The First Days of Fall

It has been feeling more like fall these days in Seattle. The tempurature is in the 60′s. It has been rainy, but with little bits of sunshine. And with the fall, starts school. Zoey’s new co-op preschool starts on Monday. I am now a part of the board for her co-op. I am on the Parent Advisory Council. It is pretty interesting. We had a meeting already. I am also on an education committee which brings in events for North Seattle Community College for parent education. So, that will be fun!

Zoey has been going to the Little Gym also (every week). We got to play with the parachute again this week. She likes to go off on her own in this class (which is perfectly fine). It is interesting to see her with the other kids. She doesn’t mind too much when they run into her or take her ball or skip her turn. Zo has also been into sticking out her tongue while running or doing thoughtful tasks.

Her latest feats are eating a whole apple (skinned but still with the core). That was cool. Zoey can also reach the kitchen counter. uh oh. She can also walked with me from the car to/from whereever we are going (library, store, home, etc.) Our new rule is that we have to hold hands in a parking lot.

In other news, Evan has been super busy with work stuff. I have been working on getting more students this year. So far I have two new ones within the past three weeks. YAY! The other fun thing is all the cool books on cd I have gotten from the library. It has made my morning runs very educational. I have put about 5 motivational cd sets on the ipod so far. One author I am really interested in is Carolyn Myss. She is facinating and has very thoughtful things to think about.

We made a really nice soup today inspired by Nicole’s White Bean Soup, Squash and White Bean Soup. Here is the recipe:

1 small onion
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups water or vegetable stock
1 butternut, kabucha or hubbard squash, peeled and cut into cubes (about 7 cups) – we used some frozen cooked squash
1 tablespoon minced, fresh ginger or 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 tablespoon miso
1 tablespoon tahini
2 cups cooked white beans
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley or watercress
salt and pepper to taste

In a larger soup pot over medium-low heat, add onion and oil. Stir gently to spread and then cook for about 15 minutes without stirring until onions are brown and carmelized. Stir in garlic. Add water or stock and squash. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat and simmer 30 minutes until squash is tender (the frozen cooked squash saves this step.) Puree squash mixture in blender or food processor with spices , miso and tahini. Add water if soup is too thick. Return to pot and stir in beans and parsley or watercress over low heat. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds or squash seeds if desired. Serves 6. Lots of vitamins minerals and protein here! YUM!

And last but definitely not least, we are looking forward to Evan’s birthday (the 23rd), my sister’s birthday (the 22nd) and my Dad’s birthday (10/6)! They are coming up soon!

And of course, Happy Birthday, Grandpa Allan!