i'm super pleased with! the only problem is... it's see-through, so no pictures right now. it's an awesome dress, and i can't wait to make more! especially since it's super easy (only 4 pieces of fabric and one seam)!

beans, friends, agave = random post

and the adventures in veganism continue... my sweet friend, Kari and Alaina, really opened my eyes to the wonderful world of organic and vegan and set out really realistic ways to get started. i really appreciated that because it's quite overwhleming! and while we are not eating like this 100%, we're introducing the concepts into our diet.

the first thing was beans. after they explained it, it seemed like a no brainer! not only is it more nutritious for you, it's way less expensive! Once cooked, i will have around 5cups of beans for $1.20. Compare that to buying a can of black beans which is only about 2cups of beans for $1.50. Um... like i said, no brainer. and it's a great place to start! i also have a jar of chickpeas back there and will be making hummus tomorrow!

ok now, rewind to last week! zach and i drove down to orlando for the night...

to see this wonderful birthday girl...
and her equally as wonderful husband!! it was so great getting to spend time with this amazing couple. it was the first time we were together as married couples, crazy! they were enjoying a vacation at disney before brian deploys in the fall. so glad to have the chance to see them while they were in our neck of the woods! now they are back in texas.

HAD. TO. show a throw back pic! the four of us went to many'a chi o date party together over the years. this is from formal junior year (2007) at the jackie o house in columbus, ms. brian and zach lived in the same dorm freshman year. Becca and i were clearly inseparable (hence the nickname, Stecca) all of college. and here we are, still friends and getting to share life together! God is so good!
ok. did i mention that zach is on surgery rotation? he did 4 weeks of trauma, 2 weeks of ortho, and he is halfway through with cardio thorasic. this means we are one week away from the end of 20 hour work days (that's an extreme, but it does happen)! surgery is the most time consuming rotation of third year, so he loved it and now it's out of the way! this is him taking a 6 hour nap last Saturday. yup, 6 hours. Nora misses having her daddy around, too.

ok, ok. i bet you have no idea where i'm going with this post... made this awesome salad dressing last night and had to share! it's equal parts of lime juice, EVOO and agave. a little lime zest and a pinch of salt. we had it over plain greens, and it was wonderful! i'm sure you could really jazz it up with some nuts and dried fruit. it's a delicious, light, summer dressing- try it!!!

Agave Oatmeal Cookies

what was the first vegan recipe i tried? COOKIES (i'm such a dessert kind of girl!) Well, not quite all the way vegan, but it's a start! They are crispy and taste like cinnamon raisin swirl toast (even a buttery taste to it even though there is no butter in it)! I think they would be yummy crumbled up as a cereal. They are not super sweet like you would expect a cookie to be, but the raisins really add a nice touch of natural sweetness.

I cheated a bit because I already had some ingredients on hand and wanted to go ahead and use those up first. I really wanted to try this out because when I was at the Co-op, I saw a ton of different flours (probably about 15 different kinds). This recipe called for a couple I had remembered seeing. So why is it so much better than processed white flour? The flour used in this recipe (white rice and spelt) are all natural, gluten free, organic, and rich in whole grains. Processed flour has been stripped of nutrients. Same goes for the agave used instead of sugar. Less is needed to sweeten the cookie dough, and processed granulated sugar isn't used at all!

Vegan Agave Oatmeal Cookies (almost)

::ingredients::
1c organic rolled oats (had a ton of Quaker already, so I just used these)
1c spelt (or whole wheat or oat flour)
1c rice flour (or ground almonds)
1/2c shredded coconut (optional, so I did not do this)
1/2tsp salt (used regular table salt)
1/4c raisins (got organic red flame raisins)
1/4c dried cranberries (optional, did not do- just added double raisins)
1/2c agave nectar (or pure maple syrup)
1/2c coconut oil (or canola oil)
1/2tsp vanilla (had pure vanilla from Nicaragua- Bonus!)
1.5tsp cinnamon (already had reg, so I did not use organic)
::recipe::
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients together. Mix all wet ingredients. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form 1" balls and place on an oiled cookie sheet, pressing balls down with your fingers. Bake for 12 minutes or until crispy.
zach loved them. i loved them. shared some with friends. i'd say for my first attempt, they were a hit!

Greenes Going Vegan!

one of the things that i love about gainesville (did i really just say that? yes! i am finally adapting to where i live!) is that it's super granola. farmers markets almost every day of the week and lots of local places to shop and eat! i have a few friends who have really inspired me to act on my convictions and to stop putting foreign, unnatural things into my body. We watched Food, Inc several months ago and were completely appalled by the food system in our country. Why is our food chemically created in a lab and not cooked in a kitchen? And even more so- why is this ok with us?!?! i could go on and on... but here is what we've been doing differently lately.

1. Buying local! We shop at our farmer's markets and this awsome place called citizens co-op. If you're not familiar with the co-op business model, it's completely member owned by gainesville citizens. it's a non-profit in the sense that if there are any profits after operating costs, that money is divided amounst the members. it carries locally grown food, and what isn't in florida is stocked with organic and responsible products. it takes all the guess work out of grocery shopping! i can make confident choices knowing that everything in the store is going to be good for my community, family, and envirnoment.


2. We've been eating chickens that have had to growth hormones added. We are hoping to find some good beef from grass-fed cows.


3. The co-op carries dairy products from grass-fed cows, goats, etc. This is next on our list!


4. We've been cutting out processed foods. Seriously, look at the ingredients list on some of your food, and you will be scratching your head. If i can't pronounce it, I'm not sure I want to eat it...


5. Annnnndddd.... i'm really excited about this one..... Zach gave me to green light to start cooking vegan! I'm really excited especially since he is such a hearty eater and, like most men, loves his meat! We are not committing 100% percent, but I will be getting my feet wet and trying a few recipes each week. I'm going to blog about them, too!

Wish me luck on my vegan endeavor!

korbyn elizabeth greene

the big news- i'm still an aunt! haha i already have 1 beautiful niece and 2 adorable nephews, but another has been added to the family!

alex (zach's brother) and his wife, robyn, welcomed sweet baby korbyn saturday, august 6th! see mom and baby below... the labor part was no fun (24 hours & a c-section), but mom and baby are both doing better now! korbyn weighed in at 8 lbs 12 ounces! the new family of 3 is being showered with love by family and friends in memphis, tn. Can't wait to get to see them all next month!

Crock Pot Thanksgiving

So... i've had an idea! Rarely do I ever see my ideas come to fruition, but stay with me here for a little... You're probably wondering why I am thinking about a holiday that's still a few months away. Well, Zach told me he would be home at 7 the past two nights, and he's been getting home closer to 10. Pulling these 17 hour days for 6 days a week is taking a toll on the time we get to spend with one another, not to mention family and friends. This is the first year that might keep us from traveling to see family for the holidays. I started thinking, what if it's just the two of us in Gainesville for Thanksgiving? Surely there are others who don't get to go home either? And then the idea hit- Crock Pot Thanksgiving. Now, I don't have 8 crock pots. But, surely there are people out there with Crock Pots. If I could gather a few families together and provide the recipe, we could have a Crock Pot Thanksgiving together!

I've found some pretty awesome recipes and plan on trying them all in the near future. I've found recipes for a whole turkey, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, pumpkin cheesecake, mashed potatoes, stuffing, mac and cheese and apple cider. We are going to have the Mac and Cheese this weekend! Yum!

So what do you think? Is this a good idea? I'll need to find a lot of outlets!!!! What will our electric be for the month of November???

sewing crafts: COMPLETED

i did it!!! all of the crafts in my last post have been completed, and i was on such a roll, i did a bonus project! horray! now... here is the proof:

Nora LOVES her new toy! it's filled with catnip and rice, and she can't get enough! i even made a couple for my friends' cats- i hope they like it as much as Nora does!

Nora was quite the helper on my sewing projects...

check these out!! my envelope pillow cases are amazing! i still have to make one more, but i did not have enough fabric. i used remnants that i bought at JoAnn's. the remnant bin is the first place i go because it's always 50% off and because i get overwhelmed with all the choices! seeing racks and racks of bolts of fabric- where do you even start??? so i have a little collection of fabrics, and that's what i used for the pillows! i made the striped one because i had a couple narrow pieces of fabric, but i love the way it turned out! i should have taken a picture of the the actual pillows- but they were green and brown, and i wanted an update and something with a little more color... what do you think? i probably used $2 of fabric for each pillow. sure beats buying whole new pillows!!

these are the pot holders i made for my friend. my first attempt at quilting... but i discovered that i do not like cutting fabric, so quilting may not happen to frequently. still, i'm pleased with how they turned out. i hope my friend likes them!

and for the bonus project... a journal! the cover is a cereal box covered in fabric (adhesive- modge podge)

i used some scrapbook paper... and stitched it all together...

a couple buttons and some ribbon...

adorable!

my buddy! she hung around with me the whole time!