I think I may have just eaten the official BEST cupcake I’ve ever had in my life. Banana cake, filled with peanut butter frosting, topped with chocolate buttercream and sprinkled with praline. Oh. My. Goodness.

Let me back up. Today was the grand opening of the new Whole Foods at Park Lane. It’s now the closest WF to my house… AND the largest in the Southwest.

It’s amazing. Lauren and I headed there this afternoon to check it out. The place was crazy crowded, but they had lots of samples and great deals on produce and meat. We probably wandered around for an hour and I still feel like I missed stuff (like the balsamic bar). I want to go back and explore once the hubbub dies down a bit.

Loved the blackberry “mojitos”- non-alcoholic, of course, though it still cracked me up to see a 3 year old little girl sipping one.

My favorite part? The cupcake bar, naturally. You pick a cake flavor, filling, icing and topping. I thought my head might explode. Luckily my friend Jessica was working at the bakery and recommended the banana-pb-chocolate combo. The cupcakes are pretty big (Brian and I split mine) and they’re generous with the frosting, too. Next time I’m trying the salted caramel buttercream- maybe on a carrot cupcake? I sampled the caramel buttercream and it was amazing.

Oh, and apparently there’s kombucha on tap, too, for those of you who like that stuff (cough*nasty*cough). Here’s a list of some the other cool features. I also bought a few new products to review for the blog. Chocolate Greek yogurt, anyone?

My meals were pretty dull today, so I won’t bore you with breakfast or dinner. BUT last night I did try out a recipe from the Clean Food cookbook: Crispy Sesame Carrots. I was picturing something like kale chips- but I have no idea where the “crispy” comes from because these stayed soft. Maybe I did something wrong? Anyway, you basically just saute the carrots in olive oil, then roast them in the oven with sesame oil and toss them with toasted sesame seeds.

Not crispy, but still good. I ate them last night by themselves and then today on top of leftover lentils and brown rice with roasted broccoli (topped with a little red wine vinegar).

We’re having a little trouble adjusting to the time change around here. I’m not exactly sure how you explain to a 3 month old that he needs to go to bed at 8:30, even though it feels like 7:30 to him. Hmm.

Hope everyone had a happy Monday!

Throughout all those years and years and years of French classes, French club meetings (PRESIDENT!), field trips, etc., I enjoyed countless meals at La Madeleine. For those of you not fortunate enough to live near one of their 60 locations, La Madeleine is a cafe featuring traditional French dishes and pastries.

Oh, the pastries.

As a kid I felt very mature ordering the Petit Caesar Salade and a cup of the Tomato Basil Soup. Along with lots of bread slathered with butter and blackberry jam. Although I haven’t dined there often since high school, it still holds a special place in my heart- which is why I was excited to receive an invitation to preview the revamped Preston-Forest location. I arrived early Friday morning and was happy to see that, despite the makeover, most of the cozy touches remained:

There were, however, quite a few changes. Electronic menu board and central ordering station:

Open kitchen:

Contemporary decor:

I have to admit, now that Jack’s here, La Madeleine would not have been at the top of my list for places to dine. The former ordering system would have been a nightmare to navigate with a stroller. Now, instead of having to drag your tray down a line, you just order at the counter and they actually bring you your food. And I love the open kitchen; apparently they’ve always prepped the pastries in-house, which you never would have known in the “old” cafes. Maybe I’m just a food nerd but I love to watch other people cook. Oh, speaking of- we were given a croissant demonstration! Almond and chocolate. Oui oui.

Breakfast was delicious and the staff was beyond gracious. I was thrilled to meet the founder of La Madeleine, Patrick Esquerre, and the current COO, Phil Costner (a CIA grad!).

That’s fellow blogger Debra next to me. You can check her out at A Frugal Friend.

It was fascinating to hear Mr. Esquerre discuss the founding of his restaurant. Apparently he stood in front of the original Mockingbird location and polled passerby on what they believed was necessary for an authentic French cafe. He also recounted how his mother traveled from France to help perfect the recipes (though he declined to let us in on the Tomato Basil Soup recipe).

And they sent us home with some wonderful treats. I’ve already dug into the Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves.

(I got to take this baguette, too.)

So thank you to everyone at La Madeleine! I’d encourage anyone who hasn’t been in a while to check out the revamped Preston-Forest location. OH, and anyone who wears pink or makes a monetary donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure will receive a 10% discount on their order this Tuesday, March 16. So go have a chocolate croissant for me.

Unfortunately Jack was fussy and I knew better than to try to drag him to the dressing room, so I headed home and decided to take my chances and check back today. My mom came over to hang out with Jack, so I booked it to Super T and sprinted to the clothes. I was scoping out the racks when I realized that there were a LOT of Target employees restocking the area. Then I saw that they weren’t actually restocking- they were REMOVING the clothes. Like putting them on rolling racks and carting them back to the stockroom. I overheard one employee talking about how they’d gotten into trouble for putting the line out early and had to wait until Sunday.

Which is when I grabbed a top and booked it out of the clothing department and to the cashier.

Heeheeheee. So I now have one awesome Liberty of London top. Contraband.

(Apparently it’s actually a robe… but who the hell wears a waist-length robe??)

And you know I’ll be back on Sunday to check out the rest of the line.

Oh yeah, this is a food blog isn’t it?

Central Market had this “European Yogurt” on sale:

I tried the Black Currant flavor. It’s rich and thicker than the usual (American?) yogurt. Not quite Greek yogurt thick, but still. And even though my favorite candle in the world is currant scented (Votivo), I wasn’t a fan of the flavor. It was more passion fruit than currant. And I hate passion fruit.

Topped with cereal and grapes:

For lunch I microwaved some of Monday night’s leftover Minestrone soup, along with an Ezekiel english muffin topped with Sabra hummus and bruschetta topping.

Another gorgeous day. I Shredded and then we headed out for a nice long walk… I am so ready for Spring.

Brian came home from work, saw what I was cooking, then asked if there was anything that constituted a “real meal.” Awesome. So I had brown rice, lentils and roasted broccoli topped with a homemade vinaigrette (olive oil, red wine vinegar, curry powder, cumin and kosher salt).

And Brian had a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich. And a beer.

I bought two new books today: Clean Food and The Happiness Project. I’m pretty excited to get into both of them. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Today flew by. Jack was a champ and slept from 9:30 last night to 7 this morning, then ate and went BACK to sleep until 8:30. After a little playtime in mama & daddy’s bed (he is SO HAPPY in the mornings), we watched the Today show and I munched on peanut butter and blueberry jelly on that awesome Amish bread.

Put Jack down for his nap and did my Shred for the day. Level 2 is definitely getting easier. I can actually manage a walking push-up now, but the shoulder presses still kick my butt. We got a big thunderstorm during Jack’s nap- which didn’t bother him at all but freaked Chloe out. Every time it thunders she goes batshit crazy. Oh- and have I mentioned that she refuses to potty outside if the ground is wet? And that she poops on the porch instead? Yeah.

My mom called and asked if we wanted to meet her for lunch at Souper Salad. Yes and yes. My salad and dessert. Sprinkles!

Jack started fussing during the meal so we just handed him back and forth and took turns eating. I’ve gotten really good at doing things right-handed.

In honor of St. Patty’s Day, I decided to make a batch of Chocolate Mint Whoopie Pies for book club.

They tasted like giant, squishy thin mints.

The “pie” recipe came from the New York Times. It’s one of the only versions I could find that didn’t involve shortening. I hate using shortening in baked goods- it leaves that gross coating in your mouth. Yucky.

And the filling was my usual mint buttercream (recipe here). I should have halved the recipe though- I ended up eating trashing a bunch afterward.

Book club was fun, though Julie was the only one who actually READ the book (The Wednesday Sisters). I just couldn’t get into it.

I can’t believe I forgot to post photos- but Jack had his first playdate last Friday!!

That’s my friend Jacqueline’s daughter, Ella. She’s just over 5 months… Jack loves the older ladies. Aren’t they precious? And look how they’re holding hands! Totally spontaneous and not forced upon them at all. Ella was adorable and kept rolling over to chat with Jack. He just laid there like a lump, totally oblivious to the other baby. It’s amazing the difference that 2 months makes.

Alright- off to bed. Night!

Yesterday it poured… but look at the photo I snapped once the rain cleared. Pretty.

Speaking of running and such, I weighed this weekend and have lost about 5lbs. Since I haven’t really changed my eating habits much, I’m attributing this to The Shred. My jeans are definitely fitting better. Still not pre-preg clothes but it’s a start!!

Breakfast this morning was Raspberry Yoplait topped with Quaker Cinnamon Oatmeal Squares, slivered almonds and grapes.

My mom asked Jack and I to meet her and my dad for lunch this afternoon, so we picked her up and headed to Purple Cow. Depending on when you go, this place seems to attract both really, really young people (like the under 10 crowd) and really, really OLD people. Today was an oldie day.

My mom has been raving about their Caesar salad so I decided to give it a shot.

Not bad. The lettuce and dressing were just plain old Caesar, but I loved that they top it with olive salad (including pickled pearl onions).

Jack adores being outside. We got home from running errands and he was super fussy- probably just sick of being in the carseat. So I took off his socks and we headed out to the backyard with Chloe. He just laid on the blanket, kicking his little legs and giggling.

We actually stayed out there until Brian got home. The plan was to grab a quick dinner so that we could get home and work on taxes, but we didn’t end up getting out the door until after 7:00. We decided to head to Central Market since it’s fast and easy.

I’ve never had a bad meal from the CM Cafe, which makes sense since they have a ginormous store of ingredients to pick from. Tonight I tried the Shrimp Stir Fry (only $7!!!):

With my little buddies…

YUM. I love that they obviously use fresh veggies; the broccoli and cauliflower were still crisp. My only complaint was that the jasmine rice was a little undercooked. Oh well, not like that stopped me from cleaning the plate. And seriously, where else can you get a shrimp dish for $7?

So I finally got Jack down to bed and Brian’s still working on the taxes. Tomorrow night is book club and though I still haven’t finished the book (oops), I’m REALLY excited about the dessert I’m planning to bring. Pics tomorrow.

Hope everyone has a great night!

Sorry about the lack of post last night. It was a weird day. I woke up with this intense, sharp pain on my upper abdomen just below the ribcage. It kept coming and going all day and hurt so badly that it was hard to talk. So by 5:00 I finally gave in and let Brian take me to the ER. They ran blood work and even did an ultrasound- and found NOTHING. Which is awesome to hear after you’ve been sitting there for 4 1/2 hours. So any doctors reading this? Feel free to put in your two cents. It’s hurt off and on today, too. No fever or puking- so I guess I have that going for me.

(Overshare much? I’m sure you guys just LOVE hearing about my tummy issues.)

Back to the better parts of the weekend. It was so nice out Friday night that we decided to load Jack up in the stroller and walk to dinner. There aren’t a whole lot of options within walking distance, but it being a Friday during Lent (Brian’s such a good little Catholic), we ended up at Offshore’s Next Door for some seafood. I had the Ahi Burger. Tasty but SPICY. Oh my lord.

Saturday was busy. We took my computer to the Apple store for repairs and ended up spending way too much time at Northpark. Can I just say how much I love Snappy Salads? Actually, how much I love the entire Northpark food court?? But especially Snappy Salads…

The only problem is that I always feel so pressured when assembling my salad. TOO MANY OPTIONS. It’s a rough life. This is just a HALF salad with red leaf lettuce, artichokes, tomatoes, cucumbers, water chestnuts, cornichons, chickpeas, parmesan, wonton strips, organic chicken and spicy Italian dressing. And a big hunk of sourdough.

On Saturday night we met Lauren and Robert for dinner at La Calle Doce (I had the ceviche but decided to spare you the thousandth photo of that dish). Afterward we headed to Times Ten Cellars for an engagement party for our friends Anna and Kurt. Sorry for the blurrrrry photos.

I love engagement parties. And wine. I got to visit with my friend Mary Anne, who lives in St. Louis and also has a precious baby boy, Jude. He’s a few months older and wiser than Jack.

Congrats Anna & Kurt!!

And then we came home and watched the best SNL in a long, long time. Here comes the choo choo!

Today was gross outside and soup sounded good for dinner. I ended up making a giant pot of minestrone soup. Hopefully I’ll get around to typing up the whole recipe soon- but it involved onions, carrots, celery, kale, cannelini beans, ditalini pasta and turkey bacon.

Such a good rainy night meal! And a turkey sandwich, too. My parents brought us a loaf of really good multigrain bread from the Amish market in Mabank. Look how thick and squishy it is:

That sounded naughty.

So apparently it’s supposed to be 75 degrees and sunny tomorrow! Woohoo!

Chloe’s such a protective big sis.

Breakfast- plain yogurt with strawberries, cereal, sliced almonds and honey:

We have NO food in the house. I debated dragging Jack to Subway but then ended up putting together the weirdest lunch ever… which surprisingly worked really well:

Leftover brown basmati rice mixed with chickpeas. I squeezed a lime on top and topped it with cheese, salsa, avocado and sour cream. It was filling and actually very tasty.

The days seem to be going so fast this week. I keep intending to make dinner and then finding better things to do (like laying on a blanket with Jack and Chloe). Oh well. Tonight we ended up heading to Mexicali for some cheap tex-mex. I had the tacos al carbon- one chicken and one steak.

So we FINALLY got around to taking Jack’s 3 month pictures. Look at how much he’s grown!

Okay, sorry. Brian thought that was hilarious.

Here he is:

The progression…

Three months has FLOWN by, and Jack’s just getting more and more fun every day. I think he’s a keeper.

Hope everyone has a fun weekend!

I love getting samples in the mail. Kashi sent me a tiny box of this cereal last week:

So I decided to have it for breakfast this morning, along with sliced strawberries.

The cereal was just okay. I like the cinnamon- but it just wasn’t filling at ALL. I was starving by lunchtime.

My mom brought their dog, Sophie, over here to hang out this morning. The idea is that Sophie and Chloe can play, but really all that happens is that Chloe tries to hump Sophie and they both bark at the cat. Needless to say it was a FUN morning.

Lunch was (surprisingly) delicious. Leftover roasted veggies, along with a MSF chick patty on an Ezekiel english muffin- topped with goat cheese and jarred bruschetta topping ($1.88 at Sam’s!).

I couldn’t keep my spoon out of the bruschetta jar.

It was GORGEOUS out today, finally. Julie called to see if Jack and I wanted to meet them at the Arboretum. Um, heck yeah. I’m probably way too overeager when people invite us to do stuff during the day. The house gets boring and you can only walk around the mall so many times.

Poor little Jack. Being a December baby, he really hasn’t spent much time outdoors. Apparently he LOVES it.

We just plopped him on a blanket and he kicked his chubby little legs and talked to us.

Julie was cracking him up. I tried to get it on video- he coos and giggles at her a little at the beginning, until he notices me holding the camera and goes stone-faced. Please ignore the giant boogie hanging out of his nose (and excuse my stupid noises- a pathetic effort to get him to laugh).

I love this guy.

Let’s play Where’s Molly?

Gabe rode him a reindeer.

We ended up having dinner tonight at Alfonso’s. It’s really hard to be good there with the GIANT garlic rolls. I tried my best (1.5 rolls) and ordered the Calamari Marinara.

Yum. I swear, they have the best marinara sauce in Dallas. Too many restaurants serve watery tomato sauce.

PS- I’m on day 4 of level 2 of the 30 Day Shred. HOLY CRAP- walking pushups? She crazy.

PSS- Anyone know of good running shoes for flat feet??

That’s all I got. Hope this post was better, Dad. Night.

My parents brought us a pineapple back from Hawaii. YUM. And best of all, my mom came over and cut it for me, too. I had that for breakfast along with a pile of strawberries and a couple of turkey sausage patties (Jimmy Dean?):

Fruit: A+. Turkey Sausage: C-. It tasted really processed. Probably because it IS.

Our fridge is overflowing with leftovers right now. I hate having a crowded fridge. We end up throwing away way too much food because it’s buried in the back behind all of the tupperware. Annoying. I tried to enforce some crowd control during lunch:

Last night’s pasta (my ziti and Brian’s tortellini) topped with roasted brussels sprouts, a sliced chicken sausage and lots of parmesan.

Tonight Jack and I were on our own because Brian had a Knights of Columbus meeting. In one way it sucks because I’m tired and I’m pretty sure Jack’s sick of staring at my face all day long. On the other hand, I can make whatever I want for dinner without hearing, “Where’s the meat???”

So. Roasted carrots and broccoli (I’m addicted), brown basmati rice and a Morningstar Farm Chick Patty… with ketchup for dipping.

A little rice-making tip that I picked up from Rachael Ray (God help me): When cooking the rice, first melt a tbs of butter in the pot. Then add the rice and let it toast a little in the butter- maybe for 3-5 minutes. Then add in broth and cook as usual. The rice just has a richer flavor.

Hey hey! It’s 9:30 and he’s still asleep! Partay.

(PS- Has anyone else watched that Best Thing I Ever Ate show on Food Network? DON’T. I’m now craving a cupcake, prime rib and mashed potatoes.)