Granola and Climber Girl

Hi Ladies!  Thanks for all of the kind birthday wishes you sent to Noah.  He had a great day.  

I have been on a granola kick lately and wondered if anyone of you has a favorite granola recipe.  

Anyway, here are a couple of recipes.  The first is for the stuffed sandwich from Christmas and the second is a soup recipe that is really yummy though the boys don't like it b/c it has spinach and mushrooms.  (Kitty, this is the soup we had at Rhonda's house on Halloween.)  Both of these recipes are easy and freezeable, so I'll sometimes make a double batch and stick one in the freezer for a busy night.

Btw, Natalie started climbing out of her crib and we've had to modify her bed into a toddler bed, which has been challenging!!  She is such a crazy climber.  In the first attached picture she has climbed onto the sink of her new play kitchen and did a headstand and then called for me to look at her...  (And I thought, "Oh, a girl--won't it be nice finally to have some quiet play around here!" That was a nice delusion while it lasted. :)

From Joel: the other pics are pretty much self-explanatory.  Nattie Kate also likes to be a bumble bee from time to time (and apparently needs eye protection for those winter flights).  Noah recently used some of his own money to buy a suit for going with me to court, etc.  He went with me all day today to a real estate deal and county commission appearance (I liked this pic of him on the phone).  And then there's our adorable red.

Stuffed French Bread

1 loaf french bread split in half lengthwise

1 stick low-fat yogurt spread or butter

1/2 cup nonfat cream cheese 

1/2 cup yellow onion diced

1 tablespoon dreid parsley

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 cup sausage, cooked and crumbled ( can use turkey or chicken sausage)

sliced deli ham or Canadian bacon

sliced Swiss cheese

In a large bowl, cream together spread, cream cheese, onion, parsley, and poppy seeds with mixer.  Blend in the sausage into the cream cheese mixture.  Spread the mixture evenly on the bread halves.  Layer the Canadian bacon or ham on the bottom half of the loaf and top with the Swiss cheese slices,. Place top half of the bread over the toppings and wrap tightly in foil.  

Preheat oven to 400 or grill to med heat.  Bake the bread in foil for 15 min.  ( I don't think 15 minutes is enough to get the cheese melted!)

Three Cheese and Spinach Soup

1/4 cup low fat yogurt spread or butter

5 tablespoons flour

1 cup button mushrooms, sliced

1 scallion, chopped

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups nonfat milk

1 cup nonfat cream cheese

1 cup (4 oz) shredded Swiss cheese

4 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 10 oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained ( or fresh spinach)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Melt spread in a large soup pot over med.  heat. Add flour and whisk until golden, 2-3 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and scallions and saute until tender, about 3 minutes.  Whisk in the chicken broth and milk and stir until thickened, 5-10 min.  Add cream cheese, Swiss cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and stir until the cheese is melted.  Add the spinach and stir.  Simmer the soup for 10-15 minutes, sitrring gently.   Garnish with Parmesan cheese.