Fried Chickpea and Arugula Pitas with Lime Tzatziki

Thursday nights are often vegetarian nights in our house. I try to prepare a meatless meal about once a week for money saving purposes and also to try to expand my cooking repertoire. Usually my creations are just ok but I've been bound and determined to find some really winners to add to my work night rotation. Tonight I did just that. For all you meat lovers out there, give this one a chance! The pan-fried chickpeas have a nice crunch and the spices they are tossed in provide incredible flavor. Don't even think about making a substitution for the Spanish smoked paprika - it's the highlight of the dish and you can find it your baking aisle (I buy mine from Trader Joe's). And did I mention the meal comes together in a flash? Twenty-three minutes later (according to the recipe and I concur), you'll be sitting down to a delicious dinner. Enjoy!

Fried Chickpea and Arugula Pitas with Lime Tzatziki

(From Cooking Light Magazine)

1 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

5/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cucumber (about 8 ounces), peeled and shredded

6 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas, halved

2 (15-oz) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 cups loosely packed arugula

12 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices

1. Preheat oven to 350°. 
2. Combine yogurt, mint, lime juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt, garlic, and cucumber in a small bowl.
3. Wrap pitas in foil; bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until warm.
4. Place chickpeas in a single layer on paper towels. Cover with additional paper towels; pat dry. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chickpeas to pan; sauté 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy, stirring frequently. Remove chickpeas from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, chickpeas, cumin, paprika, and red pepper in a medium bowl; toss well to coat.
   Combine remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add arugula; toss gently to coat. Add chickpea mixture; toss to coat.
   Fill each pita half with about 2/3 cup chickpea mixture, 1 tomato slice, and 2 tablespoons sauce. Serve immediately.
5. Serves 6 - serving size: 2 pita halves 
6. Nutritional Information: Calories: 370, Fat: 10.4g, Saturated fat: 1.8g, Protein: 15.8g, Carbohydrate: 57g, Fiber: 9.9g,Sodium: 586mg

Fried Chickpea & Arugula Pitas with Lime Tzatziki

Thursday nights are often vegetarian nights in our house. I try to prepare a meatless meal about once a week for money saving purposes and also to try to expand my cooking repertoire. Usually my creations are just ok but I've been bound and determined to find some really winners to add to my work night rotation. Tonight I did just that. For all you meat lovers out there, give this one a chance! The pan-fried chickpeas have a nice crunch and the spices they are tossed in provide incredible flavor. Don't even think about making a substitution for the Spanish smoked paprika - it's the highlight of the dish and you can find it your baking aisle (I buy mine from Trader Joe's). And did I mention the meal comes together in a flash? Twenty-three minutes later (according to the recipe and I concur), you'll be sitting down to a delicious dinner. Enjoy!

Fried Chickpea & Arugula Pitas with Lime Tzatziki

Serves 6 - serving size: 2 pita halves (recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt

3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

5/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cucumber (about 8 ounces), peeled and shredded

6 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas, halved

2 (15-oz) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 cups loosely packed arugula

12 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices

1. PREPARATION
2. 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
   2. Combine yogurt, mint, lime juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt, garlic, and cucumber in a small bowl.
   3. Wrap pitas in foil; bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until warm.
   4. Place chickpeas in a single layer on paper towels. Cover with additional paper towels; pat dry. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chickpeas to pan; sauté 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy, stirring frequently. Remove chickpeas from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, chickpeas, cumin, paprika, and red pepper in a medium bowl; toss well to coat.
   5. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add arugula; toss gently to coat. Add chickpea mixture; toss to coat.
   6. Fill each pita half with about 2/3 cup chickpea mixture, 1 tomato slice, and 2 tablespoons sauce. Serve immediately.

   Nutritional Information

   Calories: 370, Fat: 10.4g, Saturated fat: 1.8g, Protein: 15.8g, Carbohydrate: 57g, Fiber: 9.9g,Sodium: 586mg

Paper chain

It is officially on! And we have a paper chain on our banister to prove it. I am SO DONE with this masters program and I think the one enrolled in it is too. It hasn't been the greatest of weeks. I would liken it to the feeling of trudging through deep snow wearing boots that are at least two sizes too big. It's slow going and the boots fall off every other step (one step forward, two steps back!) We're both beginning to feel the pressures of looming deadlines. So much so that even date night felt too stressful and so was cancelled. And going 4 straight months without but a weekend for a "spring break" is starting to get to us. Please pray for us! All I can say is praise God for grandparents who are providing respite in the form of much-needed childcare!!

As hard as all this is (and, if you haven't got the message yet, it's REALLY HARD), I continue to be kicked in the butt by the readings in my devotional "Jesus Calling." The content always seems to hit exactly what I was facing that day right on the nose. Today, I've been tempted to do nothing but complain. Then I go and read something like this (gulp!):

"I am calling you to a life of thankfulness.  I want all your moments to be punctuated with thanksgiving.  The basis for your gratitude is My sovereignty.  I am the Creator and Controller of the universe.  Heaven and earth are filled with My glorious Presence. When you criticize or complain, you are acting as if you thing you could run the world better than I do.  From your limited human perspective, it may look as if I’m mismanaging things.  But you don’t know what I know or see what I see.  If I pulled back the curtain to allow you to view heavenly realms, you would understand much more.  However, I have designed you to live by faith, not by sight.  I lovingly shield you from knowing the future or seeing into the spirit world.  Acknowledge My sovereignty by giving thanks in all circumstances."

So, thank you Jesus for what you are doing in our lives right now. (And Lord, may I truly mean the words I just typed)!

Minor career "crisis"

I've been doing a lot of thinking this week....

This post is going to be my first attempt at exploring these thoughts, a means to ponder and process all that is running through my head and heart. It might end up looking more like verbal vomit (an awful mental picture I know, but a term I coined to describe the spew of words that sometimes flies from my mouth as I think and process aloud or in this case, in writing). Please bear with me. 

First and foremost, my primary job is being a parent. I've always believed that and don't ever want to lose sight of it. As a middle schooler, I dreamed of being a stay at home mom or a pastor's wife, occasionally a hairdresser  or a receptionist. I wanted to grow up, get married to the man of my dreams (done and done!), have kids (done and done and in progress!), and then stay at home with my kids 100% of the time. Or so I thought. This last one has been a point of conflict for me at times - the usual guilt that comes with leaving your kids and going to work I think. As it turns out, going back to work the very part time amount that I have has been a total gift for me though I haven't always thought so. This season of our lives has been insane (to put it lightly) and going to work has provided a needed "break" and change of pace and mental stimulation. I know people debate endlessly about this topic to stay or home or not to stay at home and ultimately, everyone needs to make their own decision and do what works for them. We are all wired very differently and I think it's important that we remember that. This is what works for our family right now and I'm grateful.

Secondly, I am really glad that I majored in nutrition. It is a topic that I am passionate about, a field of study that matters (or at least should matter) to everyone. It is so applicable and useful on a daily basis and I love how I can impart little tidbits of knowledge to my family. I have always thought I would work in a job that combined my love of food and cooking with my passion for health and I may someday do just that. Maybe this will be an area that I find energy to explore in the years to come or maybe not.

Over the course of the last 7 years (going on 8!) as a dietitian in a neonatal intensive care unit, I've had these little twinges. My role there matters and I don't think anyone would ever argue that fact. Without nutrition, these tiny premature babies or septic term infants would not grow and heal and ultimately get well and go home. But my job is indirect, more advisory in nature and I often find myself longing to get my hands in there and get messy, to have more one-on-one interaction with the patients, to be a part of the intense, think-fast-on-your-feet situations (here's where the twinges come in). When selecting colleges to apply to, I chose only those options that had both a nursing and nutrition program because, at the time, I was still undecided on my major. A couple negative experiences with blood later and -BOOM- decision made: nutrition it would be! 

But then there are these twinges, these moments where quite honestly, part of me wishes I were one of the doctors or neonatal nurse practitioners or maybe even a nurse. I have learned an incredible amount about the anatomy and physiology of newborn babies, about the birth process, about the numerous risk and complications that come along with it just by working in the environment that I'm in. Most of the time, these twinges are passing and I remind myself how nice it is to be able to truly "leave work at work," to have set hours and lunch breaks and not a lot of stress. But the twinges always return and there are direct triggers that cause them to resurface. Having our sweet Emma hospitalized as a sick 5 day old (pictured above) was one such trigger. Being on the "other side" of the hospital experience was humbling and I felt the urge to play a bigger role in direct patient care at that time.

The grand majority of the cases we work with in our unit have what most would consider "happy endings" but there are the occasional sad cases that make you stop in your tracks and question what you are doing with your life. These latter cases are the ones I've been pondering lately and they are the primarily reason for all of this thinking. When these tough cases come and the end is near, I have found myself wanting to be in the room with the family as their baby takes it's last breath, to be there to comfort and to cry. I don't know if a lot of people wake up in the morning wishing they could walk alongside parents as they lose a child. But I do. And I have to believe that desire is God-given so I'm trying to remain open and giving myself space to explore it. 

So this is where I'm at. I'm realistic in recognizing that the chance of burn out from the emotional burden of a career like this is incredibly high. In fact, it may just be too much for a feeling person like me. The thought of going back to school at this moment is absolutely the LAST thing I want to do right now. We need to spend a season as a "normal" family and experience what it feels like to function together without a the pursuit of a higher degree in the picture (64 more days people!) But as Graham told me last night, he doesn't want me looking back on my life when I'm 50 and regretting where I am at. He's always told me I should be the one in school anyways. So who knows? This may just be another one of those passing twinges. It might be a grass-is-always-greener sort of situation. Or it may be the work of God, tugging at my heart strings and urging me to make a move. If it's the latter, I don't want to ignore it. And so that's why I'm pondering. I don't plan to make any drastic changes in the near future but this is something I will be praying about. So there you have it - do with it what you will!

Emma 19 Months

Emma is officially our goof ball and loves to make us laugh. She knows how to get the crowd going and is a good social laugher, always inserting her fake cackle when appropriate. I ADORE these jammies by the way!

Emma started talking this month! She says elbow, cheese, please (sort of sounds like a bee buzzing), duck, amen, Isla, tickle tickle (sounds like she's gargling) and dog. She attempts to repeat things after you which is new.

If you ask her a question, she'll almost always respond with an exuberant "YEAH!" It's the best. If ever you're feeling doubtful, you can ask her things like "Do I look OK?" or "Am I a good parent?" or "Do you want to go grocery shopping?" and she'll answer you like it's the best suggestion she's ever heard in all her life.

We are officially a BINKY-FREE household...for the next 7 months at least!! We took away Emma's binky just before our anniversary getaway (good timing!) and it went fairly ok. I was expecting much worse. I took away the one she always held in her hand first and replaced it with her stuffed piggy "Olivia." Then came the one in the mouth which resulted in some sad bedtimes, increased cuddles and shortened naps. BUT, it didn't last long, she's adjusted now and her dentist will thank us. She dropped her AM nap this month and now sleeps once daily.

In other news, her mother finally figured out how to do her hair and we went from this:

....to this (her first ponytail!): 

.... most often this: 

Emma loves being outside and has joined me out there on many occasion over the past week. She's been "helping" me plant my garden and seems to eat a mouthful of dirt every time. 

 She loves to snuggle, one of the many things I adore about her. She'll sit in your lap for long periods of time and keep you company, especially if you are rubbing her back! She's a hugger and a kisser and gives both out frequently. I love how her face lights up when either Graham or I arrive home and she comes running to greet us at the door.

 She is very much like her Daddy which is so fun. The other day he set her up with a magazine and a cozy blanket and she sat there on the couch for a good 20 minutes reading. She's laid back and usually isn't in any sort of a hurry and spends her day savoring and taking things in. I think she's going to be a wanderer too! She isn't hardwired with the same innate need to be within 10 feet of me at all times (like her sister). She sees no need to "check in" and will just take off in any and every direction.

It's been sunny in Seattle (have you noticed!!!?) and so we've been spending a lot of time at the park. Emma is my little dare devil and seems to have no fear! She can maneuver the play structures with ease and has even been caught at the highest parts, grabbing the bars and leaning out to look down at the ground below. Her favorite activity is the slide which she's managed to figure out all by herself. She's also mastered the art of going down stairs standing up which she thinks is pretty cool. She's actually pretty good at it but it sometimes nearly gives me a heart attack.

 Emma has grown really interested in babies this month which is super exciting to me. She went from being incredibly jealous when I would hold and feed her cousin a bottle a couple months ago to wanting to get in on all the action. My parents watched all 4 grand kids and she reportedly fed Lilly both of her bottles AND burped her. I watched them last week and she did the same. In fact, she would hear me burping Lilly from another room and come RUNNING to help. Yay - big sister prep!

 On another note, she just adores her Grandpa. I don't know if he's been sneaking her doughnuts on the side to win her favor or what but these two have a really special bond that's heart-warming to watch. Every time I say the word "grandpa," she looks out the front window to see if he's here. Uncle Ben came for a visit this month and Emma wasn't shy at all. She seems to really enjoy all the men in her life! :)

She got to jump on a trampoline for the first time and LOVED. IT. I could not get her to come off! She loved laying on her back while the other kids jumped around her. If they stopped jumping, she'd thrash her legs and try to get herself going again - so hilarious! She could hardly stay on her feet but had an absolute ball.

We just love our little goof!

Isla 43 Months

Oh dear Isla pie, you are....

....ever so into your little baby doll. You even went as far as to convince me to make her a binky that we taped to her face. You get her dressed in her pjs every night, swaddle her and put her down in the oatmeal carton next to your bed. Sometimes you wake up telling me you didn't get enough sleep because your baby kept you up.

 ....really into my Tupperware. I never have any when I need it because you either have them filled with water and piled throughout the house or you are using them for your pretend picnics.

 ....still doing daily "quiet" time though in reality it is anything but quiet! I think you desperately need to revert back to naps but you fight them with your ever-so-strong will power. But anytime we strap you in a car seat in the afternoon, you are asleep in seconds. Go figure!

 ....a little heater bug! You are always claiming to be hot and are rarely found fully clothed. I feel like the thing I say most often each day is "Isla, where are your pants?" You also love to change into your swim suit. The instant you found out we are going to Hawaii, you began to pack. I find backpacks and bags everywhere ready "for Hawaii" and your swimsuit is always in them. We have you booked for swim lessons in June and you are insisting that you will wear goggles so you "don't get your eyes wet." :) You don't hesitate one bit to tell everyone we meet about our trip.

....into asparagus! We just discovered this yesterday (yay for spring produce!) but I think you had 4 helpings at dinner alone and kept asking if you could have more. You also would eat raisins all day every day if we let you (see picture above).

....a great eldest cousin. You love your cousin Gid and especially like telling him exactly what to do. Sometimes he wants to play his own way but usually he's a good sport.

....a crack up. Lately we've been talking a lot about the weather. You coined a new term: "sunny clouds!" They are the white puffy ones we see in combination with blue sky. I love the way you think! You are also really into discussing days of the week, months of the year and the time of day. You have your birthday memorized and are beginning to be able to determine the hour of day by looking at an analog clock. 

 ....very into coloring. And taping. I think we've had a school of seahorses taped to walls around the house for a good month now. You used to just tape up tiny torn pieces of plain white paper but now you're displaying some real works of art. I love it!

....officially done with your very first dance class. I LOVED watching you "perform" on this special day. You were so brave going to this class every week and made me proud as I watched everything you learned.

....talkative yet shy, curious about everything in the world, a mama's girl, concerned for others' well-being, a great leader, a tender-hearted soul. I love you sweet girl!

Zoo FAIL

Who leaves the eastside for the zoo at 3:15 PM on a Tuesday afternoon? We do apparently! What zoo closes at 4 PM? The Woodland Park Zoo apparently! Oops. Thankfully my husband is a creative genius and turned what could have been a really disappointing sunny afternoon/evening into a fun outing. 

The girls were happy to play at the park right next to the zoo for awhile. 

 

Then Graham found a Fred Meyer gift card in his wallet and decided our next mission was to purchase a picnic dinner solely on what was left on the card. It turns out there was only $4.37 remaining...so we stretched our self-imposed rule and spent a whopping $12. If I can say so, it was officially the weirdest picnic menu ever: General Tso's Chicken, fried rice, a southern green pea and bacon salad, a loaf of rustic bread, a wedge of mushroom blue cheese and some olives. By the time we made it to our dining destination (The Locks), the 63 degree Seattle day had turned rather frigid so we threw our blanket down inside where we had a good view of the fish ladder. The girls thought it was the best thing ever (despite the sour expression on Isla's face below) and kept telling us so. 

 After our meal we watched the water flow and the birds that were gorging themselves on the small fish pouring through.

 

 

 

 

 Twas an unexpectedly fun evening!