I just got back from Paradise! I went on a wonderful trip to Tobago with my
amazing friend Lori. There was plenty of swimming and sunbathing and a really
great boat trip with dolphins and fishing (I caught two fish) . We met great
people, had yummy home cooked meals and even went out dancing. Not being needed
for a few days is bliss and the pace there was soothing and slow.

Local food in Tobago was actually surprisingly familiar, with the exception of
cassava, plantain, foot weed and various sauces. Curry , tomato and thyme were
used in many dishes as the main seasoning. While I did bring some Umeboshi
plums, sea salt, miso, quinoa and red lentils, we mostly ate local fare that we
cooked in our little apartment kitchen.

For example:

Rice with sauteed onions, carrots, celery and garlic

Lightly curried/ginger lentils

Steamed pumpkin with onions

Fresh caught fish (Grouper, King fish, tuna, jacks) with green sauce (thyme,
garlic salt and oil) cooked outdoors over smoky sweet grass

Cucumber and tomato salad (no dressing, no lettuce)

Dessert was fresh mangoes, oranges. Once we bought homemade coconut tarts cooked
in a clay oven on the beach.

My friend Lori even showed locals how to make Polish perogies!

Ingrid’s 8th Birthday

I got back just in time for Ingrid’s birthday. We had a royal party. All guests
were requested to dress up in their king/queen, Prince/Princess outfits.

It was such a beautiful sunny day the party was held in the yard. We had crafts
at the picnic table: crowns, paper bag puppets, etc.. I was amazed at how calm
and peaceful all the 8-year old guests were.

After crafts we played games and blew up screaming balloons that we all tried to
let go into the air at the same time.

Party snacks

Watermelon

tangerines

Juice

hummus with carrots, pita and cucumber and olives

chips

We had a yummy chocolate cake with strawberries and tofu cream.

Lots of fun was had by all. One of my favorite moments was running around town
doing errands before the party, dressed as Snow White.

Whew! I wasn’t sure how that was going to go.  I was thinking…eight 10-year old girls… CHAOS! But they were amazing! They were polite, they shared, they took turns. We adults were not even needed! My friend and neighbor Annie and I decided our girls could collaborate and have one party (Khadija and Lucy have been best friends since the day they met 6 years ago and their birthdays are only weeks apart.)

The party started at six o’clock. The girls were all here by six thirty. They had made plans at school to do some kind of secret play. Each girl came with a bag of props. Annie and I were NOT invited, …but we overheard the plot. There was a marriage, a priest, a rock star. We got that much.

 Sounded great! Later we all gathered around the table for a “make your own wrap” supper.

Wraps

-whole wheat tortillas

-peanut butter and jam

-hummus

-pickles/olives

-lettuce

-fish sticks

-mustard , ketchup,nayonaise

-tofu hot dogs

-black beans with lemon and green onions

-carrot sticks

-pan fried zucchini/summer squash

After supper and a yummy cake, we spread out over the living room and made nightshirts. Oversize cotton t-shirts and some fabric markers went a long way!

Then Annie came up with a brilliant game.. we don’t really have a name for it but it starts out with a large cereal box. The kids line up and take turns picking up the box and handing it to Annie, only using their mouths (and also, no hands or knees or elbows allowed to touch the floor – you have to stay on your feet) . After everyone has a turn Annie cuts off an inch of the box. It goes on and on till the box is only centimeters high. The hilarious and amazing contortions these kids made in order to reach the box with their teeth left us awestruck and clapping. We had five winners in the end! …and basically no box left.

At this point it was after eight and we made two huge beds in our basement and settled the kids down for a movie.  After the movie there was some whispering and some giggles but by eleven they were all settled down and sleeping.

In the morning bright and early I heard them at it again with the giggles.  We got them to get up and get dressed and gather their things and to head over to Annie’s apartment where she was hosting the pancake breakfast and a morning Twister game!

What a great party!

It can be really easy to get stressed out over birthday parties! Whether it’s for you, your husband, sibling, friends or children! The easiest is to do something outside if possible. Less mess, less clean up and less hectic energy if you invited lots of people!  My daughter is turning 10 on Feb 23rd. This year she wants to have a sleepover….I’m undecided still on that one! In years past we have had her party in the community room where we live. With themes such as Flowers or Purple ( I even made a purple cake with grapes all over it!) We have done crafts, played musical chairs and hot potato. I provided snacks and a birthday cake and we invited a bunch of kids and they ran around for 2 hours! I like to invite the same amount of children as how old my child is turning.  It seems to work out best.

last year for Lucy’s Birthday we had a quiet dinner with just family. Then on the following weekend she invited 3 friends over for pizza

and we all went out to a movie! that was also fun. For Ingrid who has a spring birthday it’s always outside! She likes to go on birthday walks/hikes

and have balloon games in our yard and play dress up! One year she had a Royal party, only royalty invited! I dressed up as snow white and we had a lot of kings and queens and princesses around! Fun thing about outside parties is that the kids usually play on the grass or jungle gym and watermelon is a great snack! and you can invite twice as many people!

Felix’s birthday is in the summertime . We tend to be back up in Canada, so there is lots of family! Sometimes he gets 2 parties! one at our house and one at a grandparents house. The theme over the last many years is usually cars/trucks/dirt! At the beach or at our farm. We had a truck party last year. Invited kids who liked to play in the dirt and race dinky cars. He even had dinky cars driving across his cake!!

My brother in law likes to make up outdoor games like follow the trail he cuts in the grass with the lawnmower all around our large property. He also does an amazing scavenger hunt with handmade cards with clues that take you all over the yard, garden and woods in search of hidden treasures!

Some fun snacks for  birthdays  :

Veggie wraps- Saute tofu, greens and Hommous wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla!

Dips and spreads

fresh fruit like watermelon or fruit kabobs

a homemade cake is always fun and of course if the kids get involved in the snack making they always end up eating more!

Pan’s Birthday cake With help from Christina Pirello’s Cooking the Whole foods way on this one!!!

4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup shredded coconut– unsweetened
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup olive oil
1 cup brown rice syrup
2 teaspoons brown rice vinegar
2 cups vanilla soy milk
frosting
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1 cup amasake
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup
1 pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons kuzu
2 cups non-dairy chocolate chips
1/2 cup shredded coconut — unsweetened
1 cup pecan pieces — toasted

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil and flour two,
9 in. round cake pans. Use cocoa powder and place of flour to
avoid white deposits on your cakes. Whisk together dry ingredients.
Stir in oil, rice syrup and brown rice vinegar. Slowly add soymilk
to create a smooth spoonable cake batter.

Divide the batter evenly between pans and bake until the center of
the cake springs back to attach or a toothpick comes out clean,
35 to 40 minutes. Cool ten minutes before removing from pan, transfer
to a wire rack and cool completely.

Prepare the frosting by combining even bland, amasake, rice syrup,
salt and vanilla in a saucepan and place over medium heat. When the
liquid is warmed through, stirring the dissolved kuzu, stirring until the
mixture thickens about three minutes. Stir in chocolate chips, stirring
until the mixture thickens and turns smooth. Fold in coconut.

Transfer to he resisted bowl and cover. Set aside until firm, about 15
minutes. To assemble the cake, using a serrated knife, slice off the top
of what it takes to create a flat surface and place on a platter. Spoon a
generous layer frosting over cake. Press the cake into the frosting.
Spread frosting over top and sides of cake. Press over tops and sides
if you have any left over.