Butternut Squash Soup

As a continuation of my March break cooking, I decided to make one of my favourite meals, butternut squash soup!  This is a recipe I have made many times before, but have never made in a Crock-Pot. For this recipe I based it off of a recipe I found on the website running on real food but also added some of my own ingredients to it as well. The recipe was fairly simple, and the soup is actually really easy to make.

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks, approx. 8 cups once cubed (if it's more or less than that no problem, adjust amount of liquid so squash is just covered)

½ white onion, roughly chopped

5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped ( I only used two, as five seemed like a lot)

5 cups vegetable stock (or just enough to cover the squash)

salt and pepper, to taste

I also added:

* Cayenne pepper ( just a pinch)

* 1/2 a cup of whipping cream

* 2 apples (peeled)

One thing that the recipe does not mention is how hard it is to cut through a butternut squash.  Since I have made this dish before I have found that microwaving the squash really helps with this.  Poke the butternut squash with a fork all over before putting it in the microwave for about three minutes. Let it cool and then the skin is much easier to peel off, and the squash is much easier to cut through. This actually ends up saving you a lot of time.

Once my squash was peeled, I used a spoon to get rid of all of the seeds inside and then cut it into cubes. From there I cut up the onion and garlic and added the rest of the ingredients to the Crock-Pot.

I let the ingredients cook for about 2 hours on a low temperature. Once the butternut squash  was tender and started to fall apart then I used a hand blender to mix the ingredients together. As an addition I decided to break my rule a little and add half a cup of whipping cream in order to make the soup a little more rich. As well I added a few shakes of cayenne pepper in order to give the soup a little more flavor.

The soup ended up being delicious!  Although, it was a little spicy for me ( went a little too strong on the cayenne pepper).  My mom also loved it.  This was one of my favourite dishes to make as it is so easy, and butternut squash soup is the perfect comfort food!

March Break Cooking

So finally, we have reached March Break!  As classes are coming to an end and my second placement is starting soon, I feel like I have been incredibly busy.  I have not been cooking as much as I had hoped to, so I have taken march break as some cooking time! I am back at home and have been making a few crockpot meals for my mom and I.  Last weekend we had some pork chops in the fridge so I decided to try making slow cooker Dijon pork chops and potatoes.  The recipe seemed fairly easy and sounded delicious.

1 can (10.75 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

¼ cup chicken broth

¼ cup whole grain Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

6 medium red potatoes, sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

6 boneless pork loin chops (about 1-inch thick)  - I used 3 instead of 4

1 tbs oil for browning

For this recipe I had only 3 pork chops instead of 3, so I originally was going to cut the sauce in half. Once I started doing this I felt like it was enough, so I decided to keep the full sauce amount.

After frying the pork chops (just to get them brown on each side) I added them to the Crock-Pot with the sliced potatoes and the rest of the ingredients for the sauce. I then set my timer for 4 hours and proceeded to have a well deserved nap.  Little did I know, I did not actually turn the crock pot on. Instead, I just turned it to the 'keep warm' setting.  It is very frustrating to wake up from a two hour nap only to realize that your food was not cooking that entire time.  Thankfully once i turned the Crock-Pot on, the food actually started to cook much quicker than I thought it would. So, instead of being done at 6pm the meal was finishing cooking at 7:30pm.

Although it looks pretty bland in the picture, the meal turned out delicious!  I broke my rule a little bit with the can of condensed mushroom soup, but overall this meal worked really well and was a hit with my mom too.  I would definitely make this meal again. it was quick and easy ( once I actually turned the Crock-Pot on) and tasted delicious!

Stay tuned for my next post when i make my one of my favourite meals - Butternut squash soup!!

Tech exploration

Throughout my tech class this morning, I had the opportunity to explore a variety of tech applications that I could use in a future classroom. We were able to use a jigsaw activity in order to explore as many tech applications as possible. I have always enjoyed the use of jigsaw strategies, as it is a great way to get through a ton of information, and it has the ability to keep students accountable for their own work and ensuring that they stay on task.

In my own future classroom, I could see myself using this strategy in a variety of subjects. In terms, of tech, I think its a great way to have students present information. For example, you could have students learn about an app that could help them present a topic (ex- Prezi, google slides, etc). From there they could research a topic, and use the app that they have learned about to present that topic. This would allow them to present the topic in a unique way, as well as introduce students to the variety of app that they can use to present information.

A lot of the tech app that we learned about today are something that I see as being incredibly beneficial to my future classroom. One app that stood out to me was the Socrative app. This application allows teachers to create quizzes, activities and games in order to enhance and monitor student learning. Additionally, this app allows teachers to monitory the progress and learning of their students, and see where they may be struggling when it comes to quizzes or educational games. I can see this being incredibly useful in a future classroom, as it is a great way to engage students as well as monitor their progress.

Overall, it is amazing to see how many apps are available for teacher and classrooms that could play an amazing role in student learning if utilized properly! I am so excited to begin to use these new tools in my practicum and future classrooms.

Banning Homework?

This week I was able to the read an article published by Valerie Strauss in the Washington Post titled "What happened when one school banned homework- and asked kids to read and play instead".  Right off the bat this article peaked my interest, as I have always questioned whether giving homework to students is truly beneficial to them. The article explained that one school in Vermont unanimously decided to try an experiment of not giving homework for the year, and instead encouraging children to read (alone or with parents), play outside, and eat dinner with their family. The principal of this school reported that all classrooms in his school followed this idea, and it was posted on the schools official website.

Six months in to the 'experiment' the principal noticed that this ended up being a large success. Students were not falling behind as much academically.  Although some parents were concerned about whether this was really preparing them for middle school and high school, teachers were noticing a difference in their students and most parents were on board with the project.

I absolutely love this idea of no homework, and having students read instead. I found that in my placement school the students who struggled with reading ended up struggling in every subject. being able to read is such a crucial skills for students to have. Even in math, they need to know how to read in order to accurately understand and complete word problems. Reading every night as opposed to doing other homework would be beneficial to ensure that students are working on their reading skills, and are moving forward in all other projects.

It's an interesting topic to think about, and I am sure everyone has their own side and opinion to this story. Ultimately, I feel that this could be a great idea to implement in a classroom, and would be interesting to see the outcome.

Honey Garlic Chicken Success

After a little cooking hiatus due to having a nasty cold (also probably laziness) I decided to make honey garlic chicken this past weekend. This recipe was actually a recipe created to follow the weight watchers program. As well, it actually followed my criteria of being more towards the healthy side, as well as not having any dairy in the recipe. The website for this recipe actually allows you to change the number of people you are cooking the recipe for, which was very helpful. 

For three people the recipe called for:

• 1lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into chunks
• 1 1/2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tbsp + 2tsp low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp + 2 tsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/16  tsp red pepper flakes (which I ended up switching for an Asian spice mix I found)

The recipe actually was pretty easy and quick. The recipe called for a five minute prep time, and a four hour cooking time, on low. The recipe began with cubing the chicken, and then mixing the ingredients to create the sauce.

In all honesty, at first the sauce looked kind of gross, and I was a little scared to taste test it. Once it was added to the cubed chicken in the Crock-Pot, it looked a little bit more appetizing and more like the honey garlic chicken that I was picturing in my head. After mixing the chicken and the sauce in the slow cooker, it did look a little sad in terms of portion, but I think I also need to realize the Crock-Pot is quite large. This means that when I am cooking for just myself, or only three people, the portions are going to look off.

It looks liked a tiny amount, but it did end up feeding three people!  From there I continued to check on the chicken and stir it every 20-30 minutes. I noticed that the chicken actually seemed to be cooked within 2.5- 3 hours, on low.  This is the first time I have cooked a Crock-Pot meal and not lost my patience and did not end up turning the temperature from high to low.  YAY!
 The recipe ended up giving an option that if you wanted to create a crunchier chicken, that you could put the chicken in the over with the broiler on for five minutes once it was cooked, so I decided I would give this a try.

This ended up making the chicken crunchy on the outside, but moist on the inside. It ended up being delicious and I would highly recommend this recipe.  As I was waiting for this to finish cooking I was able to clean, do a quick workout, as well as make sides of steamed veggies with cheese sauce (breaking my rule a bit here).

Although the picture does not do the meal much justice, it turned out really good! I was super impressed and it is a fairly cheap meal that I would definitely make again!  My stomach was also much happier with this meal, and it also made me feel better that I has chosen a meal that was from a weight watchers website and utilized healthier options to create a delicious dish.

I am very excited and motivated to create the next dish!

Comprehensive Literacy

Over the past semester and a half, my language class has been looking at the components of a comprehensive literacy program, in order to bring one into our future classrooms. Based on this concept, I have made an info graphic using Picktochart.   Check it out!

The Comprehensive or balanced literacy program, is a way to ensure that our students are able to develop various literacy skills and habit that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. I chose to create my info graphic using the key foundations to this program, and reading top down. I chose only a few key words in order to ensure that the info graphic stayed interested and grabbed readers attention. At the top I started with the forms of participation. This program can be done using three main forms, individual, small group and whole class. This range of participation allows for students to work to meet their own needs, as well as allows them to develop communication and collaboration skills which are essential in learning and socializing. 

The next major section that I touched on was the gradual release of responsibility, and but this in linear left-to-right fashion in order to ensure that the reader understand the stages. I used arrows to show that each area leads into the next, as they are a way to scaffold up to the ultimate goal of having students work independently on their projects and assignments.

In the next section, I gave an example of what a 100 minute literacy block could look like.  This allows the reader to see how they could set up their own classroom. I think this gives a better visual to the idea of the comprehensive literacy classroom, while also showing the choice and variety that can be included in this classroom. Below this I gave a list of what each teacher choice, whole class lesson, and student choice would be in order for readers to better under the 100 minute schedule. The amount of choice involve in this shows just how engaging and interesting this program can be for students.

Finally, I ended my info graphic with the Ontario Curriculum.  I thought that this would be at the end of my info graphic because it is the base of the entire program. A balanced/comprehensive literacy classroom must be rooted in the Ontario curriculum expectations in order for it to succeed and meet ministry standard. These four strand of the curriculum are key for the program to succeed.

Five Artifacts

1) Ontario Language Arts Curriculum-  The idea of a balanced /comprehensive literacy program is rooted directly in the Ontario Language Arts Curriculum.  Each portion of this program is based around curriculum expectations. This is what makes up the knowledge that this program gives to students.

2) Nelson Literacy (http://www.nelsonliteracy.com/)-  One resource that I found very helpful while I was implementing a literacy unit in my own block was some Nelson Literacy texts. I found that they were a great starting point when I was thinking about how to go about a lesson, or what resources to use. I found that I did not follow their units, but I used a lot of the worksheets, articles and ideas that the books gave.  These can be a great resource to use to start looking at how you are going to structure your lessons, what questions to ask, and what resource to use!

3) http://www.k12reader.com/category/balanced-literacy/ - This website has a bunch of articles on the various sections of a balanced literacy program. These articles are great ways to get a better understanding on things like guided reading or word study, in order to better incorporate them into your own classroom.

4) http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/paying_attention_literacy.pdf - This website is an article launched by the ministry of Ontario. The article allows you to get a glimpse at some of the key principles for improving literacy for grades K-12.

5)http://www.hpedsb.on.ca/ec/services/cst/elementary/literacy/documents/ReadingComponentsofBalancedLiteracy.pdf  -  Finally, this website gives the reader an explanation of the reading components of balanced literacy.  The article explains what the student and teacher should be doing through the different reading components, and how to bring this into your classroom.

The Superbowl and Food Allergies

I realize I am a wee bit late writing this post, but better late than never, right?! With last Sunday being the superbowl, I ended up making two Crock-Pot dishes in one weekend. I figured that to go with the Superbowl theme, I would make a Buffalo Chicken Dip, which of course I found on Pinterest. The recipe actually seemed very simple.

2 chicken breasts or thighs

3 oz buffalo chicken sauce

4 oz cream cheese (half a container)

4 oz ranch or blue cheese dressing

1 stalk celery, chopped   ( I hate celery with quite a passion, so this was not included in my dip)

1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheese   ( I also opted for no cheese, as this dip seemed cheesey enough!)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Now, as per my usual way of Crock-Pot cooking, I pretty much took the recipe and then did my own thing. I added the 4oz of cream cheese to my Crock-pot and was thoroughly disappointed with how little this amount was. I didn't take a photo, but it really was a sad amount.  With how big my chicken breasts were, and how hungry I was, this did not seem like reasonable amount, so I added another carton of cream cheese.  Since the recipe was already off, I just added the rest of the ingredients as I went, and just taste tested to see if it tasted alright.

Now once all this cream cheese had melted in with the other ingredients, I realized I had made a large amount of dip.  WAY more than was necessary. I figure that I could just keep the rest, and between myself, and my roommates we would end up finishing it.

The dip ended up not taking long at all to cook, which was perfect.  My boyfriend was still up, we had N'aan bread to dip, the game was on, everything was perfect! 

Now, take into account that this dip had about 10 oz of cream cheese, and who knows how much ranch dressing. I actually have a lactose sensitivity.  I like to pretend that I do not have this condition, because I truly believe cheese is one of the best foods on the planet.   I ate more of this dip than I really should have, which resulted in a night of an upset stomach, bloating, and completely regretting my decision.

When I started this project I had the goal of not only using my Crock-Pot, but also finding healthier meal options and saving money.  This meal did 1/3 of these things.  In no way was this dip healthy, and it clearly did not meet my own dietary needs. I also ended up having to throw the dip away, as I couldn't even look at it after how much it upset my stomach and brought on my lactose intolerance flare ups. This meant that I was wasting money as I didn't eat all of the ingredients that I bought for this dip. Although this is my own fault, as I know my dietary needs, it made me realize that I need to be choosing dishes that are healthier for me, as well as ACTUALLY FOLLOWING THE RECIPE.

I think this is the issue that I have been having the hardest time with, so my goal for the rest of this project is to try and choose healthier meals, and meals that cater to my own dietary needs. By not doing this so far, and not following recipes properly, I have just been losing money and hurting myself. I don't think I realized how much of a learning journey using a Crock-Pot would be, but I am glad that I am making mistakes that I can learn from for next time!

Tune in next week as I try to cook a meal that is cheap, healthy and WHERE I ACTUALLY FOLLOW THE RECIPE!