May Recipes

It's that time again for the monthly review of recipes tried. I'll put the 4 and 5 stars out of 5 here for future reference.

Breakfast
Orange Pistachio Glazed Spice Muffins (5 stars out of 5)
Oh.My.Goodness. These were incredible. I got this recipe from my friend, Courtney. I used the apricot variation. I wish I was eating one right now.

Main Dishes
Buffalo Style Roast Chicken (2 stars out of 5)
Meh. It promoted the recipe as being a healthy alternative to hot wings and I just didn't find it had much flavor or kick. The barbecue sauce really overpowered the Buffalo spice.

Butter Chicken Satays (3.5 stars out of 5)
A nice variation on regular butter chicken. The sauce was a nice touch. I didn't have mint though and I think it needed it.

Creamy Philly Pesto Chicken (3.5 stars out of 5)
This was good, not great.

Crunchy Chicken Fingers With Honey Mustard Sauce (4 stars out of 5)
This was my first attempt at homemade chicken fingers and they were a success. I loved that I didn't have to deep fry them and yet they were still crunchy.

Karen's Kung Pao Chicken (5 stars out of 5)
2-3 chicken breasts, sliced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil (or more to taste, but be careful, the stuff is potent)
1 teaspoon chili oil (I didn't have this so I substituted a teaspoon of olive oil with crushed red pepper flakes, as suggested by google)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili paste (I also didn't have this so I substituted a teaspoon of hot sauce,as suggested by google)
as much minced garlic and ginger as you deem appropriate
approx 4 -6 cups chopped veg (carrot, celery, watercress, green onion, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, beansprouts, mushrooms, whatever you like)
2 bricks of Diamond brand or similar instant chinese noodles

Mix all sauce ingredients and marinate sliced chicken for about half an hour. Dump chicken into hot wok, stirring until partially cooked. Break each brick of noodles in half an lay on top of chicken. Top with veg and pour about 1/2 cup water over the whole thing. Give a quick toss, the best you can with the raw noodles in there, reduce heat slightly and cover for about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it and stir frequently as the noodles soften. Add more liquid as needed (either water or soy, depending on the flavour). So good. Makes enough for three hungry grown ups plus a decent sized lunch portion.

Mozza Stuffed Chicken (4 stars out of 5)
Mine certainly didn't look pretty like the picture. The "stuffing" melted and created a soupy sauce in the pan. But, even though it looked horrid, it tasted delicious. I'll have to play around with it and see how I can fix it. Maybe try a slit in the chicken next time instead of pounding it and rolling it.

Pizza Meatballs (5 stars out of 5)
These were easy to make and so delicious. I served them with spaghetti and pasta sauce. These would be perfect to make a double or triple batch and freeze for later.

Desserts
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (4 stars out of 5)

Enough about me...

I'm turning the tables on you. I'd like to know some things about YOU.

What's your favorite meal to make?

What's your favorite time of day?

What's your favorite song right now?

What's your favorite feature about yourself?

Friday Night Leftovers

• The last 2.5 years of interrupted sleep have caught up with me. I can't get enough. I've been napping with the girls every day. It makes me feel like a lazy bum but the pull of my comfortable bed is too strong for my weary body to fight!

• Is there anything better than having breakfast for dinner? I love those nights!

• I've gotten quite a few new followers in the last couple of months. So, if you're new (and even if you aren't), ask me a question and I'll answer it in a post next week. Or, just comment, say hi and tell me how you found me!

• Presley had her 6 month shots this week. She sleeps SO well after getting them...is it wrong to kind of want them more often?!

• Samara got this as a birthday gift and has been having a blast cutting pieces of cake and passing them out to everyone. Even Charlie. Yesterday she was running after him trying her hardest to give him some cake but he just wasn't interested.

• I have completely mastered the art of babywearing. I can even try on jeans in a cramped changeroom with Presley in the Beco.
  

• For more leftovers, head here.
  

Thankful on Thursday

Today, I am thankful for my two beautifully healthy girls. I'm always thankful for them but even more so today. I heard news that a fellow birth club mama lost her baby after a healthy full term pregnancy. Life is so unfair sometimes. Hug your loved ones extra tight today.

Wordless Wednesday (Petting Zoo Edition)

Pictures courtesy of SJCT Photography.

The Chase

6 months!!

6 months...half a year already! She has changed so much in 6 months and I know she will in the next 6 as well. I'm sad about how fast it's going but am excited at all the firsts still to come.

At 6 months, Presley is still really easy going. She is almost always happy and very easy to soothe. She's getting to be quite cuddly and likes being held most of the time. She easily grabs onto toys and transfers them between hands. She is also getting quite good and launching them! She is exploring her voice and "talks" to anything she puts in her mouth. When she wakes up from a sleep, she chats happily to her lovey. She no longer takes a soother and has instead found her fingers to suck on.

She's getting more stable while sitting but is still quite unsteady. My theory on that is it's because of her super skinny bum, not much surface to balance on! She is still rolling both ways all the time and uses it to get around. She has started commando crawling (creeping) and drags herself inch by inch. She can stand holding onto something unassisted for a few seconds.

Her favorite activities are going for walks in the Beco, snuggles, car rides, swimming and getting tickled. She also loves jumping in the Jolly Jumper and listening to her daddy play the guitar.

Presley is still exclusively breastfed on demand. We started her on rice cereal yesterday and she seems to enjoy it so far. She doesn't have any teeth but is definitely showing some teething signs.

We've had quite the sleep month. She has gone from sleeping straight through the night to waking several times to now currently waking once around 430 or so. She sleeps 11-12 hours a night and is an early riser. She has 3 naps, the morning and afternoon ones are usually 1.5-2 hours long and the early evening one is 1 hour.

Presley weighs 14 pounds even. This puts her in around the 10th percentile. She measures 25.75 inches long (wondering if there was a measuring error somewhere since that means she didn't grow at all the past month) and that puts her around the 75th percentile. She wears 3-6 month clothing with a few things still 0-3 months. Her shoes are size 1. She is in size 2 diapers.

Things I never want to forget:
- how funny it is to hear Presley babble to me. I'm not sure what she's saying but she's excited about it!
- the huge smiles Presley gives. When they're especially big, her eyes go all squinty and it is just too cute.
- Mommy-Presley naps. Sometimes she'll wake early from a nap and need some snuggles. I settle in and enjoy some rest with her. So nice and warm!

Friday Night Leftovers

• I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies earlier in the week...and very nearly ate the entire batch myself in 2 days. If you've found my will power, can you please return it?

• Last week, while in Calgary, we met up with the moms and "babies" from Samara's prenatal class. All the "babies" are now newly 2. It's been a year since we last saw them and it was super cool to see them all as grown up toddlers.

• We started swimming lessons with the girls. I'm not sure why I felt the need to enroll Presley...she would have benefited just as much from going public swimming instead of forcing her to swim instead of have her regular nap time.
• Your eyes do not deceive you. I refuse to conform and buy a "mom" bathing suit.

• We've had quite the drastic sleep changes from Presley in the last month. From sleeping 12 hours straight with no wakeups to 2 feeds a night and now back to 1. I know the nighttime feeds won't last forever so each time I snuggle in and enjoy the peacefulness of just her and I.

• For more leftovers, head here.
  

Library Love

Oh, library...how do we love thee? Let me count the ways...

We are huge fans of the library. We read a LOT. We are a single income family so that doesn't leave a lot of "leftovers" for brand new books. A library membership is THE best deal going. For around a buck a month, you get essentially unlimited resources. It's pretty incredible.

Our favorites? Books, of course. From time to time, we'll head to Chapters and stroll through the aisles looking for titles that catch our eye. Out come our phones and the titles are added to a list. Later at home, we log onto the library website and request them. We get an email when the books are in and off we go. It's THAT easy.

We also get books for the girls. We have a fantastic collection of books at home (in fact, we just "outgrew" the bookcase, there isn't room for another single book) but I love getting new ones from the library so that I have something different to read to the girls. Samara is now at a stage where she loves "reading" through the books on her own as well so I take new ones out each week for her to explore.

Also handy? Movies! It seems to take us an entire weekend to watch a single movie these days. We're in no rush whatsoever to see the latest blockbuster or documentary. So, I simply request the movies we want and wait our turn. No rental fees, no illegal downloading or streaming. Easy peasy.

Also fantastic? Magazines. Magazines are totally a guilty pleasure of mine. I love leafing through them when I don't feel like getting into a book. But, at around $5 a pop, it's an expensive habit. Not at the library. I'll take out 15 at a time, spend 10 minutes on each one and not feel the slightest bit guilty!

The library also has fantastic children's programs. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and/or Saturday, we go to rhyme/story time. The girls absolutely love it. There are 2 organizers that run the programs and they have fallen in love with Samara (and Presley too, I'm sure!). When we come in, they rush over to chat with Samara, get hugs and hold hands while looking at the train and the fish pond. There have been times where Shawn and I are twiddling our thumbs, wondering what exactly we should be doing while Samara is off playing with the librarians! She has actually started asking to go out of the blue and cries when we have to leave. We are definitely well known there!

Are you a library lover? What's your favorite resource there?

Wordless Wednesday (Same Outfit, Different Girl Edition)

Samara, 4.5 months





Presley, 5.5 months

Giggles!

Sisters

Having the girls 18 months apart is hard...no question. It was a deliberate age gap though and is proving to be worth the challenges. It is beautiful to watch them develop their relationship with each other.

Mostly.

Example: Samara is dancing in and out of Presley's vision to get her to laugh. Presley and Samara are both giggling uncontrollably. Could those precious girls be any cuter? I quickly grab the video camera to capture the moment. Suddenly Presley's giggles turn to angry and surprised cries. Samara has bitten Presley in the forehead.

Trip Update

An update about our little trip, bullet style:

• We had a fabulous, wonderful, super, excellent visit with Janice and her boys.

• Watching Samara bond with the boys (ages 3 and 4) was completely heartwarming. Janice's boys are so sweet, funny and charming.

• The drive there and back (3 hours each way) couldn't have gone better. Even when the girls weren't sleeping (which I had hoped they'd do and planned the drives during nap time), they were content to chat to themselves.

• I met a blog friend in person for the first time (and her super cute boys)!

• Everyone continued to get better from the sinus infections. Antibiotics are still working their magic.

• What was not fabulous, wonderful, super or excellent? How the girls slept away from home. I'm slightly (okay, majorly) traumatized. We were gone for 2 nights. True to form, the girls picked separate nights to flip out.
  

• Night #1, the award for drama queen went to Samara. She had a tantrum that lasted for 3 hours straight. I'm not even sure how anyone can scream and cry that long. Around 1.5 hours in, I turned on the TV in front of her playpen, hoping she'd be lulled to sleep. Nope! She watched it for a good hour before I came to the conclusion that she'd probably stay up all night watching it.

• Night #2, the award for longest unwelcome waking went to Presley. She cried from 1am till around 330am, with small breaks to fool me into thinking it was okay to fall back asleep.

• So, the trip was still lovely but I am a zombie. I now look like I'm about 49 when I'm only 29.

• The icing on the cake? We get home, stretch, relax and play for a bit. Presley starts acting like she needs a nap so I pop out to the car to grab the suitcase with her things. While I do that, Samara learns how to lock a deadbolt for the first time. Unfortunately for me, she does not learn how to unlock it. I have to flag a stranger down to borrow a cell phone and call Shawn to get him to race home and unlock the door where a 2 year old is in charge of her 5 month old sister. My heart is still racing a bit from that one!

• Please tell me traveling with kids gets easier and not harder!
  

MIA

I took the girls to visit one of my best gals, 3+ hours away for a few days. Check back tomorrow and I'll update how the road trip went!

Wordless Wednesday (Bad Hair Day Edition)

MIA

I took the girls to visit one of my best gals, 3+ hours away for a few days. Check back tomorrow and I'll update how the road trip went!

I was wrong...

I posted yesterday that Sunday was the worst day of feeling sick. But, I pre-wrote that on Sunday night completely unaware of just how bad things were going to get. Yesterday I was so sick that I couldn't care for the girls OR myself. It was not a good feeling to be so helpless. I had to ask Shawn to come home from work to take care of all of us.

I'm now on antibiotics for a sinus infection and am already feeling better. Let this be a reminder to myself that I am not supermom...that I do need help...that I should take breaks...that I can't do it all...and that it's okay!

Weekend Recap

I posted last week about my crash. Well, I kept getting sicker and sicker. Yesterday was the worst day...not the best treat for Mother's Day. I am so lucky to have such a great husband. He made all the meals (and they were not shabby meals...blueberry pancakes, fruit salad, homemade egg mcmuffins and Jamaican jerk chicken just to name a few) and took care of the girls while I rested and tried not to cough up a lung. He ran to the store for supplies and made me take naps. While I took hot baths, he cleaned the house. I also got lovely gifts to celebrate my 3rd Mother's Day. I think everyone should have their own "Shawn". You certainly can't have mine but hopefully you have your own version at home!

Friday Night Leftovers

• I think one of the toughest parts about being a parent is when you're sick. Nobody cares! Well, maaaybe they do but it's business as usual. When I had a "real" job, I could take a sick day and hide out in bed until I felt somewhat human again.

• Yesterday Samara had a bad afternoon nap. Of course...because I was trying to sleep off my cold! I couldn't help but smile when her chatter turned to calling out for someone to get her. "Saaaannnta, Santa? Saaaanta? Santa!"...if I couldn't nap, that was a pretty funny way to have to get out of bed.

• My monthly recipe post is generating good response. I take a lot of my baking recipes from Courtney. You should check out her blog...her daughter is ridiculously smart and cute. And I have it from a trusted source that she's having a book giveaway soon! Also, if you have a recipe you think I'd like and should review on here, pass it along.

• Does anyone else buy Arrowroot cookies for their kids and then end up eating them all yourself?!

• We're thinking of starting Presley on solids. I'm having problems with supply and she seems really interested in food. Only problem is even though I've done this all before, I can't remember a thing about it! When do you introduce it? Before or after breastfeeding? Do they still recommend cereal first? How many meals a day?

• This book for exhausted parents makes me giggle!

• Hungry for more leftovers? Head here for more.
  

Crash

What happens when a mom tries to do everything? Her immune system shuts down and forces her to take the break she so desperately needs.

Hmm...how does one take a break with 2 kids ages 2 and under, a birthday party and a husband out of town?

Wordless Wednesday (New Shades Edition)

April Books

One of my goals for 2011 is to read different genres of books and not stick with my usual smut. For past lists, head here, here and here.

I didn't read that much in April. Lately I'm finding it hard to fit everything in and still get some reading/relaxing in. Any tips??

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson5 stars out of 5
This was a great finale to the series. I'm disappointed it's over!

Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart2 stars out of 5
I have to admit that I did something I rarely do with a book. I didn't finish it. It wasn't awful but it was very depressing. The main character is such a loser and is made fun of by everyone in his life but doesn't seem to "get" it. It also shows a world in the future that very well could be ours the way things are going...only communicating by PDA's, fighting aging to the point of allowing the elite to live forever.

I will probably give this book another shot when I'm in...moreI have to admit that I did something I rarely do with a book. I didn't finish it. It wasn't awful but it was very depressing. The main character is such a loser and is made fun of by everyone in his life but doesn't seem to "get" it. It also shows a world in the future that very well could be ours the way things are going...only communicating by PDAs and fighting aging to the point of allowing the elite to live forever. I will probably give this book another shot when I'm in a different mind frame.

Room by Emma Donoghue
5 stars out of 5
It seems that everyone is talking about this book. I had to wait a really long time to get it from the library because there were so many requests for it. It was well worth the wait. I loved it and had a hard time putting it down. A beautifully haunting story about a mother's love for her child.

The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan5 stars out of 5
This was great. The author is such a good storyteller that you feel like you're right there with you or that she's recounting your own personal memories. I'm not really much into "true accounts" but this captivated me.

One Good Dog by Susan Wilson
2 stars out of 5
I really thought I would like this...it has a really high Goodreads rating and I usually agree with the masses. I especially didn't like the main character. He was hard to like. Maybe I was just in the wrong mood for it? Someone else read it and report back!

What have you been reading lately? Anything to recommend?

2 YEARS!!!!

Samara is 2 years old!! How is that possible? The little girl that made me a mama has been with us for 2 years. I can't remember life without her. She is so funny, sweet, smart and precious. I'm so sad she's not a baby anymore but am excited at all the new things she's learning and doing.

At 2 years, Samara is a busy girl. She rarely walks anywhere but chooses to run full speed and jump instead. She literally runs from one end of the house full speed back and forth over and over again. She even tries to workout with us and does squats and some cute modified versions of pushups and situps. She might even have a future career as a trainer because there are times we're all hanging out on the floor relaxing and playing and she tells us to do pushups!

Sammy is a great sleeper. She's usually in bed by 715pm or so and sleeps straight through until 715am (or later if we're lucky!). She has one nap a day that is 2-3 hours in length. She puts herself to sleep. She doesn't have a lovie or soother but does suck her thumb.

Samara is potty trained. She uses pullups during her nap and overnight. She has no problem using public toilets and didn't even blink when she used an automatic flush toilet.

She isn't the greatest eater. She loves dairy products (especially cheese) but rarely eats any meat. She likes fruit but veggies are hit and miss. Grains also depend on what and when. She has 16 teeth and we're just waiting for the 2 year molars now. She hasn't used a bottle in well over a year and we're moving away from sippy cups as well. She now drinks water and juice from a regular cup and we'll slowly do that with milk as well over the next few weeks.

Samara is a great talker. I stopped counting words ages ago because there were too many. She is making sentences of increasing length. She talks about herself in 3rd person which is really cute. She is starting to recognize letters (so far she knows A, B, C and O). She has also memorized how to read apple and fish. She can count to 3 and knows the difference between right and left.

She weighs 25.5 pounds which is the 25th percentile and is 33 inches long which is also the 25th percentile. They say to double a 2 year old's height to get their adult height. This would put her at 5 feet and 6 inches which is the same as me! She is wearing some 12 month clothing but mostly 12-18 months.

Favorite things:
- puzzles. She will do the same one over and over. I love watching her because she self corrects. If she puts a piece in the wrong spot, she says, "noooooo!!! Over there!!" and then puts it in the right place.

- books. She can't get enough. She will actually sit through the books with more text now and not just the simple board books. Her favorites lately are Green Eggs and Ham, Bambi and the Great Prince of the Forest, Where the Wild Things Are and Have You Seen My Dinosaur.

- clothes. This kid lives for clothes. She was just as excited to get clothes for her birthday as toys...maybe more. She immediately demanded to try the new things on. She is always in her room trying on different things and wears several outfits a day.

- music. She now puts on little concerts where she sings and plays the piano. Her songs are always about the people in the family..."Mommy...Daddy...Esey sleeping...Bobbie and Charlie". She is also getting better at playing her guitar and strums along if Shawn is playing.

- helping. She loves to be included in whatever we're doing...whether it be cooking, cleaning or taking care of Presley.

Things I never want to forget:
- how she says I love you. I-ah wuve uuuu!!
- if she's busy doing something and you walk by, she says, "hi honey"!

April Recipes

It's that time again for the monthly review of recipes tried. I'll put the 4 and 5 stars out of 5 here for future reference.

Breakfast
Apple Pie Oatmeal (4 stars out of 5)
A good oatmeal recipe. These kinds of recipes are fantastic because they're quick but you can control the sugar, unlike those instant packets you buy at the store which are loaded with it.

Banana Buttermilk Muffins (4 stars out of 5)
I'm always looking for ways to use up buttermilk before it goes bad. Seems as though every recipe only calls for some of a carton! I had some brown bananas in the freezer to use up as well so this recipe was perfect! Very tasty.

Banana Coconut Oatmeal (5 stars out of 5)
This was really fast to make which is critical because time is not in abundance in our mornings. The plus was that it was also delicious. This will be in our regular rotation. In fact, I've already made it 3 times since I first tested it!

Blueberry Lime Muffins (5 stars out of 5)
When I first heard of this recipe from my friend Courtney, I thought it sounded like an interesting flavour combination. I've done blueberry and lemon before so was excited to try lime. These did not disappoint. My favorite part was how the tops were crunchy on the outside but deliciously moist and soft on the inside.\

Carrot Gingerbread Muffins (4.5 stars out of 5)
Another great muffin recipe. Yes, we're big into muffins...they're such a handy snack and I like making them myself so I know what we're eating. These were really moist. I can't help but think these would be even better as cupcakes with cream cheese icing!

Lemon Yogurt Loaf (5 stars out of 5)
So delicious and fresh tasting. The lemon rind in the loaf was refreshing and the glaze on the top was amazing. We had it with omelettes for dinner one night and we ate half the loaf in one sitting, oops!

Main Dishes
Spicy Asian Noodle and Chicken Salad (5 stars out of 5)
Quite a bit of prep for what claimed to be a "timesaving recipe" but it was fantastic. This would be great as a side dish too (we had it as a main course).

Rosemary and Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin (4 stars out of 5)
Really delicious. We modified it by barbecuing it instead of pan frying and next time I would omit the water. We also keep the pork tenderloin whole instead of cutting it up.

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas (4 stars out of 5)
A great Mexican dish and easy to make. Definitely will be making this again.


Fish Tacos (4 stars out of 5)
I got this recipe from my friend D. I think the recipe is probably a 5 star but I didn't plan ahead well enough and ended up having quite a few substitutions.

Marinade for fish (works great with halibut and/or prawns):
2 tbsp canola oil
1 lime juiced
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 jalapeno finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
Dump entire contents into a pan and fry it until flaky.

Sauce for the tacos:
Mix equal parts sour cream and mayo with taco seasoning to taste. You can also add some diced jalapenos to this sauce depending how much kick you like.

Coleslaw for tacos:
3/4 cup finely chopped cabbage
1/4 cup grated red pepper
1 carrot finely grated
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup white vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
1 glove of minced garlic
Mix this all together and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours. Serve with hard or soft shell tacos. Put sauce on bottom, add fish mixture and top off with coleslaw.

Side Dishes
Pita Chips (5 stars out of 5)
We had a tapas dinner night with hummus and kopanisti. We needed a chip that was sturdy enough for some heavy duty dipping. This was perfect. I omitted the chervil (I actually had to google what it was so I definitely didn't have it on hand).

Taco Seasoning (5 stars out of 5)
I had to resort to this when I didn't have the prepackaged taco seasoning for the fish taco recipe mentioned above. It was just as good as the package but probably better because there is no MSG!

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits (3.5 stars out of 5)
Another recipe to use up leftover buttermilk. This was good...not great. I used the whole wheat variation.

Dessert
Red Velvet Cake (5 stars out of 5)
I made this with cream cheese icing for one of Samara's 3 birthday parties. It was the first time making a red velvet cake and I was pleased with the results. Very moist and stayed that way for a couple of days in the fridge.

Have you tried a new recipe lately that you love? Care to share?