Last week was a delicious one! The eggnog pancakes were seriously amazing (we had them Sunday morning and plan to have them again tonight) and I recommend trying them! Just replace the milk in your favorite pancake recipe (boxed or from scratch) and voila! Ben was a big fan. Our Sunday night dinner was also super delicious - but talk about making what could have been a healthy meal (fish, vegetables, salad), a fattening one (buerre blanc sauce on the fish, prosciutto and goat cheese on the salad, butter on the bread).
In an effort to make it through the holidays without gaining 20 lbs, the focus this week will be healthy, low(er) calorie meals with optional carby add ons for Greg and Ben.
Also, I still have a lot of fruit left from last week's produce box, so I am going to do a vegetable box this week and add on a pound of brussels sprouts.
Veggie Box:
Celeriac (which I think is celery root) Winter Squash Bunch of Carrots Mixed Mini Bell Peppers Sunchokes White Mushrooms Tomatoes
No soup this week, because I'm obsessed with quinoa. I think I'll make quinoa salads to take with me to work instead!
Monday: Pesto Pasta with Spinach and Peas - Definitely making 1/2 of this recipe only, and I think I will add some chicken to this. This is one of those sneak-in-the-vegetables type of recipes. I think I need to start doing more of this....
Wednesday: Boca Burgers and roasted brussels sprouts.
Thursday: Cod and quinoa chard pilaf and probably more roasted brussels sprouts. (My fav right now).
Friday: Winter Root and Vegetable Soup (with garlic bread) - The plan will be to roast whatever I have left of the carrots, winter squash, sunchokes and celeriac on Thursday and then make the soup Friday when I get home from work. I'm not going to follow this recipe exactly (which makes me VERY nervous, BTW) but I'll throw it all together and hope for the best! We may end up eating a frozen pizza this night ;)
We are in full-on toddler mode at the Ingle house. Ben is 14 months and a few days old, and he seems to have changed so, SO much since his birthday.
I have always kind of thought toddlers were kind of gross. (Is that wrong to say)? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE all of the kids in my life. They are delightful and I have loved watching them grow and change so much since they were little babies. What I'm referring to is more of the "mall play area" stranger toddlers that, pre-Ben, I would try to hustle past or avoid completely. Snotty-nosed, loud, slobbering on everything, crying for their mommies, etc.
OBVIOUSLY my view on these kiddos (and their moms) is completely different now that we are living it - and I have to say, having a toddler is pretty awesome :) He is, in fact, snotty-nosed, loud, slobbery, and will cry for his mommy.....but I'm beginning to understand his preferences for things, what he likes (and when he wants them), and what will really set him off - and combined with his growing understanding of how things work and what I'm saying, watching him every day is rad and fascinating.
I don't have Ben's full growth stats, as he won't have another appointment until January, but when I took him in when he was sick a couple weeks ago, he weighed 23 lbs. He definitely FEELS heavier to me, to the point where either our cat, Maxwell, has lost a ton of weight lately, or just the difference in size between the two of them is significant now. (Probably both). He also has two more bottom teeth that cut through last week, (which he will happily let me brush, BTW) :)
Ben still is not saying too many actual words, but he babbles and tries to talk constantly. The word list right now is pretty much: Mama, Dada, Mum-Mum, and All Done. I think we have heard him repeat: Juice, diaper, and bye-bye...and he will make a "mew mew mew" sound when I ask him what the kitty says. He also will say "meeee meeeeeeeeee" which I am starting to think may translate to "binky".... needless to say, I am so excited for when these babbles will turn into words I can understand :)
The awesome thing lately is that we can tell he understands what we are saying on a whole new level. He will now nod his head yes when I ask if he would like to get into the bath tub. He will shake his head no (mimicking us) when he starts to put his foot on the fireplace, (the one thing we really try to stop him from doing and will occasionally give him time outs for). He will take his binky out of his mouth if he sees food and is ready to eat or have a bottle. He will run to the door when I ask him where the kitty is (probably so he can let him in to terrorize him further). He will clap his hands if he is proud of himself for something he has done. He knows where his belly button is, (and where mine is). He is getting really good with his sippy cups and finally understands he needs to tip them up to get anything out of them. He will grab the remote control and point it up at the TV (embarrassing). He seems to love music and will either dance (total white boy moves, BTW) or just stare in the direction of where the music is coming from. His favorite? The Sex and the City theme song. This video is from a WHILE ago, but I never posted it. These days when he hears it, he will run from whatever room he is in to stand and stare at the TV, but this level of concentration is what I'm talking about. Obsessed. (Note him leaning in at the end).
His favorite activities lately are to take things out of something (silverware from the dishwasher, my lotion/chapstick/old lady face cream from the nightstand, anything out of any drawer) and hand each item to me one at a time. I will then hand each item back to him and we could probably repeat that process for hours. He is also still a big fan of pushing things around the house (toys, bar stools, boxes, anything big). I took him to meet our friends Denise and Jasper (17 months) to the North Kirkland Community Center's Indoor Playground yesterday ,($3 to basically play in a room full of toys and other kids, up to age 5) and Ben got a HUGE kick out of it! He ran around nonstop for about 45 minutes, essentially trying to push every toy or toddler size car (with or without another kid inside of it). Most kids seemed confused, but tolerated it. One little girl FREAKED OUT (and we had our first lesson about personal space, sharing and waiting our turn).
Another thing we have noticed is that Ben loves to step on pretty much anything but the floor. If it's a flat surface, it's boring. He would much rather step across feet, pillows, blankets, toys, boxes, etc. He loves to flip the pages through books, when I'm reading them, and when they are just lying on the floor. Last night he occupied himself for a good 10 minutes just turning page after page after page. Another favorite activity is to walk around outside, both in the stroller while I take him on a long walk, or just walking around (and around and around) the yard, up and down (and up and down and up and down) the various steps we have, and around and around the car. (So, toddlers very much enjoy repetition, I'm learning).
Ben is super clingy in the mornings, and is not happy if I put him down (which I just HAVE TO occasionally) within the first hour of him being awake. He would prefer if I would just cuddle him while he has his bottle while we watch Super Why on the Spout Channel, and anything requiring me to get up, (coffee, making breakfast, or my needing to get both of us dressed and out the door on my in-office days) will result in instant tears and him just sobbing as he walks after me throughout the house. This is new and really fun. He also will not tolerate Greg arriving home from work and not holding him right away. It's cute, and it is clearly him telling us that he loves us and misses us after a night of sleep or a day at work.
As for us, we are hanging in there! The biggest change for me lately is that I've stopped nursing (and, sadly, stopped burning calories at a rapid rate - that was a really fun year, carbs). We have kept our sanity by staying pretty strict with the nap schedule. If something fun is happening that might interfere with (or eliminate all-together) Ben's nap, we (or at least one of us) typically will choose to opt out. This has resulted in us feeling a little cooped up at times, but at the same time, doing something with a whiny, exhausted toddler is not fun either. I am told that soon his two naps a day will likely turn into one nap a day (yikes), so maybe our social schedule will pick up a bit then...
I think the biggest thing I've learned lately is that being a parent and being responsible for the growth, health and development of another human being (particularly one that is mobile and has a mind of their own), is hard work! A joyful sacrifice. Totally rewarding, yet all-consuming, work! My patience has grown by leaps and bounds, my ability to care about non-important things has diminished drastically, and the things I spend my time doing or thinking about pretty much revolve around Ben's health and happiness 99% of the time. I can't say enough how thankful I am to have someone like Greg to parent with. I know that it makes all the difference in the world to have someone to share in the joy, the worries, and the responsibilities and to simply give one another a break when it's needed!
So, to wrap up this super long Ben update: 14 months = fun, and also "phew"!
It was SO nice to have several days off in a row. Greg even (almost) had a 4 day weekend! He only had to go in for a couple hours on Friday, so we were both able to relax quite a bit after Thanksgiving!
We did a Costco run, a trip to the grocery store, decorated for Christmas (except for the tree, which will be this week/weekend), cooked, had the Cougans over for dinner, went for walks, went to the park, played outside, introduced Ben to chalk, went out for a dinner/drink date in Bellevue, had lazy mornings over pots of coffee, watched football, and in general soaked up all of the free time we had together.
For the first time, Greg and I have a home to put up outdoor Christmas lights! Yippie (for me)!
I have been ready to decorate our home for Christmas since we moved in, so I was happy when Thanksgiving had come and gone so that we could officially get started. Unfortunately for Greg, yesterday morning was soooooooo cold - however, he had motivation to get finished by 10 am so that he could enjoy stress out watching the Steeler game so I got my lights up first thing :)
Ben and I providing moral support (and light direction).
He loved me being up in his face documenting this.
I feel odd planning another week of food, considering that it is the day after Thanksgiving and I'm not sure I will ever feel hungry again....but we must eat!
After taking a long break, I have decided to start up my produce deliveries from Klesick Family Farm again! I am going to start with having a Small Box delivered each week and see how that goes. I may opt to switch to every other week if we aren't going through the produce quickly enough. I always enjoyed receiving fresh fruits and vegetables, and my hope is that with my efforts to plan our meals a little better, I will not allow stuff to go to waste.
Here is what we will get this week (Small Box). Our deliveries will be on Wednesdays, so I will start incorporating stuff into my menu starting then.
Small Box:
Satsumas Fuji Apples Navel Oranges Bosc Pears Beefsteak Tomatoes Green Onions Zucchini Chard Bunch of Carrots
Instead of making a separate soup for lunches, I'm going to make soup for dinner on Monday and then just eat it for leftovers for lunch until I run out.
Sunday: Having the Cougans over for dinner - and thinking of recreating a favorite dish from a couple weeks back: Lemon pepper cod, tomato quinoa, roasted veggies, arugula salad and garlic bread.
Monday: Chicken Tortilla Soup (another recipe from my friend, Robin)!
Tuesday: Frozen lasagna (we keep putting this off - this week we will do it)
Wednesday: Beef stir fry (recipe calls for bell peppers and green onion, which I will receive in my produce box this week, and I will probably add in some carrots and zucchini).
Thursday - Leftovers (probs lasagna)
Friday - Breakfast for dinner - I'm thinking eggnog pumpkin pancakes, eggs, and fresh fruit!
I started off the day with my annual tradition of going to a hot yoga class. One of the studios I teach at has always held 1 (very popular) class the morning of Thanksgiving. I have taught it in the past, but this year I got to take the class! I arrived early to help my friend Rachel, the owner, check people in. There were over 50 people crammed into the room, which made for great energy (and lots of extra sweat).
When I got home, Greg was just getting the turkey into the oven. I started to prep and prepare my side dishes. I snuck Ben a few spoonfuls of stuffing (which he loved), we watched and waited for the turkey to finish, Ben went down for a nap, and before I knew it, my parents were over and it was time to eat!
After dinner, my parents headed home, we gave Ben a bath, and then it was jammie and story time.
THANKSGIVING WEEK!!! I'm so freaking excited youdon'tevenknow. We are having dinner at our house this year for the first time - yikes! There goes my tradition of arriving lazily at my parents house a couple hours before meal time, making lap after lap through the kitchen asking my mom when everything will be ready, and sneaking spoonfulls of stuffing straight from the turkey as it cooks in the oven. (Full disclosure - my mom is still making half of the items and bringing them over, and Greg is going to tackle the turkey, so I really will only be in charge of green beans and mashed potatoes).
Last week's meal planning didn't go quite as planned since we were all sick and not in the mood for cooking, or eating for that matter. I did make the antipasto salad, the BBQ pork sliders, the tex mex casserole, and crispy chicken sandwiches, but we will have to make the beet salad this week and the lasagna another time. Actually, I guess I didn't do too bad after all!
Monday: I think we will eat the soup for dinner, too! Since I'm the only one that eats soup during the day at work, it will be new for Greg and I don't mind eating it twice :) Plus, I teach yoga on Mondays, (assuming my voice has returned by then), so I usually don't eat until I get back.
Green beans - I'm thinking we might try this (November 2012 Better Homes and Gardens)
Friday: I came across this recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens magazine, and I thought it looked like the perfect thing to make on Friday with our leftovers!
Sorry I've been so quiet this week! Sick baby. Sick family, actually. Add in Tuesday morning's episode of Ben slipping and falling face/teeth down on the hardwood floor (he is okay), and my dropping my iPhone straight into the washing machine on Wednesday (don't ask), and none of us sleeping for the past couple nights, and I'm about ready for the weekend to be here!
Here we are at the doctor's this morning, nebulizin'.
Over the weekend our friends Billy, Denise and their little boy Jasper came over for pizza and a play date! These guys recently moved back to Seattle after spending several years living in Indonesia, and it is SO nice to have them back (and living about 12 minutes away from us)! Jasper is just a few months older than Ben, so the boys had a great time playing together. It's so funny to see Ben actually interacting with other kids more. He is slowly reaching the stage of actually playing "with" others instead of only playing "near" them. Ben's favorite thing these days is to push things around the house: the dining room chairs, the bar stools, any of his larger toys that will move around easily, and especially his toy motorcycle. Every time another kid has sat on it, he will immediately head over and start pushing them around. This weekend was no exception!
This past Saturday, we bundled Ben (and ourselves) up and went out to the Burke Gilman Trail for a walk! It was a bright and sunny morning, but it was COLD! I don't think I have ever had that many layers on Ben before!
Our walk was incredibly short when we realized that despite all the layers, the slight wind was making it difficult to enjoy the outdoors. Luckily, before we headed back to the car and opted to walk around Fred Meyers instead, we ran into a flock of ducks (and one chicken!?).
Ben immediately froze and could not stop staring at them as they surrounded him. It was hilarious. I hope to get a "quack" out of him soon as we have watched this video over and over!
Well, I have to say - last week's meal plan went VERY well! As my friend Robin pointed out, it's a lot easier to find the motivation to cook and eat what you have when you actually HAVE what you need on hand. We did cheat and have pho takeout for dinner on Friday, but had paninis and soup for lunch on Saturday, so it worked out :) Here are a few pictures (can you tell I'm proud of myself for using my kitchen)?
We learned last week that Ben HATES quinoa. He literally stuck his tongue out, reached into his mouth and picked out each little bit that he could. Sigh.
Here is what I'm planning for this week:
Soup of the week: Crock pot Turkey Stew! My friend Hilary sent me some suggestions for easy crock pot recipes, and this is one I LOVE: Ground turkey, red baby potatoes, baby carrots, lentils, and vegetable stock. Hearty and delicious.
And for dinners:
Monday: BBQ Pork Sliders (pork tenderloin cooked in the crock pot on whole wheat buns) and antipasto pasta salad.
Tuesday: Tex Mex Chicken and Rice Casserole with home made guacamole (and tortilla chips, I'm sure). My friend Crystal sent me this recipe awhile back and Greg and I really enjoyed it. I'll probably 1/2 this recipe so we don't end up with too many leftovers!
Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients:
2 cups
cooked chicken, chopped
4 cups
cooked brown (or white) rice
1 cup
corn
15 oz.
can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup
sour cream
1/2 cup
salsa
1 cup
cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, etc.), plus extra for the topping
Directions:
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
In a
large bowl, combine the chicken, rice, corn, black beans, sour cream, salsa,
and cheese. Mix well. Transfer the chicken mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle
a little extra cheese on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until heated
through and bubbly.
Wednesday: Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad and Crispy Chicken Sandwiches. (Does this sound like a weird combo)?
Thursday: Frozen lasagna (Costco) and roasted brussels sprouts.
In an effort to better organize my life, I'm going to attempt to blog my weekly dinner plans. We are aiming to eat out/grab take out less, and I would like to get back into the habit of grocery shopping once each week in order to buy only what we need for the week. One of my new favorite bloggers does a "Week in Food" post each week, and along with my mother in law and her amazing home-cooked meals, I'm inspired to cook more (and better) meals for my family (on week nights, that is).
Additionally, I'm going to try to make a large batch of soup each Sunday that I can eat for lunches each week.
So, here we go. (This will typically be Monday - Friday, but I'm starting mid-week this time).
Soup of the week: Chicken and white bean chili. My MIL made this for me three times during her stay and I still cannot get enough of it!
Tonight: Trader Joe's Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Rice, roasted brussels sprouts, arugula salad.
We have had a very busy beginning to our month! Grandma Ingle left on Saturday. We had such a WONDERFUL time having her stay with us and we are now slowly adjusting back to managing our daily to do list on our own. We miss you Grandma/Mom/Marcia - please come back soon!
PS - Marcia, we have kept up on raking the leaves.....so far!
On Saturday morning, Rachel came over for a visit and showed us this:
On Saturday afternoon, Greg and our friend Brandon went golfing while Shauna, Bronson, Steph and Mason came over for a play date and LONG overdue visit! It was sooooo much fun having all three of our little guys together (for the first time)! We attempted to get a photo of the three of them, but it was a bit of a challenge. I'm told there is a good one coming from Steph's camera, but for now, this is all we have:
Here are a couple others - such a fun day, ladies (and babies) - can't wait to do it again!
On Sunday, our friend Charisse (and her almost 4 month old baby girl, Mila) came to stay with us for two days! I took Monday off from work so that I could spend more time with them, and it was sooooo wonderful. We had brunch at the Ridgeback Cafe (crepes = yum!), were lazy around the house, cooked food, drank wine, watch the season premiere of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and caught up! She and I don't get the opportunity to talk too often without much distraction (she has a very busy 3 year old, too!) so it was awesome to have this time with her!
And while we're at it, here are a few other cute Ben pictures :)
Bath time
He loves to look out the front window, and I just discovered today that when I put him in this chair, he will STAY there because he hasn't figured out how to get down. This comes in handy!
I have mentioned that Ben has been verrrry clingy lately. This is his signature move (leg hug/face smashed in). He absolutely HAS to be picked up and loved on by each of us the minute we come home and he will LET US KNOW if we are taking too long :)
