Meal Planning Monday

Is there anything better than a long weekend?  Maybe one when it’s snowing and blowing so hard that you can be thankful no one has to leave the house.  I’m writing this from our dining room table as Amelia finishes up her pancake, and Jason has left to start plowing out the yard.  My coffee’s still hot, and it’s nice to have a few moments to reflect on what we’re going to be cooking up this week.  Best part?  We’re on February Break, so I actually have time to do some cooking and freezing during the week, in preparation for our next long haul at work.

Yesterday, I made a big pot of beef stew, heavy on the veggies and barley.  The new trick I’ve been using has been to buy and chop up a pot roast, which makes for much more tender stew meat and a dish Amelia loves eating.  I had enough leftovers for a meal later this week, as well as a few lunches for my favorite girl since Mama’s going back to salads at lunch in an effort to tone up a bit more before spring.

Today, I have two of our organic, free range chickens in water on the stove, simmering down into stock.  Half will become Chicken Vegetable Soup, while the other becomes a large pot of Italian Wedding Soup (another of Amelia’s favorites).

Monday:
Italian Wedding Soup, Leftover Homemade Ciabatta Bread, Parmesan Cheese

Tuesday:
Homemade Chicken Stew with Bread or Dumplings

Wednesday:
Eating Well’s Picnic Chicken, Green Beans*, Mashed Potatoes

Thursday:
Leftover Beef Stew, Fresh Homemade Bread

Friday:
Homemade Pesto Pizza with Pesto fresh from our AeroGarden (Grilled Cheese, Fruits & Veggies for Ama)

So yes, it’s definitely a little heavy on the soups and stews, but when your daily high hasn’t cracked above zero in two weeks, a bowl of something warm and delicious is just what you need at the end of a long day.

In other news, I’m looking forward to starting a new series called Felting Fridays to follow my adventures building Ama’s Toddler Kitchen (we have a design we’re going to work on this spring).  Meanwhile, I spent my weekend buying more than 8 yards of craft felt, so I can start experimenting and sharing my successes (and failures) with you.

Hope you have a great week!  Try anything great in the kitchen recently?  I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Living in the Moment

I’ve spent the last few months trying to live more in the present, to take more photographs (semi successful); to try to cherish those exhausted minutes between dinner and bedtime when Jason is playing Les Paul tunes from his iPhone while he bathes Ama, and I rush to pack the daycare bag for tomorrow and finish up dishes, so we can settle in for our evening nursing session before bed; to realize that this stage of semi-small will be as fleeting as the days when she was so-small.  But it’s hard.  We both work full time, and I spend about two hours a day with Ama in the car commuting; work isn’t always as fulfilling as I’d like; and, God knows, some nights my tentative grasp on patience and sanity feel like they’re just about to slip through my fingers, particularly when the bedtime meltdowns occasionally visit us.

But we’re so lucky.  We’re healthy and happy.  We have a roof over our heads and plenty of heat during this very cold winter, and spring will eventually come.  I find myself saying that a lot lately, as I glance out over the bleakest of February horizons.  As a family, we’ve planned a little day trip this weekend (if the weather cooperates) to drive north to visit a fabric store, so I can start working on Ama’s Easter basket project — a bushel of felt fruit because she’s starting to get interested in the kitchen (feel free to pop over to my Pinterest site to take a look at some inspiration).  We’re hoping to build her a kitchen set this spring — something solid and sustainable that will add to our home, rather than just being another chunk of plastic.

We’re doing a low-key Valentine’s Day this year.  A late dinner in after Amelia goes to bed with Champagne (TTC round two starts next month…) and a movie.  I bought Jason a book he doesn’t know he’s been wanting yet, and we picked up a stuffed Jelly Cat for Amelia, as well as a Carl book.  I should admit that she already found her Jelly Cat when it arrived and I left the box on the floor, opened.  I went to tuck our bags away and heard her meowing, only to turn around and find her half-way up to her chest in the box.  She’s slept with him every night this week, and he’s the perfect little nighttime companion – soft and cuddly, but not so large that we worry about him in her crib.  When I asked her what she wanted to call him, her response was “Meow Meeeow!”, so we’re tentatively calling him Mr. Meow, and she appears very excited about that.

I hope you have a lovely Valentine’s Day with those you care about!

Meal Planning Monday & The Daycare Lunchbox

It feels strange to be reemerging from the last few weeks.  Work has been busy, the weather has been terrible, and life has been hectic.  We’re in the process of trying to conceive #2, and I think we can finally throw in the towel on the first month.  This is, I will admit, a disappointment after getting pregnant with Amelia so quickly and so easily, but it does mean that we’re almost ready to start trying again, and, hopefully, with more luck this time.

Only one thing has really been saving our evening dinner ritual lately, and that’s been the fact that I cook on the weekends and either freeze or refrigerate an extra portion or two for evening meals.  We’ve also all started to move towards packing lunches rather than buying or taking advantage of those provided for us, which makes for a slightly crazier morning for this Mom.

So what’s on the menu for this week?  I made  Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls yesterday afternoon, and I think the extra 1/2 t. of cayenne pepper I added this time really gave them the kick they need to serve well later in the week, too.  I also tried to focus our grocery shopping a bit more on a few healthier options, as I try to tweak our diets towards a few more fruits & veggies.

Monday:
Frozen Spaghetti and Meatballs (homemade) with Orzo
Green Beans*
Salad

Tuesday:
Leftover Chicken Burrito Bowls with Veggie Chunks & Cabot Cheddar

Wednesday:
Beef or Chicken Stir Fry

Thursday:
Homemade, Frozen Lasagna; Salad; Garlic Toast

Friday:
Homemade Pizza

At this point, Amelia is eating all of her meals with us.  What’s going in the daycare lunchbox this week?

Leftover Burrito Bowls (her favorite meal right now)
Leftover Lasagna
Makings for a Grilled Cheese (HFCSF bread), Organic Cheddar
Organic Yogurt & Milk
Avocados & Bananas

We Eat/She Eats: Meal Planning for the First Week of December

I’m roasting a turkey today.  Warming up the house and celebrating the trimming of our tree with a delicious meal that will keep us in equally delicious leftovers for most of the week.  I’ve never done this before, but after several years of leftover-less holidays (we usually celebrate in the homes of other family members), I decided to make a small change this year.  I should also note that as Amelia nears fourteen months old, she’s eating almost everything we are.  It’s very rare that I make a separate dinner for her (how fantastic is that!), and when I do it usually has more to do with us eating something unhealthy that we don’t want to introduce into her daily diet.

Over the holiday, a family member noted that we don’t spoon feed her, as though this was a bit odd.  Ever since Ama was about nine months old, she’s preferred feeding herself, so most of her meals are chopped up, baby bite-sized, and she feeds herself.  This has been really helping with her coordination and motor development, and Mama gets to eat dinner, too.  What a win!

As I said, we’re focusing this week’s meal around leftovers (turkey today and homemade burrito bowls in the crock pot tomorrow).  Monday marks our three week slog until Christmas break, and at this time of year, easy meals are so important to the family time we crave every evening.

We Eat She Eats: Nov. 29 – Dec. 5

Saturday
We Eat: Topsy-Turvey Roasted Turkey (flipped halfway through baking), Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Mashed Potatoes Stuffing, Carrots
She Eats: Turkey, Stuffing, Carrots, Potatoes, Banana for Dessert

Sunday: Prepare a Turkey Noodle Soup from Leftovers
We Eat: Crock Pot Burrito Bowls, Tortilla Chips, Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado & Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese
She Eats: Deconstructed Burrito Bowl Parts (Chicken, Black Beans, Tomatoes & Rice), Avocado & Shredded Cabot Cheddar

Monday
We Eat: Thanksgiving Panini (Multigrain Bread, Turkey, Cranberry Mayo & Provolone) with Squash Soup
She Eats: Turkey Bits & Grilled Cheese, Banana, Avocado

Tuesday:
We Eat: Turkey Soup with Bread
She Eats: Deconstructed Turkey Soup (Veggies, Turkey & Pasta), Bread Bits, Banana

Wednesday:
We Eat: Chicken Burritos (Leftovers from Sunday rolled into Burrito Wraps)
She Eats: Deconstructed Burritos, Avocado, Cabot Cheddar

Thursday:
We Eat: Spaghetti & Meatballs (homemade, frozen), Pasta, Green Beans, Parmesan Cheese & Salad
She Eats: Spaghetti & Meatballs (chopped), Green Beans, Cabot Cottage Cheese

Friday:
We Eat: Homemade Pizza
She Eats: Homemade Pizza in Baby-Sized Bits, Carrots (steamed) & Banana

Have a lovely week!   What are you preparing for your families?

 

DIY Holiday Photos

I’ll admit it, though it’s going to sound strange.  I secretly looked forward to having a baby for the opportunity to take cute photographs.  You see, I took photography in college, and though I wasn’t exceptionally gifted at it, I loved taking pictures of children.  And with the advent of the digital camera, photography has become so much more cost effective, given that I don’t have to worry about film and chemicals.

I shoot with a Nikon D-64 and have for years.

To set up our shoot, I strung white Christmas lights on Amelia’s wall, using painters tape, so we wouldn’t leave marks or holes.  We spread a white sheet and then a white fuzzy blanket on the floor for her, and surrounded her in cheap, unbreakable ornaments (bought for quality of looking quite breakable).  I should note that I was shooting and Jason was RIGHT. THERE. because she’s a small child and holiday lights are dangerous.  I would warn you to please use a baby spotter, unbreakable ornaments and a good distance from the lights if you are trying this.  I’m no photography expert, and this was what worked safely for us — please be cautious and know your own baby and his or her limits!

We shot Amelia in a variety of poses and positions, but finally settled on a few images of her in her Zara vest that she received as a birthday gift, pearls and homemade tutu and one of her in her Carter’s holiday jammies from JCPenney.  And our timing was just right to use that great Shutterfly 40% off cards coupon on Tuesday morning – here’s hoping there’s another round of it for those of you who haven’t had time to order yet!

Happy holidays!  I’m looking forward to a morning of baking after (hopefully) getting into my chiropractor and then gong to the dentist… what are your plans?

Note: Though we love Carter’s, JCPenney and Zara for Amelia’s clothes, they were purchased by us or birthday gifts from family.  This is not a sponsored post.

Our Advent Books

As Thanksgiving nears, I admit I’m getting more and more excited to start reading Amelia the books we’ve bought her to mark advent each evening.  Today,  I spent a bit of time wrapping a box (for aesthetic reasons) and placing the books inside.

Here they are in the order we’ll be reading them!
*Special Favorite of our Family

1. Maryann Cusimano Love & Satomi Ichikawa’s You Are My Miracle*
2. Anna Dewdney’s Llama Llama Holiday Drama*
3. Roberta Edwards’ Anna Bear’s First Winter*
4. Ian Falconer’s Olivia Helps with Christmas*
5. Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day
6. Jan Brett’s The Animals’ Santa
7. Mercer Mayer’s Merry Christmas Mom & Dad
8. Jane Chapman & Karma Wilson’s Mortimer’s Christmas Manger
9. Jan Brett’s The Hat
10. Michael Brown’s Santa Mouse*
11. Anna Dewdney’s Llama Llama Jingle Bells
12. Mercer Meyer The Little Christmas Tree
13. Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas
14. Jan Brett’s Home for Christmas
15. Peggy Parish’s Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia
16. Jan Brett’s The Wild Christmas Reindeer
17. Ludwig Belman’s Madeline’s Christmas
18. Jan Brett’s Who’s That Knocking on Christmas Eve?
19. Adam Gamble’s Goodnight North Pole
20. Edith Kunhardt’s Pat the Christmas Bunny
21. Jonathan Bean’s Big Snow*
22. Olivier Dunreas’ Merry Christmas Ollie
23. Laura Numeroff & Felica Bonds’ Merry Christmas Mouse
24. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas*

Holiday Traditions

One of the things that makes this holiday season so special is the realization that Amelia is old enough to start getting excited about the decorations and celebration in the upcoming weeks.  I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about ways that we can make our home as warm and cozy for her, particularly given my residual mom guilt about taking her to daycare for 8 – 10 hours every day (with our commute).  My parents always got us advent calendars to help us pass the time and mark each day in a meaningful manner, which I’m sure helped answer the question of how soon?!?

Two years ago, I found an adorable little wooden advent calendar, but as Amelia is still too little for chocolate treats (we’ll put them in there for Mama…), I wanted an advent calendar that would help us build a holiday tradition around cozily reconnecting as a family at the end of a long (and probably cold) day.  I loved the idea of wrapped Christmas books, but as I looked hard at our lifestyle and thought about how much I wanted to avoid wasting a roll of wrapping paper every year, I was reminded of a tradition a friend started, whereby she started sewing bags for her Christmas gifts.

Now, we’re not eschewing wrapping paper entirely, but for our advent box of books, I sewed up twenty-four neat little bags and had a great time ordering twenty-four holiday stories to fill them.

The bags were simple to make:

1. Decide the size you need. I decided on three different sizes (small (8”x12”), medium (10”x 14”) and large (14”x22”)). Then, folding the cloth down the middle, I cut the cloth into strips, so I could fold it in half to make each bag, using the fold as the bottom of the bag.
2. I chose four patterns that I loved and made three bags of each size from the fabric.  Yes, I have more bags than I need, but it gives me a little wiggle room if future books don’t fit exactly.
3. I sewed each bag right sides together with a 1/4” seam allowance and then hemmed the top of each bag by folding it over a quarter of an inch, ironing, folding again, and then sewing (no raw edges!).
4. 
5. I finished the bags with a piece of satin ribbon (usually three times the width of the bag), giving an easy way to tie them closed to prevent (or, perhaps, encourage) peeking.
6. 
7. Finally, I placed the books inside and set them in a basket by our bed, ready for the first night of advent!

Coming tomorrow… the books we chose!

Stitch Fix: A Great Solution for Middle of Nowhere Moms

Emperia Tote

If you can’t tell from the blog photos or the “about” section, I live in the middle of nowhere.  We own a tractor.  And maybe that’s all you need to know about my lifestyle, when combined with the fact that I’m a mom, to know that shopping for clothes can be a real hassle.  While we’re fortunate to have access to a small mall, there’s only so much I can find at Sears or JCPenny to suit my professional and personal needs.  And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve really taken a less is more approach to fashion: I’d rather own a few beautiful things that I don’t mind paying a bit more for than a ton of faster fashion that’s going to wear out after a single season.  Still, it feels so nice, particularly after having a baby, to have a few beautiful new things that fit great and don’t require the requisite trip to the fitting room with baby Ama in tow because, let’s be honest, when I take off my shirt to try something on, the child still thinks: dinner!

Sitch Fix provides the perfect solution for me.  I filled out the style profile, and on a set date, a box of five items appeared on my front porch (I tend to schedule mine on Tuesday because it’s my hardest day at work, and I love having the surprise when I get home!).  I pay a $20 styling fee, which comes off the price of one of the items, as long as I purchase something.  And after three days, I just have to get everything I don’t want back in the pre-paid USPS bag they provide and drop it in a mailbox which is SO EASY, even living as rurally as we do. I’ve now received two fixes.  I kept a great dress and an awesome top from the first fix, and since my second arrived  last night, I thought I’d share it with you.

I’m still on the fence about keeping the Emperia Tanner Zipper Detail Tote, but something about it keeps me coming back.  Although it is unlined, it’s roomy and I think it might be a great diaper bag on the go .  My husband also reminds me that his mom would probably go wild for it, and it would make a great Christmas present if I find something I prefer for the winter on this weekend’s shopping trip.  At $68 it feels reasonably priced, given the fact that it also comes with a pouch for holding things you might not want rattling around in the bottom of the tote.

Tote Pouch

I loved everything about this Mystree Adelene Scoop Neck Cable Knit Sweater, except that although it’s roomy and lovely, it’s just too big.

Mystree Adelene Scoop Neck Cable Knit Sweater

When I opened the box, this Market & Spruce Corinna Striped Doman Top was the first thing I saw, and I was in love.  It is soft, elegant and will be super fun with skinny jeans and boots!  I also feel like I can dress it up or down depending on what I pair with it.  $48 is a little more than I would normally spend on a basic like this; however, it’s well made, will wash well, and I’m justifying this as my $20 off styling fee….

Market & Spruce Corinna Striped Doman Top

The biggest miss in my fix was the Loveappella Yana 3/4 Sleeve Striped Dress.  It his me awkwardly in the middle, and as my oh-so-sweet and tactful husband said “there’s just something wrong with the pleating.”  We want baby #2 someday, but this made me look like I was already expecting… it’s going back. The top also was a little wonky — too see-through and not really structured enough to go with the skirt.

Loveappella Yana 3/4 Sleeve Striped Dress.

The final piece I tried on was the Market & Spruce Alan Cowl Neck Asymmetrical Cardigan.  I tried this one on five or six times before deciding to keep it.  The material over the waist is a little puffy, but it opens into a beautiful, flowy cardigan of the type that I tend to live in at work.  I also used this piece to try out Stitch Fix’s new pricing policy, whereby if you find one of their items cheaper somewhere else within a week of your fix, they’ll honor that cheaper price.  We’ll see how it goes.

Market & Spruce Alan Cowl Neck Asymmetrical Cardigan

All in all, I was super happy with my stylist Jennifer and the lovely choices she made for me.

I’m already looking forward to another order in a few months!

Interested in trying Stitch Fix?  They have a great referral program.  When you refer someone (through a link like this one :o) and she decides to get a fix, you get a $25 credit to your account.

Fruity Peanut Butter Oatmeal

As we’re closing in on Amelia’s first birthday, we’re also closing in on a day that I’ve been looking forward to for months: the end of pumping at work.  While I have no intention to fully wean A until she’s gotten through her second winter, we will be switching to organic cow’s milk during the day, and saving nursing for mornings and evenings until she’s ready to quit.

One of the biggest struggles I’ve had as a working mom has been figuring out what to eat for breakfast that will not only help me stay full until lunch at work (12:30), but also finding out a way to maintain my milk supply  since I have a hard time keeping up with A’s needs at daycare.

I stumbled on this idea when A was about three months old, and other than weekend waffles, it has been my staple.  It includes a full serving of fruit, whole grains and a good shot of protein and fat that keeps me going until my 10:30 apple and cheese snack.  I’ve also noticed that on days when I don’t eat it, my milk supply does tend to suffer a bit.

Fruity Peanut Butter Oatmeal

• 1/2 c. Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
• 1 c. Water
• 1 T Peanut Butter (I use organic, natural creamy)
• 1 T Homemade Jam (I’m loving this recipe, which I put up this summer)
• 1 c. Frozen Fruit (I use raspberries, but blueberries and/or strawberries are great, too)  You can also do a cup of chopped banana, but I don’t love it as much as berries.
• Dash of Salt

Place the oats, water and salt in a microwave safe bowl.  Add fruit if frozen.  Microwave for three minutes on high (one if no fruit is added).  Stir in peanut butter and jam.

Enjoy!

We Eat/She Eats – Feeding a Tiny Tummy

Deconstructed Taco Salads from Earlier this Summer

One of the biggest challenges of having a growing little person in our lives has been meeting her dietary needs as she’s transitioned from nursing to solid foods.  Although we’ve been pretty strict adherents to the “food before one is just for fun” mindset, Amelia turns one at the end of this week, and for the last two or three months (you can track this a bit on the old blog), we’ve worked really hard to ensure that part of what we eat for dinner every night is something she can also eat because after two adults spend the day working, the last thing we can come home and do is make two different dinners.

Amelia has a host of staple foods that she’s thrilled to eat every single night, if necessary.  These are: avocado, banana, cottage cheese, Cheerios, chicken, grilled cheese (made with high fructose cs free bread and cheddar cheese), watermelon, green beans, mashed potatoes and yogurt with pear sauce.  However, we regularly push her boundaries by offering increasingly flavorful foods in tiny bits that she can get into her own mouth (the child hates being spoon fed).  We are particular adherents to the concept of deconstructing dinner that I read about, early on, at Dinner a Love Story, though with a much younger child than their girls, it’s meant something a little different over at our house.

I’m going to shift We Eat/She Eats to Sundays because that’s when most of my meal planning takes place.  You’ll probably notice that I typically only outline Monday through Friday, as we like to leave the weekends open to large pot soup making and other pursuits that you will, most likely, find populating our weekly meals.  For example, I’m going to make Beef Stew today, which we’ll eat as a family on Tuesday night, when I have to work late.  The remainder will be frozen to eat in a few weeks, so we don’t get tired of it.

 

We Eat/She Eats October 13 – 18

*Sourced from our garden and preserved through freezing/canning

• Monday: We Eat: Grass Fed Steak (grilled), Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans*  She Eats: Chopped Steak, Potato Cooked with ours but mashed with Cabot Cottage Cheese (full fat), Chopped Green Beans, Chopped Banana (right now chopped fruit and veggies are in roughly 1 cm chunks she can lift with her own fingers)
• Tuesday: We Eat: Homemade Beef Barley Stew (grass fed beef, carrots*, onions*, barley, tomato, parsnip*, garlic*, peas*) with Homemade Bread She Eats: Deconstructed Soup with bits cut to her size (beef, carrot, barley, tomato, parsnip, peas) with chunks of homemade bread
• Wednesday: We Eat: Taco Salad (Grass Fed Beef, Homemade Seasoning, Avocado, Cabot Cheddar over Organic Lettuce & Tomato & Salsa*) She Eats: Taco Meat with Homemade Seasoning, Chunked Avocado, Tortilla Bits, Cottage Cheese, Pear (whole, chunked)
• Thursday (Evening Plans) We All Eat: Grilled Cheese (homemade bread with cheddar cheese), Chunky Tomato Soup (deconstructed for A), Banana or Pears (whatever is left from the weeks fruit bowl)
• Friday (dinner out with my parents to celebrate our birthday girl!)

Have a great week!