Vegan pancake bites, for baby and I

I loved these so much the first time I made them, that I make them almost every morning now! They are fast, easy, healthy, and my 18 month old LOVES them. I make them when she first gets up, and 15 minutes later, she is in her highchair chomping away at them.

1/2 cup pancake mix (I use oatmeal pancake mix made with 100% whole grains)
1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup raw local organic honey (wait, is honey vegan? Some say no. Use stevia if you are hardcore)
toppings of choice

Whisk together the ingredients, pour into muffin tins, add toppings of choice.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes

So, I've tried few different variations of toppings, and they have all been dee-licious. In the picture you can see blueberries, and bananas on some, while the others have cinnamon applesauce swirled in them. I've also whisked in a heaping spoonful of sunflower seed butter into the mix before pouring, which gave it a nice nutty flavor. Dark chocolate chips with raspberries are a great blend, as is blueberries and walnuts. As you can see, toppings for these healthy bites are limitless!

Enjoy!

Veggie Spring Rolls with Ginger dressing, the caucasian way!

So, I decided to channel my inner Asian today and make spring rolls. They aren't very authentic, and I kinda cheated, but I still think my momma would be proud at my initial attempt. And to my defense, I hardly have any time to cook with a 17 month old, so if I have to use pre-packed ingredients, so be it! They taste delicious, and no one at a cocktail party will ever know:)

So all you need is:

Vietnamese Rice paper

A bag of Taylor Farms Asian chopped salad mix (or you can chop cabbage, carrots, green 

onions, and cilantro)

1 pack ginger dressing (comes with salad mix or you can buy in a bottle)

1 pack crispy wontons and sliced almonds (comes with salad mix)

1 Avocado

Directions:

1. Dampen rice paper with warm water. I fill up a bowl with water and dunk the rice paper for about 5 seconds each.

2. Fill rice paper with salad mix, don't forget to include the almonds and wontons

3. Add 2 slices of fresh avocado

4. Roll like a burrito

So easy! And cheap. That bag of salad mix is only $4 and makes about 10 spring rolls! Enjoy!

Super Easy and Healthy Spinach Enchiladas Verdes!

I love this recipe. It literally takes 10 minutes, and are so easy, that I can make them while tending to my daughter! Plus, my new husband loves them! I got the recipe from Allrecipes, but made a few changes to make it healthy.

• INGREDIENTS:
  -1 cup light sour cream, I used non-fat greek yogurt
  -1 (7 ounce) can green salsa, I used organic hatch green chili salsa
  -1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
  -2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  -1 (10 ounce) package corn tortillas, I used whole grain tortillas
  
  
  DIRECTIONS:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a small bowl, stir together half of the sour cream (yogurt) and the green salsa. Spread enough to coat the bottom into a 9x13 inch baking dish. On each tortilla, spread a small amount of the salsa and sour cream in the center. Lay a small handful of spinach over that, and sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. Roll up, secure with a toothpick and place into the baking dish. When all of the tortillas are in the pan, pour the remaining salsa over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
  3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the enchiladas are browned and heated through.

Easy Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken with Quinoa Fall Salad

Last night before I went to sleep, I put this chicken recipe into the crock pot. Best decision ever. Now I can have this yumminess with a side of the Fall Quinoa Salad for lunch!

It's not just a pretty picture. The chicken falls off the bone, it's so moist and tender. I did make a few changes to the recipe, which I think made all the difference.

Ingredients

• -3 1/2 pounds chicken drumsticks, skin removed
  -1/2 cup soy sauce, I used low sodium
  -1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  -2 cloves garlic, minced
  -1 8 (ounce) can tomato sauce, I used an organic one with no sodium added
  -Flour for coating chicken
  
  
  DIRECTIONS:
  1. Trim off skin from drumsticks
  2. Coat in flour, this will help thicken the sauce
  3. Place drumsticks in crock pot.
  4. Mix together soy sauce, garlic, tomato sauce, and brown sugar. Pour onto the chicken. 
  5. Cook on LOW 8 HOURS
  
  
  GO HERE FOR FALL QUINOA SALAD

• 
  
• 
  

Fall Quinoa Salad....as seen on pinterest

This recipe is going around like wildfire on Pinterest, so because I L.O.V.E quinoa, I decided to try it. It turned out amazing!! I made a double batch so that I could have it as a side dish all week. Tonight it will go with the crock pot chicken I made, tomorrow with some grilled tilapia. Cause thats how versatile it is! Thanks Eating for England for sharing!

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
• 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 avocado, chopped into chunks
• handful cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
• small handful cilantro, diced
• 1 limes, juiced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• salt, to taste

Directions

1. Warm the olive/coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s hot add the rinsed quinoa and toast for about 2-3 minutes until it starts smelling nutty and lovely. Add water, stir once, cover, and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all other ingredients. Prepare the dressing by combining the lime juice, oil, cumin, and salt. Whisk it aggressively. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
3. When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from heat and fluff with a fork. Add black beans and toss to warm them through.
4. Let the quinoa cool for about five minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients, including the dressing, and mix. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with tortilla chips and a refreshing, cold beer.

Arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, goat cheese and penne!

I went searching on pinterest for a pasta dish that I could make with the big jar of sun-dried tomatoes I just bought at Costco, and came across Skinny Ms blog. She has some great low fat recipes. The one I made is called Mediterranean Penne, and although I'm weary about trying recipes I've found on Pinterest, I've made a lot of yucky ones, I went ahead and gave it a shot. It was freakin' delicious! Like, I had two bowls and considered a third delicious! But seeing how I'm getting in a wedding dress in less than 3 weeks, I opted to save the third for lunch tomorrow. I can't wait to wake up!

Ingredients

• 5 cups cooked whole-grain penne pasta, cook until al dente
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 2 cups baby spinach (I used 1 cup organic spinach, 1 cup organic arugula)
• 1 cup fat-free feta cheese (I used 1 cup goat cheese, and it wasn't fat free)

Directions

Cook penne according to package directions. Add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet, and saute garlic over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add to skillet the sun-dried tomatoes, black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes, and continue to saute 5 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Add cooked penne and remaining tablespoon of oil; toss to coat, cover, and cook on low an additional 2 minutes. Add pine nuts and baby spinach, toss to combine. Turn off heat, cover and allow spinach to slightly wilt, about 2 minutes.

Sprinkle on feta cheese and serve.

Random, healthy, delicious salad.

Don't you just love it when you throw whatever you have in the fridge into a bowl, and it turns out amazing?! Well, that's what happened to me the other day. I got lucky, real lucky.

The result of what I had in my fridge, was a delicious, healthy salad. Since I just threw everything into a bowl, I'm not sure about exact measurements, but here are the ingredients...

Spinach or some type of greens

Fresh mozzarella balls

Beets

Jicama

Avocado

Mandarian oranges

Sunflower seeds

Squeeze of fresh lemon

Dash of olive oil

Dash of aged balsamic vinegar

Reclaimed, Dining room table

Our table is finally done!

After looking through pinterest for ideas for a great reclaimed table, we decided it wasn't in our budget to buy one, so we started looking into making one. I found a blog with a DIY reclaimed table, and it seemed easy, but timely. When your remodeling your home, working, and caring for an infant, time is something you lack. Trey searched Craigslist for some used lumber anyhow, and came across Pieces of the Past in Johnson City, Texas. He decided to make the trip out there one day, and came home with 3 pieces of wood from the floor of an antique boxcar. He was also given the name of a local carpenter, Tony Romano, who could build the table for us.

All in all, the table ending up costing about $1000 cheaper than if we had bought it in a store. Not as cheap as if we had built it ourselves, but considering we don't have a spare second, it was worth every penny!

Wood, $70 per plank
Table, $500
Bench, $200

It turned out so beautiful. Way beyond our expectations.

Framing ultrasound photos, weird?

So, I got bored while Fia took her second 2-hour nap, and ran across her ultrasound pictures. Since I just made a cool collage with Hipstamatic prints, I decided to do the same with the ultrasound photos. I had an extra frame for her room that I hadn't yet filled, so I started cutting and pasting. I came up with this...

I love it, I think it's a great way to preserve and display these priceless prints of my little springroll. Trey on the other hand, thinks it's freaky. What do you think?!

Crafty. Framing Hipstamatic prints...

So I've decided that I'm not much of a blogger. In order to be a good blogger, you must think as a blogger, which means you must always be thinking, and sometimes, I don't want to think! I just want to veg out with some wine and trash TV! With that said, I have some extra time tonight as Trey is out with the boys, and there ain't shit on TV, so I'll take this time to inform you of my latest craft projects.

I decided I needed to do something with all 2,000 photos I have on my phone. Most of them taken with photo apps like Hipsmatic and Instagram, so there are some pretty cool, artsy ones. So, this is what I did...

1- I took the black and white photos using the Hipstamatic app. I choose Blackeys for my film, and Jimmy for my lens.

2- I downloaded my faves, and ordered the prints at Walgreens.com. When checking out, choose the TrueDigitalPrints option, so that they don't stretch your photos. They will make the photos true to size which is about 3x5. It will still print on a 4x6, so it will come with a border.

3- Once I had the prints in hand, I measured and cut them to fit into a white frame I bought at IKEA for $19. I love the result, very vintage-y!

Here is one in color...it was taken at night, with an overhead light on, so it looks yellow, but its just as white as the frame above.

DIY gallery frame wall

I love gallery frames, I just hate hanging them. I'm such a perfectionist, that it drives me crazy if one is crooked, or not in alignment. No matter how hard I try, it seems like a bit of defection is inevitable. Mine looks pretty good. I promised myself not gonna dwell on the little things.

1). I first bought 10 frames, all the same style, but at least 4 different sizes. I bought one large one, and at least 2 of the same ones in the other sizes.

2). I then traced all the frames onto paper and cut them out to use as templates. I used the templates to rearrange on the wall until I had the desired effect. Using an imaginary box helped with my borders, and painters tape allowed me to easily remove and replace.

3). Once I had the templates in place, I measured the back of the frame to make sure I got the nail in the right place, and then went ahead and hammered the nail right into the paper. The paper is helpful not only as a template, but you can also make marks on it.

4). Remove the paper, and start hanging!

Nutella and banana stuffed croissants....yum!

I have no idea where I  got the inspiration for these. I'm sure it was pinterest or some blog. Wherever it was, I'm glad I saw them, cause they were delicious!!! I could eat them all day long, for real.

Ingredients:

Nutella

Banana

Pillsbury croissant dough

Unfold the dough on a cookie sheet. Place a scoop of nutella and a slice of banana in the middle. Fold the dough starting with the short side, then the long side, then fold up the middle flap to create a dumpling! Bake for 12 minutes at 375!

RESULTS: Hazelnut chocolate and banana? Um, yea, you can't go wrong! So good, and the perfect size. They were even good, if not better, when I microwaved them for 30 seconds a few hours after they had cooled. Nutella came oozing out of the sides!!!

10 Tips for online dating.

I'm by no means an expert on the matter, but, I was on match.com for several months and went on my fair share of good and bad dates. Plus, I'm engaged and have a baby with someone whom I met online! So, I obviously did something right! Took me awhile though. Read this, and don't make the same mistakes I did!

1. First and foremost, don't be embarrassed about online dating.

Everyone is doing it, and if they say they aren't, they are lying. In this day and age, it's the norm. A stranger is a stranger no matter if you meet him online, at the park, or in a bar. The only difference is seeing the person, in person, which yes, helps a lot with chemistry. But, with online dating, you get the perks of knowing all the "basics" right off. Like, does he want to have kids? Is he Christian? Does he make a shit ton of money?

2. Only date guys with multiple photos, including full body shots, and preferably dressed. Same goes for you too!

I once went out with a guy who only had head shots on his profile. Well, turns out his head was drastically smaller than the rest of his body. It was odd, and definitely a turn off. I called him pea head, to my friends of course. May have been shallow of me, but I think it's only fair to know exactly what you are getting. Request a full (recent) body shot, if there isn't one. That way you will know if he's short, tall, fat, or skinny. No surprises.

3. Stay away from guys who take pictures of themselves in the mirror.

(got this amazing example online)

He probably doesn't have any friends and thus had no one to take his picture for him. Okay, I'm jumping to conclusions. But, it's super cheesy, especially when they are shirtless, flexing their muscles. To be honest, I've never seen a self-portrait I've liked, so this ban applies to you too ladies! I'm sure you have a pretty picture on your computer you can upload. If you don't, you might consider getting a life.

4. It's ok to initialize contact with a wink, but leave it at that. 


Just because you are looking for love on the computer, doesn't mean chivalry has to be obsolete. Let the man make the first move by contacting you with an email. Or, wink at him to let him know you are interested. If he winks back, without sending an email, then kick him to the curb. He is obviously lazy, the worse quality a man can possibly possess. To sum it up, if he winks at you, wink back, and wait for an email. If you wink at him, and he winks back and never sends an email, then he is a bona fide loser.

5. If interested in one another, try to meet in person, immediately. 

Don't shoot the shit too much over email and phone. Anyone can get along using those means of communication. It won't be until you see him in person whether or not you have any chemistry. So tell him you aren't very good at emailing back and forth and would prefer to get to know each other over coffee. And make sure it's JUST coffee. (see tip #6)

6. The first date should only be coffee or something similar. 

Don't plan to go to dinner, then dancing, then to an after party, with someone you've never even met! I made this mistake and had to fake an allergy attack to get out of it!

Just because you hit it off on the computer/phone, doesn't mean you are going to like him when you see him in person. Sorry if I come across as shallow, but we fall in love based on initial attraction, and pheromones. You have to see someone, to fall in love with them. I know there are a few cases where people claim to have fallen in love without even meeting, but come on, that's fairytale BS. So, trust me, don't waste your night on someone who you might never talk to again, and just go have some coffee!

7. Don't bring your wallet.

Whatever, call me what you want, a gold digger, shallow Hal, blah blah blah. I'm none of those. If I were, I would say go out for an expensive dinner and let him pay! But rather, I'm saying go out for coffee and let him pick up the $2.50. If he can't afford that, then he can't afford you. Period. Not that you're for sale, but you know what I mean. I've been a guys sugar momma before, and it ain't fun. Driving him around town, paying for his dinners, ew, what a sucker I was! Don't let this happen to you. End of story, no excuses.

8. Do not, by any means, shape or form, talk about STDs, exes, bad credit or your five bastard children on a first date! This should be common sense.

We all have baggage, I get it, but let the man get to know you first, before unloading it on him. And vice versa. If your date says "ex" every other sentence, then don't bother with him, he is obviously still hung up on her!!

9. Don't put out on the first date.

I work with a guy who was on eharmony and match just to get some action, and guess what?! He got a TON!!!

If you serious about meeting the love of your life, then take it slow. I admit, there are some few and far between cases where one night stands lead to marriages, but what's the hurry? Don't be a victim of my coworker and other guys who are only on the site to get laid, gross.

10. Follow-up.

If you really enjoyed yourself, it's okay to text the guy after the date to let him know. A simple, "thank you, I had fun, we should do it again," lets him know you are interested and puts the ball in his court. DO NOT contact him again after that though, let him contact you! Remember, chivalry doesn't have to be dead just cause your online!


Other "obvious" tips:

Never let him pick you up on a first date. You just met the guy online, please don't give him your address!

Meet in a public place. Let someone know that you are going on a date and where you will be.

Don't be stupid, a stranger is a stranger!

Trey and I a couple of weeks after we met on Match;)

****UPDATE****

My best friend, who is now on Match.com, went to a guys house for the first date. DO NOT DO THIS! They just want to make-out with you!! Plus, he can be a serial killer! Meet in a public place, drive yourself, and tell people where you are going!

Pineapple ginger brown rice!

Tonight I decided to add some pizazz to my brown rice. I'm glad I did, it turned out great! It would be perfect as a side dish, or with a stir fry. I made mine in a rice cooker, but here are instructions for the stove top.

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 tbsp fresh ginger

1/2 cup brown rice

3/4 cup diced fresh pineapple

1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp sea salt

Bring water, pineapple juice, ginger and brown rice to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce to med-low, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 12-15 mins. Fluff rice and stir in pineapple, soy, sesame, and salt. Serve.

Here it is with the stir fry I made, recipe to come!

RESULTS: A easy way to spice up a boring, yet nutritious grain. Great with chicken. Also adds complementary flavors to any stir-fry. It's da bomb, really.

Soy glazed crock pot chicken!

So, I've been getting Real Simple magazines in my mailbox. I guess the previous owner had a subsrciption, SCORE!! I love Real Simple mag, it's the best for everything, especially healthy recipes.

Last months edition had numerous recipes for crock pot cooking, including one for soy glazed chicken thighs. Since my parents were coming over for dinner, I thought what the heck, lets give it a whirl. Anything Asian is right up our alley, so I figured I couldn't go wrong.

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of it, mainly because I was lazy and served it on paper plates, so here's the magazines picture. I stuck to the recipe with the regards to the chicken, but only sauteed bok choy on the side due to time restraints!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)

2 cups rice, brown or white cooked

• 
  
• 2 heads baby bok choy or napa cabbage
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

Add the first 6 ingredients to the crock pot, stir. Add chicken thighs, and toss till they are coated. Cook for 8 hours on LOW. When finished, remove chicken and set aside. Put liquid into a sauce pan and thicken over medium-low heat, 5-6 minutes. Pour over chicken and rice. 

In a frying pan, add 2 tablespoons sesame oil over medium heat. Add cleaned, and chopped bok choy. Saute till wilted, adding a few splashes of soy sauce and black pepper along the way. Takes about 7-10 minutes for the bok choy to be nice and tender.

RESULTS: My mom said, "this is so good," at least 3 different times. My dad asked my mom, "how did she get the chicken so tender?" And Trey told me "this is the best meal you've ever cooked for me!" Thanks Miss Crock Pot (I will soon name you, don't worry).

Yo, Baby!

I looooove Yobaby by Stonyfield! Maybe I'm out of touch, but I just discovered it and I'm so happy I did. If you haven't heard, then listen up!!

Yogurt, unlike milk, can actually be given to babies who are 6+ months. Check with your pediatrician first, of course. They recommend plain, whole milk yogurt. So I went looking for organic, plain whole milk yogurt and came across the Yobabys. They happened to be just what I was looking for, and more!

Not only are Yobabys offered in convient 4oz packages, there are a variety of flavors. There are single ingredient ones like blueberries, and meals, like pears with green beans. There's also a plain one, which you can add your own organic fruit to if you like. I give my daughter one for breakfast every morning, and so far, there isn't a flavor she doesn't like.

I've been only feeding organic homemade meals to my daughter thus far, because I don't trust what they put in those little jars. But, I trust Stonyfield and this yogurt. There isn't anything artificial about it. No additives, no hard words to pronounce. Just yogurt, fruit, and veggies. That's a recipe for perfection in my book!

Enjoy!

Trey's bacon wrapped, rosemary pork tenderloin!

My fiance rocks. He is seriously good at everything he does, especially cooking. This morning he woke up, fed our daughter, prepared the tenderloin in the slow cooker, ate breakfast, got ready for work, and took off for a full day of wheeling and dealing. Then he came home from work, played with our baby girl, gave her a bath, fed her, read her a book (sometimes with a British accent), and put her to bed.  Yes, I am one lucky girl.

He came up with this yumminess on his own. No recipe, no guidelines. Just a Southern boy and his first class palate!

I don't have a proper recipe for this, since Trey just threw everything

in the crock pot, but here are some guidelines:

2lbs pork tenderloin (or enough to cover the bottom of the crock pot)

1 1/2 cup beef broth (or chicken broth)

6 strips uncooked bacon

1/2 bag organic fingerling potatoes

4-5 carrots, chopped

4-5 sticks organic celery, chopped

3 sprigs rosemary

5 whole cloves garlic

Trey first browned both sides of the pork in a sauce pan. Then he placed the rosemary on each one, and wrapped it in bacon. He then placed the meat in the crock pot, added the garlic cloves, and poured the beef broth on top. He cooked the pork on LOW for 8 hours. With 2 hours remaining, so 6 hours into cooking, he added carrots, celery and potatoes. Serve. It will fall apart with a touch of a fork. So flavorful, especially with the sauce poured on top of the meat. Can't wait to have leftovers tomorrow.

Slow cooked cilantro lime chicken, yum!

My old college roommate, Paige, posted this on Facebook, so I decided to try it. Since I'm a "new" slow cooker user, I'm constantly looking for a good recipe to try. Well, let me just say, not only did it make the house smell good, but it actually tasted amazing! Lots of flavor, with just the right amount of citrus and spice. If you love cilantro, you will love this.

Since the chicken shreds apart with a fork, I put mine on a fresh corn tortilla, with a dollup of sour cream. It was perfect.

In a slow cooker, mix together:

One 24-ounce jar medium or mild salsa (I love Central Markets Organic brand)

Juice from one lime

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

One 1.25-oz. package taco seasoning (I used low sodium)

2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped, optional (I used one and a half)

Add 4-6 thawed chicken breasts and coat

Cook on low for 6 hours and serve immediately. I noticed the longer I waited to eat it, the drier it got.

ENJOY!

Post Workout Smoothie with Oatmeal!

This is mine, if you have a good one, please share! I like to change things up every now and then by adding things like flaxseed, hemp seed, fresh ginger, whey protein, yogurt, and a large variety of fruits, especially figs when they are in season. This month I'm addicted to adding oats to my smoothie.

1/4 cup oats

1/4 cup frozen berry mix 

1 cup almond milk (vanilla or not)

1 banana

1 heaping spoon of Sunbutter (sunflower seed butter)

Add oats to blender and pulse into a powder. Add remaining ingredients and blend until desired consistency. Enjoy!

Shrimp, avocado salad by Grandma!

I'm staying with my parents for a few nights while Trey is out of town on business. I'm still freaked out about the attacks on NYE, and it's nice to spend time with them. Fia totally knows both of them now, and really enjoys their company. They make her laugh, a lot. Plus, my mom is an AMAZING cook (ask any of my childhood friends), so thats a major bonus. Her specialty is Vietnamese, but everything she puts her hands on tastes pretty darn good! Tonight she made an avocado, shrimp, brown rice salad she found in Women's Health Magazine. She was super excited for me to try it, since we love exchanging healthy recipes. As usual, it was divine.

I hope these pictures give it justice. Sorry about taking a picture of the actual recipe, I'm feeling lazy tonight. Email me if you can't read it, and I'll send you a typed-out version, but not till tomorrow:)

Here's my mom playing with Fia this morning around 7am. Thank god for Grandmas!

Alright, gotta go, being beckoned by my parents to beat them in rummikub!

Free swim classes!

Ever since Fia was 3 months old, I been taking her to a class called Bathtime Babies at Emlers swim school here in Austin. It's once a week for 16 weeks for babies between the ages of 2-6 months (they are flexible, give or take a month). And the best part is, IT'S FREE!!

If you've just had a baby, or have one within the age bracket, I highly recommend that you sign up for this class. Actually, I can't recommend it enough. It's a mommy and me class, and it's super fun. Not only will your little one become more comfortable in the water, but it's a great activity to get you out of the house, and meeting other moms.

Sadly, our 16 weeks have expired, and quite frankly it ain't cheap to take the next level class, Waterbabies, but...I'm doing it!! To me, it's worth every penny. In Texas, the number one cause of death for children under the age of 5, is drowning. I don't want to be a statistic. Besides that, it's really good exercise, and helps promote independence.

It's been so much fun watching Fia grow in the water. She kicks, strokes and puts her head comfortably near the surface. She even floats, and doesn't mind getting water in her ears, mouth, or eyes! This is a huge difference from her first class 16 weeks ago when she clung to my neck the entire time!

For more info check out Emlers website. I'm pretty sure they will be starting a new session soon, since mine just ended.

P.S. My friend Maya, who is an infant swim teacher on Maui, told me to take showers with Fia the minute her umbilical cord fell out. This way she could get use to water flowing over her head and eyes. To this day, 7 1/2 months later, we still haven't used her infant bathtub!

Lentil with carrot and Brown Rice, for baby.

Found this recipe on wholesomebabyfood.com, and decided to make it. I love their recipes, so heathy and hearty. Not too mention, so cheap and easy! These 3 ingredients cost me $5 and will yield baby food for months! I went ahead and bought all of these in their conventional form, since none of them are on the dirty list.

I found that I had to simmer them for a little longer then what the recipe called for, in order for the rice to be tender. Once in the blender I used almost a cup of water to make it into a puree, without it, it was more like a paste. I think this dish would be fantastic with some curry powder or allspice, I think I might add some tomorrow! She loves spices, just like her momma!

 

Lentils with Carrots & Brown Rice

2 cups of water
3/4 cup of red split lentils
1/2 cup peeled and diced carrots
1/4 cup brown rice
pinch of curry powder (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and then simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Check on the level of the water and add water as needed. The mix will be finished when the rice is done, the carrots are soft and the lentils have "melted".

Blend the Lentils with carrots and brown rice as needed to create a texture acceptable for your baby. 

Tomato Basil Soup with Ginger!

I love tomato basil soup on cold rainy days like this. So, I went to my "go to" online recipe book, Allrecipes, and found this awesome recipe! Because I'm a ginger fanatic, I modified it a bit by adding an inch of freshly grated ginger as it simmered. It was deee-licious!

Oh, and don't forget the grilled cheese. I made mine on 8 grain bread with provolone cheese (gouda is yummy too)! So, do yourself a favor, and stop by the store on your way home from work and make this for the whole family to enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 tomatoes - peeled, seeded and diced (I didn't peel mine)
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 14 leaves fresh basil
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream (I used half n half)
• 1/2 cup butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 inch grated ginger (optional)

Directions

1. Place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, and return the puree to the stock pot.
2. Place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the heavy cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil.