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?

Jackster was up at 6 this morning to eat… but then went back to sleep until almost 10. THAT’S my boy. By the time I got us both dressed and him fed again (brunch?), it was late and I ended up just having coffee for breakfast. Bad, I know.

My mom was planning to pick up my dad for lunch, and she called and asked if we wanted to meet them at Matt’s to “surprise” my dad. I said sure, because: 1. Yes, of course you can buy me lunch, and 2. It’s so cute to watch both Jack and my dad light up like a pair of Christmas trees when they see each other. Love it.

My lunch = Veggie Fajitas.

My mom needed to run to IKEA this afternoon, so Jack and I tagged along. Our afternoons have been so stinking boring lately that I probably would have jumped at the chance to go anywhere- but luckily I love, love, love IKEA.

My exciting purchases? A wastebasket, a magazine holder, and this cute tray.

I made my poor mom wait in the snack bar line for like 10 minutes to get me a frozen yogurt. At one point she turned around and mouthed, “How much do you really want this?”

Um, a lot. Hello? It’s $1. How can you NOT get one?

Apparently karma is a bitch though, because I let Jack have a little lick of my yogurt. Mistake. It was all sweet and “Haha- the baby likes ice cream!” until he lunged for the cone, grabbed the yogurt (the YOGURT, not the cone) with both hands, then shoved one chubby little hand down my nursing tank and wiped the other across the front of my shirt.

That’s right. Just call me ol’ Yogurt Boobs.

We finally pulled it together and got the hell out of there. Once Brian got home I handed over The Senator and headed out for a run. Third day in a row- woohoo! It’s crazy hot out but it’s nice to just be able to be outside and listen to music and just space out for a while.

We tried to hit up Tony’s for dinner, but once again it was packed and there was long wait. I’m really happy that our little neighborhood place is doing so well- but now it seems like we have to get there at 5 to eat. Oh well, I guess there’s always takeout.

We ended up at Sali’s instead. My main dish was the Vegetarian Salad:

(There are some veggies under all that cheese, I promise.)

But I couldn’t pass up a side order of pasta with mushrooms.

Oh oh oh! Guess what? Jack is saying “Mama” now! Well, we’re 90% sure he is. It starts out as “Bababababa” but then the “B” kind of turns into an “M”… so it’s coming along. Slowly but surely.

G’night all! Time to shower off the fro-yo.

I’ve already informed Brian that once this post is up, I’m headed to bed. Well, after I shower off the baby barf and strained peaches. Yeah- it was THAT kind of day. And for the record, in terms of adhesiveness: baby cereal > super glue. Times infinity.

Jack had oatmeal for dinner; I had it for breakfast.

Cooked with 1/2 a banana and topped with fresh blackberries and a big ol’ dollop of apple butter.

Jack was uncharacteristically cranky this morning (yesterday’s shots?) and then took an also uncharacteristic 2 hour nap. He probably would have slept longer, too, except that I started making my lunch- which inevitably sets his baby Spidey senses tingling.

Veggie Sandwich: Hummus, spinach, tomatoes, avocado and jalapenos on whole grain bread. And more marinated cucumbers.

We spent most of the afternoon at Northpark. I’m looking for a dress to wear to a few weddings… no luck, though of course Jack made out like a bandit (this and this and a few more). I’m super bummed because I found out one of my favorite stores, Martin & Osa, is shutting down their entire line. BOO. But everything is 30% off right now.

Dinner was yet another Moosewood recipe: Black Bean Chilaquiles. I though that chilaquiles always included eggs, but apparently that’s not so- at least according to Moosewood. This version was basically a casserole consisting of crushed tortilla chips topped with sauteed veggies (black beans, corn, tomatoes and onions), topped with blanched swiss chard, topped with cheese, salsa, more chips and more CHEESE… then baked for 30 minutes.

In order to up the protein a little, we (well, Brian) poached a few eggs to put on top. He’s our resident egg-cooker.

I am so glad we have leftovers because this was awesome. Cheesy, crunchy, spicy, gooey. Good stuff.

Night y’all!

- SURVEY -

How do you like your eggs?

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.

For the record: I hate Dane Cook, but I love pickles.

Now that THAT’S out of the way.

Breakfast may have involved half of a gigantic black & white cookie. ‘Twas delicious. But then I figured that I should probably supplement the sugar with something halfway wholesome:

Fage topped with half of a banana, sliced almonds and honey.

Jack and I met Brian for lunch today at Hacienda on Henderson. Man, what a disappointment. The food, I mean (sorry, Bri). Last time we ate there, everything was delicious. I was borderline obsessed with the salsa and the tacos were awesome. This time- notsomuch.

The salsa was way too spicy, and my brisket tacos tasted like little greaseballs. They had NO seasoning…  I went to town with the salt shaker and my two tiny little lime wedges, but they were still super bland. The chips and rice were good, though, and Brian seemed to enjoy his short rib tacos. Oh, and the servers were sweet to Jack so that earns a few more cool points.

Tonight I managed to go for a quick run once Brian got home. Man was it HOT. But I pounded out 3 miles and then Jack and I hung out on a blanket and watched Bri do yardwork.

We finally managed to throw dinner together around 9. Once again I referred to my little Food Network Magazine booklet of “50 Egg Recipes” (the same one with the Moroccan Eggs). This time I pan fried hashbrowns and onions in a skillet. Once those were browned, I sprinkled on some cheddar and then cracked 4 eggs on top. Then I placed the whole skillet in the oven on 425 for about 5 minutes, until the eggs were cooked through.

I topped mine with salsa, avocado and sour cream.

And a big salad on the side.

So I am the worst, laziest hair-doer in the world. And yes, that is a word. Anyway, most of the time my hair is in this really awesome half-pulled through ponytail because it keeps it out of my face and out of Jack’s reach. It’s too wavy to wear down without blowing it straight first, and too straight to actually rock the wave. So I was excited yesterday when I saw the Goody Spin Pins at Target.

For around $6, you get these two corkscrew-shaped bobby pins. The idea is that you just twist your hair into a low (messy) bun, then twist one pin in from the top and one in from the bottom. And guess what?

IT WORKS.

This was my hair after a very windy evening at the baseball game. Aside from a few flyaways, the ‘do actually stayed in place for the most part. You don’t even need a ponytail holder. I’m pretty dang excited about it.

(Full disclosure: I used the pins again today and had to redo the bun a few times. Not a big deal. My hair is pretty fine and slippery, so those of you blessed with nice, thick hair probably won’t have this issue.)

Okay, I’m off to fold laundry and try to make it to bed before midnight. Later.

PS: Congrats to fellow food bloggie Gammypie on her new baby boy!!

- SURVEY -

How do you eat your eggs?

Scrambled, usually. Fried eggs gross me out and hard-boiled take too long.

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?

But just wait, it gets better.

While I’m rushing to the kitchen to get a towel (apparently spit up has the pH of battery acid, judging from our floors), Chloe walks over and starts LICKING UP THE PUKE.

*Deep breaths*

Wait, what? This is a food blog?

Sorry. (Said like Gilly)

Anyway, such is my life. Moving on… breakfast this morning was more Greek yogurt with granola, blackberries, almonds and honey- oh, and 2 clementines.

The bluebonnets are out in full force here in Texas, and my mom has been all in a tizzy about taking Jack’s pics in the flowers before they go away. So today we piled into the car and headed up 635 in search of a good patch. Then we pulled off the service road (very WT) and started snapping pics. Unfortunately the sun was really bright and the shots didn’t turn out so well… but here’s what we got.

These will be better next year when he can actually sit up on his own.

Afterward we grabbed lunch at Primo’s in Rockwall. I had the chicken fajitas with extra veggies.

My hot date was pretty excited about getting to sit outside by the lake:

The reason for the Rockwall trip was a visit to Costco. I heart Costco. Sam’s Club just doesn’t measure up, but unfortunately that’s our only option within the city limits. We don’t have a Costco membership, so I just bum off of my parents (which, by the way, is frowned upon- the cashier gave us the stink eye for paying separately).

The haul:

Giant tub of organic baby spinach, broccoli, almond butter, hearts of palm, grape tomatoes, goat cheese, sliced almonds, Fage, rice crackers and shrimp.

We didn’t end up eating dinner until 9, once Brian got home and we put Jack to bed. I had a giant salad assembled in the fridge but then Brian had a GENIUS idea:

Brisket tacos!

That’s brisket leftover from my dad’s birthday party, on whole wheat tortillas with avocado, Stubbs BBQ sauce, and queso blanco.

Along with half of the salad (baby spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, goat cheese and edamame). I’ll eat the rest tomorrow.

I’m going to try and pick up a little and then crash. So sleepy.

- SURVEY -

Do you have a wholesale club membership (Sam’s, Costco, BJ’s, etc.)? If so, what do you buy?

I love their produce. It’s cheap, and having that much of it around makes me eat more veggies. Also: face wash, magazines and cheese.

Wine & Reese’s Pieces.

(Yeah, yeah- giant glass, I know. There was only a tiny bit left in the bottle so I just dumped it all in.)

I also have a nice little ringing in the ears going on, thanks to The Senator. He was fus-sy tonight. I think he was just tired. I rocked him like three times and he was out like a light.

This morning he actually slept ’til 8, which was great since he was up at 3:45am and then again at 7. Breakfast was Yoplait Apple Turnover Yogurt topped with my neverending homemade granola. Seriously, I’ve been eating this stuff for a week and barely made a dent.

After breakfast we played, Shredded and then Jack went down for a nap. I threw together what actually turned out to be quite the delicious lunch:

Leftover chickpea ratatouille, along with an Oroweat Sandwich Thin topped with leftover rotisserie chicken, mayo and 1/4 of an avocado, mashed. Oh, and carrots.

We only have a teeny bit of the ratatouille left. Sad. It’s one of those dishes that gets better after the first day.

After lunch we ventured to Newflower and Target. I think I’ve mentioned that my only beef with Newflower is their tiny, narrow grocery carts. Since Jack’s not old enough to just sit in the cart, we have to Baby Bjorn it (Hangover-style). Luckily Jack likes the Bjorn, but it’s really awkward when I’m trying to unload the cart at the register. I have to lean sideways into the basket, reaching in for stuff while trying to keep Jack from falling out. Luckily the guy in line behind me took pity on us (or realized that this was going to be a looooong process) and helped unload everything. People are so nice.

And then it was on to Target, where we bought dog food and clothes for Jack. GOD- I’m too weak for the cuteness of the Dwell baby clothes. I just need to stay far, far away. Oh, and I bought a new planner because I refuse to pay $40 for REFILL PAGES for my Kate Spade planner. I’ve used that thing for 10 years and love it, but apparently they jacked up the prices and I just can’t see spending that much for paper.

And anyway, this one is cute and was only $20 for the whole shebang.

Last week I bought a loaf (slab? log?) of tempeh at Whole Foods and have been trying to think of something good to do with it. Tonight I ended up stir frying it with broccoli, red pepper, celery, mushrooms and garlic. It was topped with a spicy sauce made from chicken broth, mirin, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, cornstarch, soy sauce and sriracha (recipe from Food Network Magazine).

Served over quinoa:

Good dinner. I needed the veggies.

Alright, off to fold some laundry and then BED. We’ve been staying up too late recently.

- SURVEY -

How do you “reward” yourself?

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!

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!