fast food on Sunday...literally.: by amy

Glad y'all enjoyed my last blog post on recipes for the working mom! (click here if you missed it)

I'm telling ya, that lemon and garlic marinade from Wegman's is magical deliciousness.  I always want to sop up all of the chicken juices in the pan with some bread.  And it's organic!  If that matters...to anyone...

So, my church had recently moved to a new building which also meant a new service time.  Sundays are always "whack" days for Logan because the napping and feeding times are all up in the air because of church (Gosh, Jesus, way to be so inconvenient for my baby!  haha, just kidding).  When he was an infant, I used to obsess a bit more over it, mostly because he was such a terrible napper to begin with.  Now that he's older, down to 1 nap a day, and eating regular adult-time meals, I feel more comfortable breaking up the schedule now and then.  But, with the new service time, I noticed that we'd be rushing home to try to feed Logan and put him down for a nap.  Sometimes, I'd debate, Should I take him straight to the crib?  Will he even nap well since he's only had a few snacks and no lunch or milk? If he sleeps, then he'll have lunch at 3pm and won't be hungry for dinner...

So, this past Sunday, I decided to pack a lunch for Logan and feed it to him at his normal lunch time instead of filling him up on snacks.  There were 2 problems: 1) What was I going to make?, and 2) When was I going to have time to make it?  Logan doesn't give me an easy time when I try to cook in the kitchen and there's no one else around to entertain him (husband typically works out in the morning).  So, I gave Logan a Sunday-special breakfast item to keep him busy (guess where it's from???):

That's right-- Wegman's organic flaxseed waffles.  Yes, it's better with syrup, peanut butter or nutella.  No, I don't give it to him with any topping.  I just rip it up into pieces and let him go at it.  This waffle takes him a little longer to eat than his usual bowl of (dry) Wegman's whole grain cereal (which we give before yogurt and fruit).  But while he kept himself busy with that, I frantically searched my refrigerator, freezer and pantry for something quick to whip up.  I also had to keep in mind that the lunch would need to be relatively "neat" (not a messy meal).  After some searching and head-scratching, I decided to make pasta with garlic, peas and parsley.  It took me 15 minutes to put together.

I used a small amount of olive oil (maybe 2-3 tbsp?), 2 cloves of garlic, some leftover parsley and peas and tri-colored pasta.  I minced the garlic and sauteed it on low heat.  Once that softened up, I added in the chopped parsley, small cup of peas, and a dash of salt and pepper.  Then, I tossed in the pasta to let the ridges pick up all of that garlicky parsleyness!

I realized I was missing a protein here, so I heated up some frozen whole wheat chicken nuggets (I keep a stash in the freezer).  I also realized the pasta was a little long, so when feeding it to him, we cut it up in half (and he did not finish this entire container).

By the time, I finished cooking and packing the lunch, the husband finished his workout and fed Logan his yogurt.  Breakfast- done!  Lunch- packed!  Church- arrived early!

Talk about a productive Sunday!

bath time: by jean

miles is really starting to love bath time and sometimes gets mad when i tell him "all done!"  he loves the water and LOVES playing with his skip hop dunck stacking bath toys!

skip hop dunck stacking bath toys

we've been using an older model of a bathtub by 4 moms  that one of our friends gave us after their daughter grew out of it.

older model of 4 moms bathtub

we love it because there's clean water flowing constantly, hence their "clean water collection."  now that he's gotten a little bigger, the area where his feet are is actually elevated since it's more for when babies aren't sitting up on their own.  since he refuses to sit back anymore, he sits forward with his legs squished toward his belly.  make sense?

so i put him in this other tub, safety 1st nature next infant to toddler tub that my friend grabbed for me at a magazine sale (yes i have GREAT friends).

safety 1st nature next infant to toddler tub

he FREAKED out.  my guess is it's not AS snug as his other one so he didn't like it.  i've tried it a few more times with very little water so he doesn't feel "floaty" in there.  he was ok but he wasn't fixed in one position and easily moved and turned which made me a bit nervous.

amy has the fisher price whale tub which i know she's been happy with, so i'm wondering if i need to switch over to that, or this really nice and modern, but bit over priced one:

hoppop bato bath tun $49.95 @ amazon

did you guys have to go through a "transition" tub for when your babies when they went from infant to toddler?  also, how do you get them to tilt their heads back to rinse off the shampoo?!!  miles just won't do it anymore so i end up having to hold him in my arms with his head towards the facet for a salon-style rinse before we are done.  let's just say, i am EXHAUSTED after bathtime!

recipes for the working mom : by amy

I work about 50-60 hours a week, so having a home-cooked meal is pretty difficult.  I used to love poring over recipe books and clipping recipes for future experiments, but who has time for that now!?  I still want to cook for Logan (oh yeah, and my husband too, ha), so I've now resorted to semi-homemade cooking.

I try to have 3 things in the fridge every week for Logan: 1) some type of meat dish; 2) a soup with vegetable that I can ration out and freeze; and 3) a finger-food vegetable.  Typically, 2 out of the 3 require hardly any cooking.  Additionally, I always keep a batch of Korean-style brown/grain rice in the freezer, also rationed out into smaller containers.  Logan's typical dinner consists of a small bowl of rice in soup ("bap and gook") with some finger-food (vegetables) and cut-up meat.  We finish each dinner off with some fruit and milk.  The vegetables are often roasted sweet potatoes, carrots or some other root vegetable or frozen broccoli/peas/cauliflower that I steam or boil.  Logan LOVES peas-- I think he thinks they're snacks since they're so small and round :).

Here is my current and favorite meat dish of the week: Roasted chicken with onions in Wegman's organic lemon and garlic marinade (P.S.: can you tell what my favorite grocery store is?)

I get 2 packs of chicken-- I usually mix them up but it's typically thighs and drumsticks.  Yeah, yeah, breast is healthier... ANYway, you literally dump the chicken, 2 or 3 cut onions, and whatever roast-able vegetables you have in your fridge (carrots, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, squash, etc.), pour on this AMAZING marinade, and bake this at 400 degrees for about an hour or until your chicken is cooked through.  Done.  Another substitution for the marinade is Italian dressing.

The next semi-homemade "dish" that I made for this week was kale soup.  You're going to laugh because this isn't cooking at all: kale + chicken broth = kale soup.   Hey, I never promised any Bobby Flay recipes on this blog!  I promise I cook forreal, but when it comes to Logan's "bap and gook," sometimes I keep it pretty simple.

A little note on chicken broth: homemade is always the best, but I just don't always have time to make it.  So, when I'm in a time-crunch, I use Pacific organic low-sodium chicken broth.  In the past, I used Swanson, but Swanson's low sodium is not that low-- I always diluted it by half.  Pacific's low-sodium is legit-- no dilution needed.  They also sell them in bulk at Costco :)  I use 1 quart of chicken broth and bring it to a boil; toss in a healthy 1.5 handfuls of kale and let it simmer/boil for about 10 minutes or so, or until the leaves are pretty wilted.  Kale is a pretty tough leaf, so you want to make sure it's cooked down enough for your toddler to chew and swallow.

After it's cooked down, I take scissors and cut up all of the kale leaves so they're in smaller bite-size pieces  After it cools down a bit, I pour them into my little freezable containers.  When it's dinner time, I nuke one small bowl of rice with 2 containers of soup.  Sometimes I add a few pieces of dried seaweed ("gheem") for a little extra flavor.  You can use this same "recipe" with spinach, onion, carrots, celery (mirapoux) or use beef broth.  Again, I was feeling a little lazy last night because I was actually excited to make the next and last dish...

I saved the best for last: roasted tomato and basil soup.  The origin for this recipe was from Ina Garten (she pretty much taught me how to cook), but I made a few changes to it based on my pantry and preferences.

Around 2-3 pounds of tomatoes (Roma or vine), 1-2 bunches of basil, 3 onions, a small handful of garlic cloves (I think I used...10), and 1 or 2 cans of diced tomatoes (I've made it with either 1 or 2-- doesn't make much of a difference).  For seasonings, you need salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon of thyme and 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

Slice the tomatoes long ways and put them on a sheet pan in a single layer.  Drizzle olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes-- don't shorten this step!  The longer you roast, the more sweet, roasted tomato flavor you get.

In the meantime, dice the onions and chop up the garlic.  Cook in a deep pot for about 10-15 minutes or until your onions are browned and cooked down.  Add in the red pepper flakes, thyme and basil and cook for a few more minutes.  Once everything's cooked through, add in the 1 (or 2) cans of diced tomatoes and 1 quart of chicken stock.  Start bringing your pot to a boil.  Once your roasted tomatoes are done, carefully place them in your pot, along with any juices in your pan.

Now, you're going to let this come to a boil and then simmer (uncovered) for another 30-40 minutes.

Next, it's time to bring out the secret weapon: the Cuisinart hand-held Smart Stick.  After you've simmered, turn off the heat and start hand-blending away until the soup is silky-smooth with no chunks.  To get the right consistency, I add in about 3/4-1 cup of whole milk and stir it in.  It's not heavy/creamy like a bisque, but light and smooth.  It's also surprisingly sweet and not salty, with just a *touch* of heat down the back of your throat, thanks to the red pepper flakes.  I actually don't add any additional salt or pepper to the soup-- it's perfect just the way it is.

But, I do make a small grilled cheese sandwich, drizzled with some olive oil and sprinkle of sea salt  to dip into my luxurious tomato soup :)  Logan likes it too!  I would toast one piece of whole wheat bread with 1 slice of cheese on top.  I cut it up into little pieces, and he likes to throw them into the bowl of soup.  Then the bread absorbs all of the soup, and he semi-spoon-feeds himself. 

So, there you have it: 3 "home-cooked" dishes in 1 night and something that toddlers and parents can enjoy for the week.

This entry was pretty much a commercial for Wegman's, wasn't it?  They should pay me...

technology and baby : by jean

self portrait by miles

this is a picture that miles took on my phone.  it's a work of art, isn't it?  i don't remember why he had my phone but i was probably trying to change his diaper but since he wouldn't sit still and we don't have a crazy hulabye (read about it here!) to keep him still, i probably gave him my phone bc it kept him occupied.

i used to sort of judge (ok i judged) those parents who would give kids their i phone, i pad, or any other electronic device just to keep them still at dinner, with friends, etc.  I thought, "just let them play with TOYS!  these are NOT their toys."  and then came miles who does not stay still unless i give him my phone or the remote while getting his diaper changed.  will i let him play with my phone or iPad once he gets older?  probably? only if it's educational...right?

remember that video about the baby who thought the magazine was an iPad?

 technology is so present in our lives that it's just inevitable...or is it not?  what are you thoughts about babies and technology?

smelly smelly! : by jean

i recently noticed that miles sometimes has stinky breath!  i usually don't think anything of it but sometimes i would pick him up in the morning, give him my hug and kiss, and expect to breathe in his nice smell-- except it isn't so nice!

does your baby sometimes have bad breath?  i guess it could be morning breath.  after all, he is human and eats human food.  he currently has 4 teeth with 2 more on the way.  he also sucks his 3rd and 4th fingers when falling asleep.  i was so curious i literally googled "smelly baby breath."

parenting.com had an article from dr. sears about this.
some possibilites were:

Chronic sinus infection
Large tonsils
Dental problems
Foreign body stuck in the nose
Dry mouth
A stinky tongue
Gastroesophageal reflux     

i don't think miles has any major issues.  if anything, i think sucking on his fingers probably worsens the smell.  he also slobbers all over his hippo blankie/animal thingy that he likes to hold while falling asleep, so that probably doesn't help the cause either (but thanks, hans!  he loves his hippo!). 

so what did i do?

i started making him brush his teeth! 

baby banana bendable training toothbrush $8.49

i don't really know if it's making a difference but i'm at least getting him in the habit of brushing.  plus, he LOVES it.  he thinks it's a game.  HA, sucker!

since i've only noticed it now and then, i'm not gonna fret about his stinky breath, but has anyone else ever experienced this?  i thought babies were always supposed to smell good! :)

"what to expect" says you should take your baby to the dentist at around 6 months from when they first start having teeth or when they turn 1 year old.  web md also says you should take your baby to the dentist by the time he's 1. 

did you take your baby to the dentist by the time he/she turned 1?