Monday's

Do you have a hard time getting up on a Monday morning to go to work after a vacation has ended?  Maybe a silly question.  Kind of like when a sports caster asks the winner, “how do you feel”?  100% of the time the answer is some form of “GOOD”.

Being away with the family for a week having fun, reconnecting and discovering new things about each of them, all on your own time clock rather than that of the rat race’s is revitalizing.  So when it’s time for it to end and get back to reality, boy that Monday morning wake-up call is tough.

Still, it’s motivating to connect the two, vacation and work, immediately after your return when relaxation and happy recollections are still lingering.  This is when the epiphany as to why you work so hard in the first place materializes.  We work so hard for the opportunity to get away with the ones we are closest to and yet so far away from in the harried every day.

We work so hard for the sibling arguments, commiserations and laughter in the back seat of the car when they don’t think the adults up front are listening, and the certification that our older kids still actually like hanging out with us even if the moments are fleeting, and the discovery that our toddlers LOVE amusement park rides.

 

And that mom hates them…

 

Ironically, we work so hard for vacation - a space of time to help us remember what is most important.

Keeping with the theme of important reminders, a friend of mine sent me a link to a video called the “The Empty Pickle Jar.”  Check it out for a unique view on the age old quandary of life balance.

After all the fun away, it’s still nice to get back home and check up on what’s happening in the garden.

Let’s see what’s popping up…

 

Oooh, baby’s favourite food…CARROTS!  I have some potatoes handy as well so let’s whip up a quick carrot and potato puree that baby will love.

Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A and potassium and play a role in maintaining good eyesight.  When pulled straight from the garden you can even play a game of “what does this look like” as they tend to grow in odd shapes instead of the impeccable arrow shaped grocery store varieties.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Spuds and Carrot Puree

 

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

·         1 tbsp. of butter

·         2 cups chopped white potato

·         2 cups chopped carrots

·         Yes, that’s it

Baby Steps

1.      Peel and chop potatoes and carrots.

2.      Add potatoes and carrots to a steamer set over boiling water.  Cover and cook until tender, approx. 25 minutes.

3.      Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

4.      Transfer veggies to a food processor, blender or bowl to use hand held mixer to puree.

5.      Add butter and 3 tbsps. of the cooking water to the veggies and puree to desired consistency.  You can add a bit more water if you want it thinner.

6.      Let stand for a few minutes to cool, then transfer to freezing trays in the freezer to use within 3 months, or to food storage containers in the fridge to use within 48 hours.

Makes – Approx. 10 servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

Note – This puree is great for adults as well…you can just add in some salt and pepper to your portion and mash instead of puree them if you like.  It’s a great puree to have as a side with a grilled chicken breast.

It’s the start of another work week tomorrow.  I’ll try to contain my residual excitement from our last vacation long enough to last until the next.

Change

Never will your presence, or lack there of, be as noticed as when you are the parent of a baby or toddler.  There’s no flying under the radar here.  Gone are the days when you can be so inconsiderate as to not announce your departure to the washroom, or to throw a load of laundry in.  No…luxurious pleasures such as those are gone.  If you or your spouse, or significant other or mother who is over to help you with the baby, aren’t privy to the caregiving hiatus the teeny departure will initiate…all hell will break loose.

This is just one of the many things that change rapidly after becoming a parent.  Some people think things change when you get married, but I disagree, not much is different.  Maybe just instead of watching your favourite shows alone, you still watch them alone but hear the gentle hum of your spouse’s favourite shows from another room.  But once the pair of you becomes responsible for another little human being who counts on you day and night and won’t work their cries around your favourite TV shows, that’s when things start to change.

Luckily, some of their cries are because they are hungry.  That’s easy enough to fix. 

Today I’m going to get back to basics with a Pear puree for those Solid Food Apprentices out there.  6 month old babies are eager to try new tastes and lucky for us at this stage it’s all about the simple 1 ingredient purees to test their toleration of each food before moving on to another.  This natural progression for baby to start with simple, 1 ingredient purees, and then move on to other more diverse dishes, allows for the natural progression of baby food making skills in the kitchen too.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Nothing But Pears

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

·         5 ripe Pears

·         Yes, that’s it

Baby Steps

1.      Peel and core pears and slice into thin pieces.

2.      Place pears into saucepan along with 2 tbsps. of water.  Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for approx. 12 minutes until pears are tender and juicy.

3.      Remove from heat and let stand a few minutes to cool.

4.      Transfer to a food processor, blender, or bowl to use hand held blender to puree.

5.      Puree to a smooth consistency.

6.      Let cool for a few minutes and then transfer to freezing trays in the freezer to use within 3 months, or to a food storage container in the fridge to use within 48 hours.

Makes – Approx. 10 servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

I’m pleased to report that even through all the change a baby brings, it’s not so bad.  There is HD PVR afterall…and of course the giggles of the little mini me making everyone in the house and beyond just as happy as they are in that moment.

The Great Escape

It’s been a few weeks.  I owe you something big.

I owe you something lofty.

I owe you something majestic.

If you can’t tell by now, I made a great escape to the mountains.  I left hubby, kids and dog to fend for themselves for 4 days while I went to visit my friend and the mountains in Calgary Alberta.

It was the longest time I’ve spent away from my little one in all of the 2 ½ years of his life.  4 days was good, a week may have been a bit too long, but the escape was perfect.

I have never seen the mountains before, so to experience the almost haunting drive into Banff  contemplating what those immense grey shadows in the sky off in the distance were was perplexing to say the least.  The enormity and sheer alien nature of them as we got closer and closer was overwhelming.

Have you ever been on a road trip, taking in the scenery and in a moment of silence the music floating through the car speakers fits your experience so perfectly it’s as if you’re watching a movie that you are in?  This was the case when my friend slipped in the Mumford and Sons cd “Sigh No More” on our journey through the rocks, for lack of a better term. 

Road trip + friend + silence + breathtaking view + this…

= perfection

It was certainly unnatural to be away on my own without the kids in tow.  I kept imagining Carter was in the backseat incessantly asking me to help him put his little sunglasses on and when I turn him down because I have a road to focus on he turns to the dog and asks him to help.  I often wonder if the dog actually spoke the words “sure”, and then lifted his fingerless paws to help Carter put on his sunglasses, would Carter be shocked or just say, “thank you Hogie.”?

I’m home sweet home now.  Back to work, back to home renos, back to kids, dogs and the misguided allure of Saturday night as it turns into an opportunity to catch up on sleep instead of life.

I think I’m just about caught up on sleep for the moment so I thought I’d better get caught up on this blog.

Here goes.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Bambino Chicken Cacciatore

Age – 8 months +

Ingredients

·         1 tbsp. of butter

·         1 boneless skinless chicken breast

·         ½ cup tiny pasta such as alphabet

·         2 tomatoes

·         ½ cup diced onion

·         ½ cup diced zucchini

·         ½ cup diced carrots

·         1 cup low sodium chicken broth or homemade chicken stock

·         ½ tsp. dried basil or 3 fresh basil leaves chopped

Baby Steps

1.      Peel and seed tomatoes using the boiling water method and set aside.

2.      Peel and chop carrots, onions and zucchini and set aside.

3.      Cut chicken into small cubes and set aside.

4.      Heat butter in large saucepan over medium/high heat and add chicken and cook until no longer pink inside, approx. 8 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

5.      Reduce heat to medium and add all veggies to pan except the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes until onions begin to soften.

6.      Add tomatoes, basil and chicken stock to pan and stir well.

7.      Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium/low, cover and continue to cook for approx. 25 minutes until carrots are tender.

8.      Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions but leave out the salt.  Once done, drain water and set aside.

9.      Use a hand held blender to puree the cooked chicken to a crumbly texture.  If baby is older than 10 months you can use a knife and fork to cut the chicken into tiny pieces baby can handle instead of pureeing.

10.  Once the cooking time on the veggie mixture is complete, remove from heat and transfer to a blender, food processor or bowl to use hand held blender to puree into a sauce.

11.  Return sauce to pan along with cooked chicken and pasta.  Stir well and cook for a few minutes until warmed through, approx. 5 minutes on medium/low heat.

12.  Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.  Transfer to freezing trays in the freezer to be used within 3 months or into a food storage container in the fridge to be used within 48 hrs.

Makes – 10 Servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

One of my favourite books is Dr. Suess’ “Oh, the Places You’ll Go.” I’ve read it to myself a million times and of course to my kids.  “Kid, you’ll move mountains.”  Now I understand just how majestic a statement that is.