Meal Planning: Week of February 11th

Review of last week: 

• Mexican Spirals - delicious as usual.
• I absolutely loved the quinoa and sweet potato chili.  My mom made it for me while she was watching Ben on Monday, and since Greg wasn't a big fan of it, I was able to enjoy it all week for lunch.

• I didn't love the cod, but I think I strayed too far from the recipe to blame it on that.  I guess someone got a little too comfortable in thinking her cooking skills were at a higher level than they really are...
• The gyros were really good!  I was surprised, as when I made them I really wasn't in the mood for them, but they were a hit!

Menu for the week:

I think I will make another batch of the Quinoa and Sweet Potato Chili for lunch this week.  It kept really well for several days and was the perfect, warm, mid-day meal.  Yum.

Monday: Spinach and cheese ravioli (Costco), chicken sausage and salad.

Tuesday: Pan-Seared Steak with roasted sweet potatoes and arugula salad.

Wednesday: HH with Jamie (rescheduled from last week).  Greg and Ben will probably have some chicken and cheese raviolis (Costco).

Thursday - Valentine's Day!  Boboli pizza - Pesto/Alfredo sauce with chicken sausage and veggies.  I'm hoping to make something adorable like this with the sausage (or maybe I'll add heart shaped red bell peppers)!

Friday: Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken and brown rice.  I'll run home during lunch to get this started in the crock pot since it only needs to cook for 3-4 hours.

On the JUICE!

 

So, I bought a juicer.  And I LOVE IT.  And while this may turn into one of those things that I use a lot at first (as in every day, sometimes twice), I realize that it may not get as much use in the months/years to come.  Time will tell....

 

But for now, it's pretty amazing.  I bought it as part of my evil plan to sneak more nutrition into Ben's (and Greg's) day.  I watched the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (please watch it) a couple years ago after my friend Kristin told me about it and I learned a lot about nutrition and the benefits of juicing!  While I definitely do not plan to do a juice fast, I am hoping to incorporate healthy fruit and vegetable juice into our lives and leave the ultra-processed non-juice at the grocery store.

 

Shockingly, both of the boys are on board!  I will admit, I didn't love the beet juice I made (and neither did Ben).  But I made a green juice over the weekend - spinach, kale, apple, carrot, pineapple, celery - that was a hit with the whole family!  Once I have gathered a handful of recipes I love, I will post them :)

Best Day Ever?

I wish every day could be Saturday.  Especially one with zero commitments, where we can just get up and go do whatever sounds good in that moment!

We started our day with brunch at Portage Bay Cafe in Ballard.  I have always wanted to eat here, but never have taken the time to plan ahead and make a reservation.  We have tried to get in a few times, but at the last minute (and during a popular time) it can be a bit of a wait.  But on Friday, I called and made a 9:15 reservation - leaving us just enough time to eat, (color) drink coffee and get to the music class we had signed Ben up for at 10:15 down the road.  (I had the Oatmeal Cobbler French Toast, and it was heavenly).

 

The music class I signed Ben up for was at Gymboree.  Not all of the locations have the music option, so we did have to drive a ways to attend.  The first 20 minutes were great, and Ben really seemed to enjoy himself!  But after that, I think he was either over-stimulated or just over everyone sitting in a circle.  We let him wander around the room a bit, but towards the end he was crying and only allowing Greg to hold him.  (My attempts to bring him back into the circle to sing and dance were unsuccessful).  Another mom there told me that her daughter was the exact same way her first class, and while I am sure he would get used to it, it's not worth the commute I don't think.  We will try more things like this near home, though!  

 

 

When we got home, my new couch had arrived!!  (My mom was there to receive it as our delivery window was overlapping with music class).  Our living room is starting to look like a living room!

 

 

After Ben's nap, and after I went grocery shopping, the three of us headed to Bellevue for a trip to Total Wine and More!  It's basically a wine-Costco, and it's really amazing.

 

After visiting mommy's playground, we thought we should reward Ben with a trip to his kind of playground!  How beautiful is this park in Bellevue?

 

We went home to make pizza, drink wine, take baths, and relax.  I wish I could relive that day a few more times.

 

Happy Monday (womp womp)! 

Weekly Meal Plan: Superbowl and Week of February 4th

Update from last week's menu:

 

The braised pork shoulder with pepperoni sauce was ah. maz. ing. We definitely plan to pull this recipe out for our next dinner party.  Here is Greg getting it prepped:



 

 

And the finished product:

 

The stuffed peppers were also super good, but I'm the only one who ate them:

 

 

I also (in an effort to get Ben to eat even when he is rejecting the food I put in front of him), remembered the delicious tofu shakes that my mom used to make when I was little!  I had to get a reminder from her about what all went into them, but it's really simple. 

 

Soft tofu

Banana

Frozen Strawberries (or fresh, but I like the frozen ones as they double as ice)

Water

Sweetener (I use Stevia) if needed

= Blend!

 

Ben loved them!  Like, sucked a whole glass down with a straw.  This has been breakfast for both of us most of the week!  

 

 

 



Now for this week:

 

 

Superbowl:  We are going to Dan and Jeannette's for Superbowl, and are in charge of bringing an appetizer.  Mexican Spirals is always a party favorite, so why mess with a good thing?

 

Mexican Spirals

*Makes about 5 dozen

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup diced cooked chicken
1/4 lb Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
3/4 teas dried coriander
2 Tab diced jalepeno peppers
2 teas ground cumin
salt
4 flour tortillas (10in)
vegetable oil
salsa and sour cream to serve

- In large bowl, combine all ingredients up to tortillas.

- Spread mixture evenly over tortillas. Roll up each tortilla tightly around chicken mixture. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

- Just before serving, cut each tortilla roll into 1/2inch slices. Arrange on greased baking sheet, brush with oil (or spray with cooking spray). Bake at 350 for 12-15min or until lightly browned.

- Serve warm with sour cream and salsa for dipping.

** You can make a double batch, roll up the tortillas, and freeze - easy to thaw, slice and bake at a later time.
 

Monday: Quinoa & Sweet Potato Chili

 

Tuesday: Cod with mustard-tarragon crust, roasted rosemary carrots, arugula salad.

 

Wednesday: Chicken Gyros

Thursday: Greg wants to make meatballs, so he is taking over dinner tonight while I go out to HH with a friend.

Friday: We have a groupon to use at a local restaurant, so we will try to head out for dinner if time allows!

 

 



Say what?

16 Months Old

Oh man.  Benjamin is 16 months old. 

Honest moment:

Before I got pregnant, and before I had Ben, and I would see moms out at the store chasing after or trying to wrangle their toddlers, or trying to manage some sort of a tantrum, I would pity them and think about how lucky I was to not have to deal with that ;)  For the longest time, that was what my image of "being a mom" was.  And then I had Ben, and for many, MANY months, I would think how lucky I was to not have one of those kids. 

And then he got older, and more able.

Parenting is so funny, and the stuff you have to manage changes so frequently.  The amazing thing is that even when it feels tough, it still is so rewarding, so much fun, and you wouldn't want to trade places with anyone else.  It may feel sometimes like Ben never stops (ever, he never stops), but watching him grow, learn, and change has forced me to do the same - grown, learn, change, and adapt.  I am constantly reminded that this is WHY I chose to have a baby in the first place - to love him, to show him the world and to experience all of that learning and fun from a different perspective.

Lately, both Greg and I have been feeling like Ben needs something more.  I want to get him involved in more activities, get him around more kids his age, do more projects with him - simply TEACH him more.  It's hard not to have massive parent guilt when you realize how much of a sponge they are right now and it often feels like we aren't doing ENOUGH.  I want to expose him to as much as I possibly can.  I'm going to pay a membership fee at the local YMCA so that we can start up swim lessons in March and a parent/toddler gym class that I think starts in the Spring, too. And next weekend we are going to try out a music class at Gymboree :)

It becomes overwhelming at times trying to shape and form a person while keeping up with the rest of our lives.  I've been somewhat forced into accepting that many other things (cleaning, social life, Real Housewives, sanity) truly will need to take a backseat more often so that I can feel good about the amount of time I focus on him.  I am noticing that when I try to "do it all - perfectly", I am setting myself up for failure.  My new plan will be to do some things well, some things very well, and other things not well at all.  (Not easy for a Type A to accept).

But enough about that :)

BEN.  He is so fun, and so funny, right now.  He loves to climb EVERYTHING.  He loves to rough house.  Last week I took him to Jump Planet and we had the time of our lives.

He loves to climb at home, too:

Lately (and probably forever, he just wasn't coordinated enough), he is VERY into opening and closing doors, flipping light switches on and off, putting lids on and off things, putting his straw in and out of the straw hole on his cup, etc. 

Another thing he does lately that cracks us up is his version of "All done".  Callie taught him this sign language move MONTHS ago:

Over time, (probably by mine and Greg's poor signing) it has slowly morphed into what looks like a take on jazz hands. 

But hey, at least we know what he means and he looks awesome doing it :)

Ben loves the park (and we do, too).  We have a really cute park within walking distance of our house (a decent, hilly walk so it doubles as a mini-workout).

He still LOVES baths, or showers.

 

Aunt Rachel providing bath time entertainment.

 

 

Shower time!  (Not Aunt Rachel).

Ben likes to be around other kids, I think.  He seems drawn to kid's voices especially.

 

Macking on the baby at the neighboring table last weekend.

 

"Playing" with Mason - but really, if you look closely,

I think he is about to remove his hand from his toy.

 

While it feels like he is constantly moving, right before bedtime, he loves to snuggle. His favorite thing right now is to touch bare skin. (That sounds odd, I know). But if he has a bare arm, he will just run his hand up and down it forever. And if he can snuggle in close and touch my stomach, jackpot. He will crack UP, and then settle in. There really is something to that whole skin on skin thing - must be comforting or something. (And I love it).

 
This is such a fun age.  This is such a BUSY age!  We love how much fun and purpose Ben has brought to our lives!  

Someone's been sleeping in my bed