Teething ISN'T Terrible..

No matter what your friends say. 

You know the drill.  You read all the baby books.  You heard the horror stories.  And then you wake up one day and you see it.  The little tiny white pearl in your baby's mouth.  "When did that happen?"  "Am I a horrible person because I didn't notice my baby was in pain?"

First of all, no, you are not terrible.  You didn't notice because not all babies make a big fuss out of teething.  Laela had two teeth before we noticed!  I was still nursing, she wasn't biting me, and she was her happy, playful self, so how was I to know?  Sure, she was a little drooly, but she was barely even five months old!  She was always drooly!  When I had thought she was teething, our doctor said she thought it was a little early and not to worry about it, so we didn't. 

Anyway, I did what any parent would do.  I went shopping!  I bought every teething ring on the planet.  The thing was, she was more interested in my wooden spoons and rubber spatulas.  So of course, I went shopping again for more teethers.  Then her cheeks got all red and I got convinced there was poison in the teethers, and that my daughter is a wild monkey chewer, so I gave up.  And then we found the keys.

I have no idea who made those suckers, but they were the best.  They had a stop light on them that she could push buttons and make lights, and gave her the option of hard and soft chewing.  We didn't give her teething tablets, and when she seemed like she had a low grade fever before bed, we gave her some infant tylenol.  Don't waste your money on teething tablets, herbal teething medicine, or gum numbing gel, none of it works, and if it does, it's not in the way you want it to.  Your baby might get a numb throat and mouth from the gum numbing stuff, and that can be dangerous.  Of course, now that my friends' babies are starting to teethe, I can't find those amazing teething keys anywhere!  Argh.  I guess I'll just buy them some spatulas and wooden spoons.

Laela with her keys:

When Laela's back teeth started to come in, she was gnawing on everything like a dog, so I decided to get some Sassy Teething Feeders with mesh bags, freeze up some sweet potatoe puree in ice cube trays, some bananas (I just peeled some bananas, cut them up, and popped them into freezer bags until I was ready for them), strawberries, blueberries, and yogurt, and filled the teething feeders whenever Laela seemed like she needed something cold to gnaw on.  She really loved them, and when she seems like she's teething again (drooly, a little rashy around the chin, maybe a little more sleepy than usual- kind of like a growth spurt), I make these for her and she goes to town.  (This is also a great way to get them to learn to eat on their own, and to get them to eat when they're sleepy/fussy/not feeling well.)

At the end of the day, teething is a natural process, and like anything else, if you freak out, your kid will freak out too.  It's parental instinct to want to soothe every pain and discomfort, but the reality is that sometimes even little people have to figure out a way to deal with it...because in a few years all those little teeth are going to fall out and new ones are going to shove their way through.

Moral of the story?  Make lots of comforting food for your little one (if they're old enough), pour yourself a glass of wine, offer up a lot of cuddling, distract them by playing and reading some fun stories, and just roll with it.  Oh, and get a crib guard.  They are chewing on it when you aren't looking.  Yes, even your little angel will chew on the walls if you let her/him.

For other tips on how to deal with teething, I highly recommend Baby and Toddler 411 by Dr. Ari Brown and Denise Fields.  Their books offer great advice on pretty much all things baby and toddler (and are especially awesome when you have a fact checker like my husband!)

Lemony Bombay Potatoes

I don't know about you, but we eat a lot of potatoes in our house.  After a while, I start to get bored, and want to try something different.  I figured since Bombay Chicken is one of my favorite foods, I'd try just making the vegetables in the recipe and see what happened. 

For this recipe, I used purple and Yukon Gold potaoes.  You really can use any kind you like (although I prefer not to use Russet for this kind of cooking, since I like to leave the skins on).  I had found these purple potatoes at our local farm (http://www.mapleacresfarmmarket.com/) and thought it'd be fun to try some recipes with them.  They're incredibly smooth and soak up flavor like nobody's business.  Try them in mashed potatoes and I promise, you'll be pleasantly surprised!  Plus, how often do you get to put purple food on your plate?!

Bombay Potatoes

Ingredients:

(1) Lemon

(2) Medium Yukon Gold Potatoes

(2) Medium Purple Potatoes

1 inch piece of ginger (peeled)

5 sprigs fresh coriander (cilantro)

(1) Red Pepper

(1) Green Pepper

(1/2) Vidalia Onion

1 tsp cumin

Tumeric

Dash of salt and pepper

Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Wash and chop your potatoes.  Keep in mind that the more evenly you chop your potatoes, the more evenly they'll cook.  Put them in a medium sized baking pan (I used my corningware, but you can use a baking tray or a medium cake pan if you don't have one).  Zest your lemon over the potatoes.  Squeeze the lemon over the potatoes, being sure to not get any seeds on them.  Then slice your lemon into six slices and add them to the mix.  Sprinkle Olive Oil over the potatoes.  Chop the cilantro (you can make this easier by using scissors) and add it to the potatoes.  Add the remainder of the spices.  Dice the peppers and onion.  Add the peppers and onion to the pan, mix up the ingredients, and bake the dish off with a lid on for 30 minutes. 

If your potatoes seem to be a bit dry while they're cooking, add a bit of chicken or vegetable stock to the pan, and give it a few minutes to reduce the juices.



We ate this with some whole wheat couscous and it was delicious!  It's also even yummier the day after!

Mama's Meatloaf for the Fearful Eater

No matter how long you know someone, or how well you think you might know them, it always seems that there's always something new out there to surprise you.  For me, it's just how little my husband ate growing up.

The other day, I wanted meatloaf, and he responded with "I don't eat meatloaf.  It's disgusting."  I looked at him like he had three heads!  "What?  Didn't you eat it as a kid?  It's all the things you like..meat, ketchup.  Meat.  Ketchup?"

Needless to say, he conceded that he also didn't like spaghetti growing up, and now that he's an adult, he absolutely loves spaghetti and meatballs, so he agreed to give the meatloaf a try.  His reaction?  Yummo!  He liked it so much, he brought the leftovers to work for lunch!

This is a ridiculously easy way to make a meatloaf.

Ingredients:

1 lb lean beef (we usually get 90/10, but if that's too lean for you 80/20 is okay too.)

3/4 cup bread crumbs

(4) sprigs thyme (only use the leaves)

(1) egg

1/4 cup chopped, carmelized onions (I prefer Vidalia)

Dash of salt and pepper (optional)

Ketchup

This is what all of the ingredients in the bowl should look like:

Directions:

• Chop onions and put in a lightly oiled cast iron skillet on medium heat (I use a sprinkle of olive oil).  Cook the onions until they are a light golden brown.
• Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.  Mush them together with your hands or a fork.  You don't want to make it too dense though, otherwise the meatloaf won't be as light as it should be.
• Mold the meatloaf into an evenly wide and tall log.
• Put the mold in a lightly oiled/greased pan.
• Cover the top of the meatloaft with Ketchup
• Turn the heat in the oven to 350 degrees.  After the oven is preheated, place the meatloaf in the oven for 30 minutes.

Shazam! You have an easy peasy dinner!  This also reheats great for lunch!

Variations:

• You can add cheese to the mixture.  Parmesan for a more Italian flavoring!
• You can use spaghetti sauce, or plain tomato sauce.  I used ketchup because it's one of Kyle's favorite dippings sauces, and I don't add any salt to my meatloaf, so this gives it that extra kick it needs.
• Meatloaf mix makes the best meatloaf.  I used lean meat in this recipe because it's cheaper and easier to find.  Plus it's one of those things that's almost always on hand.
• You can add dried cranberries (I saw this on Dr. Oz the other day).
• You can also add the ketchup to the mixture if you want a tomato taste throughout.
• To make it totally different, if you have extra brown gravy, you can pour that overtop while it cooks for some yummy meaty goodness!
• If your kids hate onions, just use onion powder, or use a cheese shredder for the onions.  I've used a cheese shredder for onions with a lot of people who like the flavor but hate the texture.  It works every time.
• My friend Laraine suggested using barbeque sauce in place of the ketchup if you don't have a ketchup loving household.  I used to do this when I nannied and the little boy I nannied for hated ketchup, but would eat barbeque sauce on everything. (which really, can you blame him?  the stuff is kind of awesome!)

This is what the meatloaf will look like before you put some ketchup on it and pop it in the oven:

I'd have completed pictures of the meatloaf if Kyle hadn't dove into the sucker when I'd left the room for a minute!  I'm making this again this week, so I'll post more pics soon!

To Poach, or Be Poached...

Growing up, I loathed eggs.  The only person who could get me to eat them was my Grandma Edna.  I'll never really know what the heck she did to those eggs, but they didn't really taste like eggs, and I loved their salty goodness. (I suspect that they were soft boiled and covered in cheese, but who really knows?  I was five.)

I don't think I really got to a point where I could stand eggs until I was in high school.  I tried eggs benedict and thought it was the bees knees of breakfasts.  Ever since then, I've been an egg fan.  

Today class, we're going to talk about my favorite kind of egg, and in many people's opinions, the healthiest way to eat an egg, the poached egg.  It doesn't involve any fat, grease, cream, milk, or butter.

I found a great video of Gordon Ramsey poaching an egg:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbAQgJF3d7E

Once you get used to poaching eggs, you'll be able to get it done super fast.  Bring the pot of water to a soft boil.

• Gently drop your egg in.  
• Keep the water moving so that the egg doesn't stick to the bottom, or lose all of its white.  If you drop the egg in from too high up, you're liable to lose some of the egg white. 
• Don't do too many eggs at a time, because they can stick together and the shape of the poached egg will get messed up.

It's may not look perfect the first few times you do it, but I promise you, it is easier than it looks, and it will taste delicious.

This is what it should look like close up.  You should be able to pick it up with your hands without popping it (unless you're squeezing it pretty hard).

Good luck poaching!

A Simple, Healthy Fall Meal

When I think fall, I think chicken pot pies, roasts with potatoes, roast beef sandwiches double dipped, and lots and lots of soup.  I think I made it pretty clear in my last post that I've about had it with chicken soup, and when I started to come down with the diptheria that the rest of my house had, this herb infused, braised chicken with quinoa spirals and veggies was right up my alley.

The picture was kind of an afterthought because I was starving, so please forgive the shanty quality.

For the quinoa, I purchased some Ancient Harvest Quinoa Spirals.  I cooked the quinoa pasta according to the package.

Here's what you'll need for the chicken and veggies (this served 4 adults and 1 toddler):

(2) Large boneless chicken breasts

(1) Quart of organic chicken stock (or a quart of homemade)

Seasonal veggies (I used two Yukon Gold potatoes, 1 zucchini, 3 large carrots, and 2 stalks of celery)

(2) Sprigs Rosemary

(1) Small bunch of Thyme

(2) Sprigs of Sage (or about 8 large leaves)

(1) Tb chopped Garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

• Heat your cast iron skillet to medium high and pour in the chicken broth, garlic and herbs.  Cut each chicken breast into thirds, and put them in the skillet with the lid on.  (This will "steam" the chicken and really bring out the flavor)
• Bring the heat down to medium and let the chicken cook for five minutes without the vegetables.
• Chop the vegetables (the smaller you cut them, the quicker they cook) and add them to the chicken/stock mixture.
• Put the lid back on the pan and let it cook for another five minutes.  Bring the heat down to medium-low heat.  Stir the chicken and veggies around to make sure all the flavors are mixing in well.  Taste the broth.  If it doesn't seem flavorful enough to you, add some chicken boullion.
• If you're not ready to eat quite yet, you can leave the chicken and veggies on low for up to an hour.  They'll get packed with flavor and really be delicious.  Just make sure that the broth doesn't reduce too much, because you want that sauce for your pasta. 
• When you're ready to chow down, mix your pasta with your chicken, veggies and broth.  Just fair warning, if you've never had quinoa before, it's super filling (because it's filled with oodles of protein!), so maybe pace yourself slow so you don't stuff yourself like a turkey!

This week is one of my family and friends favorite spoooktacular holidays, so check in with me later in the week for some yummy spooky treats, and some sweet treats for my parents wedding anniversary!

I'm SO Sick of Soup!

Oh my gosh, it's only a month into cold and flu season and my house has been hit with the sniffles and achiness AGAIN!  Ugh.  There is nothing worse on this planet than a cranky, runny nosed baby, and a cranky, runny nosed, feverish husband!  Since we're all a little sick or being sick, and of living on soup and crackers, I've been researching some healthy alternatives to our favorite sick day staple, chicken soup.

What did I find?  Besides soups- which really are best, I found that instead of the plain white flour pasta and butter that is most people's alternative to soup, you can have a variety of pastas and rices that are delicious and more nutritious for you. You're sick!  You need vitamins and minerals and complex carbs.  You need food that will fuel your body in the most optimal way to help it fight the illness at hand.  Do yourself a favor, get out of your white pasta and white rice comfort zone and try some whole grain, whole wheat, or quinoa pasta.  If you're baking, take a risk!  Substitute some whole wheat or oat flour for some of your white flour!

Tomorrow I'll post a yummy quinoa pasta recipe.  Just because my family is sick, doesn't mean they shouldn't have a healthy, protein and nutrient packed meal!

Hangover with a Splash of Flavor

Is this a fancy breakfast?  No.  Is it easy?  Yes.  Will it cure your hangover?  Probably. 

There's two things I made to "woo" my husband that got him hooked..one was hangover breakfast, and the other was the anniversary chicken recipe I shared with you guys a while back.  Hangover breakfast isn't rocket science people.  You make some French Toast (you can go fancy with this, but if you're feeling up for fancy breakfast after a night of boozing, then you're a better woman than me). 

How do you make French Toast, might you ask?  Beat two eggs with 2 Tbs milk.  You can add more milk if you want to, I do it by eye.  Add a capful of vanilla extract (or almond extract if you're out of vanilla), a few good shakes of cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice if you don't have any cinnamon), and a dash of sugar to the eggs and milk mixture.  Whisk the mixture really well (but not so well that it'll give you the spins!)  Heat your skillet to medium, spray it with cooking spray or grease it with some butter.  Dip bread slices one by one into the mixture, shake off any excess, and toss that sucker on the heated skillet.  Depending on how crispy you like your french toast, do one and a half minutes per side for soft French Toast, and two or two and a a half minutes per side for crispy French Toast.

Now let's talk eggs.  Here are some simple scrabled eggs that made Kyle able to function.

To make scrambled eggs for 2.5 people (and considering Kyle eats twice as many as me), I beat five eggs with about 5 Tbs of milk.  We only drink skim in our house (with the exception of the baby), but use whatever you have at hand.  Beat the eggs and milk together, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and pour into a greased medium-hot pan.  The trick to these eggs is to keep moving them around as they cook.  That way they get really fluffy, instead of that weird fried egg texture that a lot of scrambled egg recipes have.  And be sure to remember, trying to cook them on higher heat will do nothing but make some awful rubber eggs!  Now, once your eggs are good and fluffy, and seem like they're about done, get a few slices of really good cheese- cheddar and American are my favorites, remove the pan from heat, and cover the eggs in cheese.  Once you've covered your eggs in cheese, put a lid on them for 2 minutes and leave them alone.  Don't open the lid to check on them, just keep a lid on it.  When you uncover the pan, you'll have deliciously gooey, yummy eggs that will line your belly in warm happy goodness.

Mmmm...potatoes.  You really can't go wrong with potatoes. Get your cast iron skillet piping hot, then turn it down to medium high heat.  Pour a 1/2 inch of olive oil, bacon grease, or whatever kind of oil blows your hair back into the pan.  Cut your potato into little cubes (or if you're too tired, just roughly chop it).  Throw in some Tony Chachera's Cajun seasoning, or some Mixed Up Salt, stir, and just leave the potatoes alone for 2 minutes with the lid on.  After 2 minutes are up, keep the potatoes moving in the pan.  If you feel they're getting to dry for you, add a splash of water, put the lid back on for 2 minutes.  Stir the potatoes.  Now this is where personal preference comes in.  Kyle likes his potatoes almost burnt, so I leave them on for a bit so that they get that yummy crunchy, almost overcooked texture.  If you like your potatoes soft, just keep an eye on them, and when you think they're done, give them a taste!  When your potatoes are done, sprinkle a little cheese on them, and whalah!  You've got cheesy hangover potatoes.

Okay, so for the most important part of any greasy hangover breakfast...BACON!!!  Sigh, I swear, I could be Homer and dip it in butter.  MMMMM..okay, maybe I don't want to dip it in butter, but I do love me some bacon, hungover or not.  Unfortunately, no one in my house likes bacon the same way (Kyle likes his barely cooked, Laela likes it kind of crispy, and I like mine almost burnt), so I had to come up with a solution that could save me some time, keep me from having to do a million dishes, and have the bacon come out in a way that we'd all be happy.  Where did I turn to do this you might ask?  My fabulous friend, the oven.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (parchment and wax paper are not a good fill in for this one guys, so please don't waste your time trying.)  When the oven is hot, place as much bacon that will fit on the sheet without touching (if bacon touches, it melds to itself, and that can make a greasy hot mess if you want to flip your bacon.)  Pop it in the oven, and just keep an eye on it to see how chewy looking you might want it, or how crispy you may desire it to be. If you like your bacon really crispy like I do, you may want to flip your bacon so that it gets evenly crispy on both sides.  Just keep an eye on it, and always remember, if you can smell whatever's in the oven, it's darn close to finished.

If you've finished reading this and you're finding yourself wondering how to get this all done at once, you should attempt it in this order:
Bacon, potatoes, eggs, French toast.

Yes, I know this blog is about Mommies and babies, but let's be real people, some days you go out on date night, or for a night out with your friends, and you wake up the next day wishing your Mommy was there to make you breakfast.  Unfortunately (and fortunately!) for you, you're a grown up with responsibilities, so get your butts in gear, fill up the sippy cups, give the kids some pots and pans and wooden spoons to play with while you cook and make your family some breakfast!  I promise, you'll feel at least 90% better.