Now that Jack’s eating “real people” food, we have fun things in the house like Goldfish, string cheese, bananas and apple juice. It’s nice to have someone else in the house that will eat fruit- when it was just Brian and me, our bananas and berries would spoil before I had a chance to finish them. Now Jack is happy to help (the boy LOVES blueberries). He’s also a big fan of raisin bread. And now they make a whole wheat version!

So yeah, I snagged a couple slices of his raisin bread and topped it with crunchy pb, along with a honeycrisp ($3.99 for a big box at Target!).

Our big event for the day was meeting Jack’s friend Alex and his mom, Leigh Ann, at Ikea. I think Brian and I took Jack to Ikea once before, on a weekend, and he FREAKED OUT. Too many people, hated the stroller, blah blah blah. So I was nervous today.

Let me tell you- Ikea is the perfect outing for a weekday. There were practically no shaoppers, so Jack and Alex got free reign of the kid department. And they keep “testers” of all of the toys out (genius marketing, Ikea- how could I NOT buy the awesome puppets and block set after watching Jack enjoy them so much?), so the boys just crawled around and played.

I may have to go back for this tunnel.

And guess what’s right next to the toy department??? The restaurant! Once again, good job Ikea. I love the high chairs, they have great kid snacks (jars of organic baby food, too) and I even spotted a bottle warmer.

They have a $2.49 Swedish meatball special on Tuesdays. How could I not get it?

The cafeteria lady and I had a miscommunication. I said, “No gravy, please.” And she heard, “More gravy! More! MORE!”

Jack and Alex were just happy little clams, eating their meatballs and looking out the big window. We may go to Ikea every day.

The most exciting purchases of the day (other than the meatballs)?

Cute cupcake liners!

And a flokati-ish run that Chloe wants to make sweet, sweet love to…

Ikea wore Jack out. He slept the whole way home and then took a long nap. Mama likes.

Jack woke up close to 4, which only gave us a few more minutes of daylight- so I popped him in the jog stroller and headed out for a quick run around the neighborhood. I almost ran off the road when I saw a Christmas tree in someone’s window!! No lie- Brian JUST threw away our jack-o-lantern. Like, tonight.

Dinner was quite delicious, if I may say so. Brian grabbed a seasoned pork tenderloin at Aldi the other night. I’m usually not a big fan of pre-marinated meat so I wasn’t expecting much. The package said to bake it at 350 for 20 minutes per lb. It took almost twice that long to get the pork up to a safe internal temp (160 degrees, fyi)… but definitely worth the wait! It was perfect. So far I’ve been really impressed with all of the meat at Aldi.

On the side, Tomato Couscous with Capers- probably my very favorite recipe from Veganomicon (you can view the recipe here). You basically cook the couscous in the juice from a can of diced tomatoes, then add spices, the tomatoes and capers. Simple, right? Jack LOVED it.

Also, sugar snap peas steamed then sauteed in butter, lemon juice and garlic salt.

We’re having a playgroup here tomorrow morning so I need to pick up around here. Oh, and a shower would be nice (and NEEDED)… but first…

TODAY I am thankful for:

1. Naptime.

2. Running. The hardest part is getting out the door, but I’ve never regretted a run.

3. Cooking dinner, especially while listening to music… and sometimes with a glass of wine. And the best part? Brian cleans up afterward. I mean, really- what’s not to love?

What are YOU thankful for today?

Well, then today’s post will be a big fat blank page.

Just kidding. But today sucked with a capital S. The morning started out okay. I actually managed to get up and out for a run around the neighborhood. I think I’ve said this before, but I wish I could bottle the feeling you get about halfway through a run- it would make it so much easier to crawl out from under those warm covers.

Breakfast featured an old friend, The Mango. I was all about mangoes a few years ago- even going so far as to buy a mango splitter. But even with the splitter, they’re a big pain in the butt to prep.

Yet so delicious!

Plain yogurt with a chopped mango, a handful of Cinnamon Oatmeal Squares and some sliced almonds.

Jack is not down with N-A-P (yeah you know me!). We’re bad parents on the weekend and get lax when it comes to his schedule, which means that it takes a few days to get him back ON the schedule… and then the weekend comes again… it’s a vicious cycle. So today both of his naps were around 20 minutes. Fail fail faaail.

During one of the speed naps, I did manage to throw together quite the tasty lunch. Spaghetti squash (zapped in the microwave for a really long time- like around 20 minutes total?) topped with marinara sauce, goat cheese and roasted turkey.

So here’s where the shiz hit the fan. Our AC has been acting up for the past few days, just making this annoying buzzing noise and not quite keeping up. We had someone come look at it this afternoon… and he informed us that our old AC unit is putting too much strain on the compressor (which we had to replace 2 years ago), so we need a new unit. Like, now.

Super. That’s a fun way to spend a few thousand dollars.

So we had a little freak out, but really- what can you do? It’s August in Texas. We need AC.

At least dinner was good. I gave Jack a wooden spoon to play with and he supervised my cooking.

We kind of had a Japanese theme going: Miso Glazed Flank Steak…

with Sesame Broccoli Salad and Coconut-Lime Basmati (from Eat Drink & Be Vegan).

Good stuff. Weirdly enough, I had all of the random ingredients on hand- miso paste, mirin, sesame oil, ginger, coconut milk.

And now… now I need some dessert. Or wine.

** Be sure to check back tomorrow night for an AMAZING giveaway!!! I’m so excited about it. Even Brian’s trying to figure out how to rig the contest so he’ll win

Night!

And later we be clubbin’.

Remember how I told you my mom brought us a bunch of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers? Well I forgot that she brought peaches, too! They’re getting pretty ripe, so this morning I incorporated two into breakfast. Plain yogurt topped with fresh raspberries and peaches, sliced almonds and a few Quaker Cinnamon Oatmeal Squares.

(Can you tell I’m a volume eater?)

Today was busy busy busy. Tomorrow I’m hosting book club, then on Friday morning we leave for Fredericksburg to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. I’m SUPER excited about the trip, but it’s our first night away from Jack. That part makes me a little nervous.

Also- if anyone has any suggestions of places to visit in Fredericksburg, I’d love to hear them.

So today I was just rushing around trying to get errands run, dishes cooked, bags semi-packed and the house cleaned. My mom volunteered to watch Jack for a couple of hours, so for convenience purposes I just grabbed this at Target so I could zap it at her house whilst making the drop off. Holy run-on sentence.

Amy’s Black Bean Tamale.

It was definitely tasty and relatively filling. But for 330 cals and 10 g fat, I want something that takes more than 2 minutes to eat- you know? The tomatillo sauce was surprisingly good.

I tried to make the Momofuku Compost Cookies a few months ago and they were an epic fail. Sad. But I kept running across the cookies in blogs and articles and decided that it meant the universe really wanted me to make them.

(The universe wanted me to make them. It had nothing to do with the fact that I was craving cookie dough like it was going out of style.)

Luckily I ran across this recipe on Natalie’s Killer Cuisine. My “add-ins” included dried cherries, mini chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, shredded coconut, rolled oats- and the clincher: crushed kettle chips.

These turned out much better than before!!

I love that they’re so customizable. I’m trying to dream up other fun mix-ins: Pretzels, PB chips, Raisinettes, Reese’s Pieces, crushed malted milk balls, graham crackers…

We had a bunch of leftover brown rice, so for dinner I made a batch of Savannah Beans & Greens Soup from my Moosewood cookbook. It’s a really simple recipe that features two of my faves- black-eyed peas and kale.

Along with cornbread muffins. Just a box of Jiffy mixed with 3/4 c corn and 1/2 c shredded cheddar.

I think I’ve found a problem with my new picture-taking spot. Great natural light, but…

Alright I’m off. More cooking to do, and THIS to clean up:

- SURVEY -

Have you had any recipe failures?

Four words: Bacon-Cheddar-Apple Pie. ‘Nuff said.

Jack slept until 9 this morning. Nice, son. Breakfast was a rerun- cheddar muffins with apple slices and coffee.

This afternoon The Senator and I headed to Northpark. I hate to complain about being bored… but… I’m bored. We used to take stroller walks outside but now Jack gets fussy after a couple of blocks (it’s getting pretty hot out). And he gets tired out in the jumperoo or on the playmat pretty quickly. There’s just only so much to do with a 5 month old (any other suggestions??). So- we walk the mall. He loves looking at everyone, I like browsing. Win-win. The only problem? I end up buying him more clothes that he doesn’t need. Like Fourth of July shorts. Which may or may not go with his Fourth of July shirt. Now to find a tiny Uncle Sam beard…

I grabbed lunch at Snappy Salads at Northpark: Green leaf lettuce topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, mandarin oranges, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives and smoked salmon, topped with mustard-honey dressing.

For dinner I made a turkey meatballs from an old Cooking Light recipe. I tried to find the recipe online, but no luck. The mixture includes ground turkey, ricotta, egg, bread crumbs and fresh basil. I added dried oregano, garlic powder, parmesan cheese and more basil. Baked for half an hour (the recipe said to brown the meatballs first, but I skipped that part).

Served on top of whole wheat spaghetti, mushrooms and tomato sauce.

And roasted brussels sprouts on the side.

Before dinner I headed out for a run around the neighborhood, then after dinner we took Jack for a spin around the block in the Bjorn. That plus all the mall-walking = tired Heather. But the evening runs are a lifesaver. It’s so head-clearing… I actually found myself looking forward to it all day. It’s interesting how becoming a mom has turned running from a semi-chore/obligation into a treat.

Hope everyone had a great day!

- SURVEY -

What’s the biggest home improvement-type project you’ve undertaken?

We’re watching this show on HGTV where 2 tiny women are trying to construct a sunroom. We’ve really never done anything major to our house… but THIS is the weekend. We’re building a flowerbed. Get excited.

After Sunday’s dinner, we found ourselves faced with a whole lot of extra pot roast. Seeing that tomorrow’s CINCO DE MAYO, what better use of the surplus than enchiladas? And these contain extra veggies and beans, unlike the traditional enchiladas you’ll find at most Mexican restaurants.

So here’s the recipe.

Shredded Beef Enchiladas

Serves 4 (8 Enchiladas)

• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1/2 Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 C Frozen Corn Kernels
• 1 Bell Pepper, Seeded and Diced
• 1 Can Black Beans, Drained and Rinsed
• 2 C Leftover Pot Roast, Shredded
• 2 Cans (10 oz each) Red Enchilada Sauce
• 2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 tsp Hot Sauce (I used Chipotle Tabasco)
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
• Salt & Pepper
• 8 Tortillas (Soft Taco/Medium Size)
• 2 Cups Mexican-Blend Shredded Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and saute until translucent.

2. Add corn, peppers and black beans and stir until heated through.

3. Add pot roast and cook for a few minutes, breaking up any large chunks. Pour in half of one can of the enchilada sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, cumin and chili powder. Then add salt & pepper to taste.

4. Simmer for several minutes, stirring. Remove from heat. Mixture will look like this:

5. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour other half of the can of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish.

6. Working with one tortilla at a time, spread about 1/2 cup of the beef mixture in the center of each tortilla, then roll up. Place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. I only fit 7 in my baking dish, but one of the enchiladas was overstuffed.

7. Once all tortillas are filled, pour remaining can of sauce over the enchiladas, then top with cheese.

8. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Top with avocado, sour cream, jalapenos, cilantro, etc…

VOILA.

Okay, I can’t resist sharing a few pics.

My sous chef:

And can you tell who in our house is desperate for affection right now?

Poor Chloe.

- CINCO DE MAYO SURVEY-

Frozen or on the rocks?

Frozen, with salt.

New pillows.

And candles.

And rearranging (thanks, Gina!).

Right now the only room that I’m 100% happy with is the nursery. Everything else is a work in progress… until we win the lottery.

This morning was momentous. Jack was up at 2, 2:45 and 7, but then fell back asleep until almost 10. Not ideal, but I did manage to squeeze in a run before Brian left for work. Sweet! The weather was perfect. My smashed toe is still sore but I eeked out 3 slow miles. I forgot how nice it is to have the workout over and done with first thing in the morning.

Breakfast was Greek yogurt topped with 2 crumbled Chocolate-Banana Oat Bites, half a banana, sliced almonds and honey.

Jack, my mom and I picked my dad up at work for a little picnic lunch.

(My dad doesn’t usually sport bedazzled sunglasses… his forgot his and had to borrow a pair from my mom.)

Central Market turkey-havarti sandwich and leftover couscous.

For dinner I made a recipe pulled from Real Simple a few months ago: Creamy Barley with Tomatoes and Greens.

Of course I ended up changing it up. I couldn’t find the quick-cooking barley, so I used regular pearl barley instead and upped the cooking liquid (chicken broth instead of water) to three cups. Instead of brie, I used goat cheese. And baby spinach instead of mustard greens.

Anyway, it turned out really well… very similar to risotto. If you make this and use regular barley, just be aware that it takes a lot longer to cook (about 40 minutes).

Time for Glee! And wine.

- SURVEY -

When do you fit in your workouts? Mornings? Lunch hour? After work?

In other words, HOT. Watch out.

I’m getting a little tired of PB&J for breakfast (crazy, I know), so this morning I toasted an Ezekiel english muffin and topped it with a Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge and La Madeleine Strawberry-Rhubarb Preserves.

We’ve been better about eating at home lately, and I’m attributing that in large part to the whole weekly “menu planning” effort. That translates into one big grocery trip at the beginning of the week- so today Jack and I hit up Newflower to stock up. I ended up grabbing a tray of sushi (combo salmon roll and tuna roll) for a quick lunch.

My mom came over to watch Jack this afternoon so I could make a quick trip to the bookstore and then go for a run.  Once I got back home from the run (which was fabulous), Jack was just up from a nap, and as my mom put it, “Mad as a hornet.” His bad mood lingered from about 4pm to, oh, 9? Yeah, fun night.

He does have a cute new trick. On our way to dinner last night, we hear this coughing fit coming from the backseat. Brian and I both freaked and turned around to check on Jack- and he was just smiling up at us. So apparently he’s figured out that coughing = attention. And he practiced that little trick all day today.  See?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLgdqI0ajms]

That’s sheer talent.

Dinner was an old favorite: BBQ baked tofu. Out of laziness, I didn’t press the tofu- so not as dense as usual, but it was still good. We used Stubbs BBQ sauce.

Brian found these 100 calorie bagel thins (by Thomas) at the grocery store. They’re not very filling on their own but work well for sandwiches. On the side was brown basmati rice and roasted broccoli topped with meyer lemon juice and parmesan.

I’m going to go wash off the running stink and then climb in bed and read. Yeah… that sounds good.

- SURVEY-

What’s on your menu this week?

I have a bunch of recipes to try. The whole forcing ourselves to eat at home thing is kind of fun because it gives me an opportunity to use all of the recipes that I bookmark. This week: Split Pea Soup (from Clean Food), Eggplant Caviar (from Real Simple) and something involving chicken breasts. They were on sale- suggestions welcomed.

After the crappy night of sleep, an easy breakfast was in order. Cascade Fresh Green Apple Pie yogurt with blueberries and granola. And coffee, obviously.

I didn’t really eat lunch today. Jack and I grocery shopped and then by the time I got him home and fed, it was time to leave for my doctor’s appt. I ended up just smearing some crunchy PB and strawberry-rhubarb jam on a sandwich thin and taking that for the road.

We were so impressed with the Moroccan Chickpea and Eggs from a couple of weeks ago that we decided to have it again tonight.

This recipe is ridiculously easy and super cheap- it would probably serve 3 (we have leftovers) and cost less than $5 to make. Can’t get much better than that. We had it with Archer Farms Whole Wheat Naan.

And a salad of baby spinach, blueberries, goat cheese, almonds and Annie’s Woodstock Dressing.

So- as promised- Jack’s 4 month pics!!

He tried to escape…

I can’t believe how big he’s getting. The difference between 3 and 4 months has been huge- he’s jabbering all the time and is holding his head up really well. He’s also getting really grabby; I’ve been near strangled several times lately when he gets his little death-grip on my necklace.

- SURVEY -

I was cracking up at some of the responses to Saturday’s post… so:

How do you know you’re getting old?

- I can’t remember the last time I entered a bar. Other than a wine bar- though I think the fact that I’ve been in a wine bar recently actually makes me older.

- When selecting pasta sauce, I first check the fiber content on the nutrition label.

- I get secretly excited when the doctor’s office has Reader’s Digest in the waiting room.

Anyway. Breakfast this morning was Greek yogurt topped with blueberries, honey and granola.

I planned on Shredding this morning. It didn’t happen. I’ve come to the realization that if I don’t force myself to do it before noon, I won’t do it at all.

For lunch I zapped some leftover tempeh stir fry with quinoa:

One good thing about cooking at home every night is that there’s always a decent lunch option in the fridge the next day. It’s too hard to come up with something that’s fast enough to prepare while Jack takes his 20 minute nap- so zapping leftovers is ideal. Win-win.

After lunch Jack and I headed to Northpark to wander around for a while. One part of the budget that we I have NOT stuck to is Jack’s “Personal” allowance. Yeahhh. He ended up with more clothes today. Whatever- he’s not going to let me dress him forever so I have to take advantage of it now, right? And I should have just stayed out of Martin & Osa. Almost everything is on sale, and all of the sale stuff is an additional 20% off. Just saying.

Target had ground turkey on sale the other day, so I grabbed a package. I ended up using tonight to make my Turkey-Spinach Meatloaf. We had some leftover sliced mushrooms, so I threw those into the mix before baking- along with the usual chopped baby spinach and carrots. It’s a good way to sneak in some veggies.

I love meatloaf.

On the side is parmesan couscous. I also made a salad of baby spinach, blueberries, goat cheese, sliced almonds and homemade Meyer lemon vinaigrette (recipe here). We had some blackberry balsamic vinegar, so I used that in the recipe instead of standard balsamic. This dressing will definitely be making an encore soon.

We’ve been trying to get Jack’s 4 month pics done, but every night something comes up- holidays, late dinners, general crankiness, etc. So the goal is to get them done TOMORROW night. Or at least before he turns 5 months.

Have a great weekend!

- SURVEY -

Weekend plans?

We have a neighborhood block party on Saturday, which is good because we’re antisocial and don’t know many of our neighbors (bad). Then Sunday we have a crawfish boil/wedding shower for Zach and Laura. OH, and Brian’s trying to talk me into going to Irving to watch them blow up Texas Stadium. Hmmm.

Breakfast = return of the Green Monster.

• 1 C Skim Milk
• 1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
• 1 Frozen ‘Naner
• Handful of Frozen Berries
• 3 Handfuls of Baby Spinach
• Ice
• Honey (it wasn’t sweet enough)

I love me some Green Monsters, but good lord the cup smells gross when you’re washing it out afterward. Kind of like pet food.

I planned on Shredding this afternoon, but then my mom asked if we wanted to meet her for lunch. Duh, yes. We ended up at Souper Salad- per usual- and I had a ginormous salad (baby spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, okra, pickles, beets, peas, kidney beans, mandarin oranges, red wine vinegar):

And soup x 2.

So I was sitting with Jack while my mom went through the salad line, and this lady walks by with her daughter (around 4 years old) trailing behind. The daughter stops next to Jack, squeezes his foot, kisses him on the leg, and then keeps walking. And then on the way back, she reaches into his car seat and pats him on the head. Never says a word, and the mom never even noticed. I was slightly horrified that a strange child just kissed my baby- but at the same time it was actually really sweet… and of course it didn’t bother Jack in the slightest.

He’s already a hit with the laaaaadies.

Last week I bookmarked a bunch of recipes to try, including one for Spicy African Peanut Stew from Peas and Thank You. When Brian and I were in college, there was a natural food store/co-op near campus that served vegetarian lunches every day. And they were CHEAP, too- like $5 a plate. I had a sorority house meal plan but we ended up eating at Healthy Foods pretty much every day. Anyway, one of my favorite meals there was an African peanut stew. I’ve tried to find the recipe ever since but no luck.

This one was less creamy (though probably healthier) but still really good. I love that it’s made in the slow cooker, too. Just toss everything in and go. I cooked it for about 3 hours on high and it turned out great. I LOVE the coconut milk.

Topped with sour cream and cilantro.

Oh- and a rotisserie chicken and avocado sandwich on the side.

So that’s day 2 of sticking to our meal plan!! Woohoo! I do think buying all of the groceries in advance helps me stick to the menu. It’s so annoying to have to run to the store every day for 2 or 3 ingredients.

Hope everyone had a good day! I’m off to tackle the stack of magazines next to my bed. I LOVE reading magazines, but now that Jack’s here they just seem to keep piling up. Funny how that happens.

- SURVEY -

What is the one food you eat more than anything else?

Weird question, I know. But I just realized that I probably eat chickpeas in some form every. single. day. Today I had a double dose: In the soup AND in the hummus I snacked on before dinner. And yesterday in the ratatouille, and the day before- more hummus.