"You don't know what you've got till its gone".  Well, we are allfeeling Kevin's work-induced absence. Not having that extra pair of hands around makes a big difference to what gets done...and my sanity. It means my opportunities to recharge and create are few and far between.  Like Monday's post said, I have been focusing on things that are quick and satisfying so I don't feel like I am always being interrupted from a big project.  It is purely a psychological trick, I know, but it makes me feel better to finish something.

My quick-make meal of the moment is this quinoa dish.  I don't normally share recipes because I don't ever measure anything so its difficult to pass it on...but I will try as this is a good one!

Qat's Quick Quinoa
1 1/2 cup quinoa
a splash of extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups kale or spinach, chopped (frozen leaf spinach works great for this, but defrost first)
1 cup quorn chicken-style pieces (optional)
1 can white beans, drained (butter or cannellini)
1/3 cup pesto
1 cup canned tomatoes
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted if you like
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
Garlic to taste

1. Cook quinoa according to the directions or however you do it.  I just through a bunch of water in and boil the heck out of it until it turns translucent and the germ separates.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, stirfry the quorn pieces in olive oil until brown (if you are using them).

3. Add the spinach/kale and stirfry until wilted (no more than 5 minutes)

4. Add the beans, pesto, canned tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and garlic.  Simmer.

5. When quinoa is cooked, drain it if necessary and stir in the rest of ingredients.  Serve with pine nuts.

This takes me about 20 minutes to make, start to finish. 

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Another 20 minute project: Leaf iPod case.

My mother had the great idea of making an ipod case using a similar pattern to the zakka life bag.  I have been fooling around with prototypes to get it right as I found having the drawstring with the casing too fiddly to make on something so small (and then to use as I get mine out of the case 600 times to shuffle the songs).  I think this is the right one.  It has a small magnetic snap in the inside to keep the player in, but is easy to open. 

"Just a little green. Like the colour when the spring is born."
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Two years ago yesterday, Kevin phoned my dad as an April Fool's joke to say the baby had been born a month early.

Two years ago today, the baby was born a month early.  Happy Birthday, Wee E Man.