For safe keeping, found on iVillage.

Serving: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp olive oil
4 large zucchinis, thinly sliced lengthwise
4 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 Vidalia onions, very thinly sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup grated cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Spread 1 tablespoon of the oil on the bottom of a large flameproof gratin dish or shallow casserole. Arrange half the zucchini over the bottom, then add a layer of half the tomatoes and then half the onions.

3. Add half the basil and thyme and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add half the cheese.

4. Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients, topping the remaining cheese. (The dish can be made an hour or two ahead up to this point.)

5. Bake the lasagna for about 30 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender and the cheese is melted. Place under the broiler for the last 3 minutes of cooking.

Categories: cooking, food, recipes
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I came across this idea from the Natural Living community on LiveJournal. The original poster’s younger sister is moving into her first apartment, so she had the idea of putting together a gift basket of basic cleaning supplies. What a great idea!

Here’s the list, modified slightly and added a few other things recommended by the members:

• A bucket or small trash can
• Large bottle of Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap (stick with peppermint or Baby Mild)
• Large box of baking soda
• Gallon of white vinegar
• A ton of rags (microfiber, flour sacks, bar mops, etc; recycled/re-purposed materials is best)
• A booklet of the 1000+ uses of vinegar and baking soda (find tips from sites such as vinegartips.com)
• Empty spray bottles
• A box of Borax
• A good scrub brush

Categories: home, ideas
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Because my time is often at the whimsy of the baby, there are times when I just don’t have the time to make a decent breakfast, lunch, or snack. I need something that’s satisfying and of course, tasty, so I thought I’d try to make some oatmeal bars. I searched online for an easy recipe that also didn’t include any dairy (since I seem to have retained a bit of lactose intolerance from my pregnancy). Below is the recipe that I plan on going with:

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats, either quick cooking or old fashioned
• 1 cup whole spelt or whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup packed natural brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup expeller pressed canola oil
• 5 tablespoons orange juice, divided
• 1/2 cup fruit sweetened black cherry preserves

Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine oats, flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, sunflower seeds and cherries in a large bowl. Add oil and 3 tablespoons orange juice, mixing well until all ingredients are fully combined. Reserve a half cup and press the rest into a lightly oiled 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice with the cherry preserves and spread evenly over the oat mixture in the pan. Sprinkle reserved oat mixture over the top and press down lightly with fingers. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Cool in the pan on a wire rack then cut into bars or squares. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 16 bars.

Nutrition Info
Per serving (1 bar/47g-wt.): 190 calories (80 from fat), 9g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 3g protein, 26g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 14g sugar), 0mg cholesterol, 60mg sodium

Categories: food, recipes
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By the by, I totally forgot to mention here that I’ve started to blog with the gang over at the OC Metblogs. Please check us out!

Categories: news
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I couldn’t get away during the week to check out the farmers’ market, so I ended up going back to Irvine on Saturday. I hauled back a lot of fresh, yummy fruit, including ginormous strawberries, “fruit punch” pluots, and some lovely nectarines from the Sweet Tree Farms booth.

After a while, you start to get to know the regular vendors at the markets. For example, I love stopping by the Black Market Bakery’s booth, or the one who sells all the yummy flavored hummus, flatbread, and baklava. Sweet Tree Farms is one of the newer booths I’ve started to buy from regularly. The farm was founded in 2005 by Annie Florendo, and all their products are organically grown (they are in the process of being certified). I just love their fruits, and the fact that the farm’s owner is a woman is a plus.

Categories: food, shopping
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I just saw a news bit in the OC Register that Starbucks is planning to close 600 shops between July 2008 and March 2009. On the surface I say, “THANK GOD!” but I also understand that this means a lot of people will be losing their jobs. Not just that, but having fewer Starbucks around doesn’t necessarily mean smaller, independent cafes will make a comeback. This all could just mean that more and more people aren’t as willing to pay $4 for their cup of coffee.

If you’re a Starbucks junkie, why not start weaning yourself by checking out nicer shops with better coffee? For starters, there’s The Lost Bean in Tustin, where they serve a variety of organic coffee and tea (and tasty treats as well — try the oatmeal bars). If you’re further south, there’s Kéan Coffee in Newport Beach, owned by Martin Diedrich (of Diedrich Coffee, before the Starbucks takeover). Finally, why not save on gas (and stay out of the heat) by brewing a cup at home?

Categories: coffee
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