Farmers Market Goodies

Today my mom was driving and we noticed a little farmers market on the side of the road. We decided to stop and see what kind of treats were inside.

My mom described it as having an old school look to it.

Since it was above 80 degrees today in Florida, I decided to get a cool drink.

Some of the drinks had funny names. I love trying new flavors of soda.

We love buying fresh produce. So while at the farmers market I decided to gather some fresh veggies to take home and cook with. There was such a large selection of  peppers and fruits. We bought some okra that we plan on adding to a stew and a poblano pepper that we will add to some homemade guacamole.

The peppers had such a nice smell

There were also some healthy snacks available, so we decided to get some for the long ride back home.

Its a good thing to always read the ingredients. These chips were all natural. Sweet potatoes and sea salt. They were so good :-D

This Market is definitely on our favorite list. Its so important to support local farmers. If you have a farmers market in your neighborhood, you should buy produce from them. It will be fresher and healthier for you. Shop local and Enjoy!!

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If you are in the Lutz, Florida area check out  Friendly Family Farm. This is the link to their Facebook Page. Click Here

The Best Broccoli Cheddar Soup EVER!! (Dairy Free)

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While in the garden today I noticed that the warm weather was starting to make our broccoli bolt. So I decided to harvest the broccoli before it was to late to eat it. My mom likes soups, so I decided to make my moms recipe for broccoli cheddar soup. There is a twist to this soup. It is completely dairy free. Even though it is dairy free, it is still supper creamy and very yummy and very good for you.

This is our broccoli from our backyard garden

Lets get started!!!

Ingredients: 1 head of broccoli, 2 small onions, 9 baby carrots, 2 medium size potatoes, 4 cloves of garlic, Oil of choice (I used Safflower oil), Vegan Cheese (This brand is Dairy free and soy free, we bought it from Whole Foods), Garlic powder, Onion Powder,Salt, Pepper, Smoked Paprika, and nutritional yeast.

Start off by dicing the onions broccoli and garlic. I halved the potatoes to help them cook faster.

                                            

1)Fill a pot with water. Once it starts to boil add in your potatoes and carrots

                    2) In another pot, add 3 Tbs oil  1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and saute onions, garlic                             and broccoli for about a min.

3) Add 1/2 Cup milk of your choice.(I used Almond Milk) Turn heat to low while you prepare the "Cheese Sauce" 

Most people don't know that you can make a GUILT FREE cheese sauce out of a few simple ingredients.  The spices used, will give the "Cheese Sauce" the nice cheesy flavor we all love. The carrots will give that nice yellow color. The starch from the potatoes will give us that nice creamy texture. 

    4) Once the potatoes and carrots are tender add them along with about 1/4 cup of the water from the pot to a high powered blender. 

5) Add spices,    2 TBS Nutritional Yeast (This can be found at your local health food market. Nutritional Yeast is very important, this has a cheese flavor that this dish needs), 

                1/2 TBS Onion powder

                 1/2 TBS Garlic Powder

               1/4 Tsp Salt or to taste

 and the secret ingredient, 1/4 Tsp SMOKED PAPRIKA :-) This will give the cheese sauce an amazing flavor. You will be able to fool the pickiest of kid eaters into thinking it is really cheese sauce.  

Once your potatoes, carrots and spices are blended, add to the veggies and milk and give it a stir.

                                      Garnish with Vegan cheese and croutons and ENJOY!!


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Meatless Mondays- Lemongrass & Ginger Stir-Fry

     Happy Monday everyone. Me and my mom have been trying to eat healthy lately. We have been having fun trying different recipes that are made with lots of fresh veggies. We grow most of our own veggies in our backyard. I will give you all a tour of our garden one day soon. My mom eats vegan about 60% of the time. Now she wants me to eat more plant based meals. We thought that it might be fun to make Mondays recipes, meat-less and sometimes 100% Vegan. Today we will Stir-Fry some fresh veggies with our new Wok that my auntie bought for us. We have been eating a lot of Asian meals lately. This dish has some yummy Asian ingredients
.

Lemongrass & Ginger Stir-Fry

These are the 3 main ingredients: Lemongrass powder, Fish Sauce and Hoisin Sauce

Ask an adult to help if using a sharp knife

Heat Oil in Wok. I put the burner to MedHigh

1) Mix Lemongrass powder, Hoisin Sauce, and Fish Sauce in mixing bowl.
2) Add Veggies to hot WOK saute for about 3 mins are until Veggies are tender.
3) Add sauce to Veggies

Stir until Sauce has covered all veggies and starts to bubble. It should start to smell really good :-) Cook for another minute or two and serve. 

This dish is good by itself or served over steamed Jasmine rice. Enjoy!!

Sweet Potato Tempura Video- Coming soon

                            Avocado sushi, sweet potato tempura and lemongrass and ginger 

                                                                               shrimp with white rice  

                           



My mom and I love Asian food. I was three years old the first time I tried sushi. I have been eating it ever since. My mom let me eat all types of food since I was really little. That's why even though I am eight I am not afraid to try new foods. The sushi we made was soooo good. Even though I enjoyed the sushi, the best part of this dish was the sweet potato tempura.

Soon I will upload a video showing our homemade Tempura batter recipe. If you always wanted to try Veggie tempura at home, stay tuned for my up coming video.

Half Pint is back in the Kitchen

Half Pints Kitchen is back in Service.

 A lot has changed since her last recipe was uploaded. We Moved from up north to the oh so wonderful "Sunshine State". The diversity here has inspired so many yummy dishes. We will be updating more regularly. Stay tuned because we are about to go on a culinary adventure.

Time 4 Learning- Home School Program

      The last few months Half pint has been using the Time 4 Learning Program and she absolutely LOVES it. The animated videos get her engaged and interested in learning. Being that she is a visual learner, this program is perfect for her. I also like the fact that all work is saved and organized so that I can print out a list of all completed assignments and show to which ever certified teacher I get to do her yearly evaluation.
        This program also has an option that no other program has. If your child is in the 4th grade and is doing exceptionally well in mathematics, they have the option to jump ahead to 5th grade level mathematics. Meanwhile all of the other subjects remain at the 4th grade level. Now, lets say they are struggling with reading. They can go down 1 grade level until they feel prepared enough to go to their original level.
           Teaching my daughter at home has not always been easy. So when I came across this program I was so relieved. Lesson planning is definitely my weakest point. But now that I have this Program I feel more confident that she is learning at a steady pace. I plan on keeping Time for Learning as part of her curriculum all the way through high school.   http://www.time4learning.com/