A few friends and I were planning to take a Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga class yesterday morning but it was cancelled due to potential rain / storms so instead Miss C and I spent a few hours in the kitchen making two things on my “make” list: Whole Wheat Tortillas from 100 Days of Real Food and Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Enchilada Sauce from She Likes Food. The E man started school (1st grade!!) on the 13th (his birthday) and since then it seems we have a very different 3-year old here at home. She has been much calmer and has thrown far fewer tantrums. I’ve enjoyed being with her so much more and have felt less anxiety overall. Unfortunately, I think she and her brother can bring out the worst in each other. If he were home we wouldn’t have been able to have such a long peaceful time in the kitchen.
This first pic is of the Whole Wheat Tortillas after we mixed them up, divided them into individual pieces, and rolled them into balls. After this we flattened them a bit with the palms of our hands, covered them with plastic wrap and let them rest for about 20 minutes. I modified the tortilla recipe by adding a few tablespoons of whole chia seeds and ground flaxseed, and a combo of extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil (melted).
While the tortillas were resting we got to work prepping the Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Enchilada Sauce. We roasted a red bell pepper and a 28 oz. can of drained whole peeled tomatoes. I modified the enchilada sauce recipe by using just one pepper, the can of tomatoes, and a combination of chicken broth and water as the added liquid.
This next pic is of the finished sauce. Even after adding extra liquid I find the sauce to be a little thick but I figure I can always add extra liquid when I use it in a recipe. I definitely should have used a bigger sauce pan. It seemed to spill out over the edges each time I stirred in this tiny pot. Not sure what I was thinking when I pulled this pot out to use 🙂
C helped a little with the tortilla prep and then she wanted to paint. On most days I’d have said no to her request to paint but since she’s been doing so good behavior wise and seems to be really into crafts lately I went for it. She had a great time painting a little wooden doll and herself (well, mostly herself). I was smart and put a giant piece of art paper down on the table first.
While I worked on some other kitchen tasks she moved on to play “water station.” This is what we’ve affectionately named her activity of playing in the sink with the dishes. She mostly pours water from one dish to another, turns the water on and off and has a few turns at the garbage disposal. She entertains herself for quite a while doing this and just gets a little (or sometimes a lot) wet.
It was finally time to get to work pressing and cooking the tortillas. Miss C wanted to help again so I designated her the tortilla press operator. She found it amazing how easy it was to put the dough in the press, push down and then open it up to find a nice thin and flat tortilla.
I used our crepe pan to cook the tortillas for a short time on each side and then transferred them to a baking sheet to cool (I put small pieces of parchment paper in between each one to keep them from sticking).
After they cooled I stacked them into one big stack and put them in a plastic bag in the fridge. I ended up using a few later that night for the kids dinner. I heated them for about 20 seconds in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel and was surprised how pliable they became. I threw together a quick and yummy black bean, chicken, avocado, and enchilada sauce filling, placed a large spoonful onto each tortilla and then rolled them into mini burritos. I put a little melted coconut oil on top of each burrito and then baked them for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. The kids thought they were delicious.
After our morning in the kitchen I owed C some outside time on her beloved bike. So, we went out for a bit before she headed off to a friend’s house while I went to a yoga class to make up for the cancelled a.m. class with my dear friend (who is sadly moving away very soon).
It was a productive and fun morning. While it takes time to make things like tortillas and sauces from scratch, it sure feels good to eat food without all the additives that are in most store bought alternatives. And it’s a great way to share my love for the kitchen with my kids.
It never ended up raining in the morning yesterday so too bad the SUP class was cancelled. However it did rain today and C and her little girlfriends had a blast playing in the rain and getting soaked. She talked about how fun it was the whole way home.
Since I included so many pics of C in this post I thought I’d share a few of the E man. This first one is of his first day of school (and his birthday) on the 13th. He loves school so didn’t mind that they both happened on the same day. He was even dressed in his school colors – a gift from Grandma for his birthday.
Later that evening we celebrated his birthday with cupcakes from Gigi’s. Yum!
This last one is how I found him asleep the other night. He had been writing in his journal and passed out with his journal and pen on his lap. The night after he fell asleep with the pencil still in his hand! He’s a funny guy.
enspire balance 