Weekday Chicken Pot Pie

Family recipe hour... This was seriously SO easy and Bryan said it was better than one he frequently orders at a Diner when he travels. And it made the house smell delicious. And it's just yummy and warm and filling and perfect for fall... Make vegetarian with omitting the chicken and using Cream of Celery soup!

Adapted from this recipe.

Chicken Pot Pie


1 large chicken breast, poached and chopped1 small onion, diced2 cups fresh frozen mixed veggies (I used Fresh Frozen from Earth Fare)1 can cream of chicken (or make your own... far more healthy!)1 frozen pie shell1 refrigerated pie dough

Preheat to 400. Sautee onions, add chicken and veggies to warm through, add cream of chicken until warmed through. Pour mixture into pie shell and cover with pie dough. Seal edge and crimp. Bake for 30 minutes, or until browned on top to your liking. Note: if you have chicken cooked ahead of time (we do that often at the beginning of the week for quick dinners), it makes this a really easy prep!

Disclaimer - this has been kid tested, but she hasn't approved. Not yet anyway. We will keep trying!

Bombay Sloppy Joe's

Family recipe hour continues...

Bombay Sloppy Joe's!

This recipe was given to us by our dear friend, Renu. I've been reluctant to share because I didn't write it, I can't improve on it, and it is in no way originally from my kitchen. However, it's too good not to. Bonus: it's vegetarian friendly, too, if you so choose. My only omission from the recipe are the pistachios. Not a fan of pistachios.

Have a hard time finding Garam Masala? You can always make your own via Google, or try your local ethnic or spice store. I was lucky enough that before we left North Carolina, Renu gave me this awesome Indian spice container all stocked up with unique Indian spices!

Kid tested, grand mother approved. Sophie gave it TWO thumbs up this weekend. And my mom no longer thinks all Indian food is made with curry :)

Ingredients

For the Sauce• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger• 2 cloves garlic, minced• 1/2 serrano chile pepper, seeded and minced• 1 teaspoon garam masala• 1/2 teaspoon paprika• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

For the Sloppy Joe's
• 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Small handful (about 1/4 cup) raisins
• Small handful (about 1/4 cup) shelled pistachios 
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 large white onion, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 serrano chile pepper (don't chop it unless you like things spicy!)
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound ground turkey OR beef OR veggie crumbles
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• Small handful fresh cilantro (soft stems included)
• 4 sesame buns

Directions

Make the sauce: Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic and chile pepper and cook until the ginger and garlic brown a little, about 1 minute. Add the garam masala and paprika and cook 30 seconds. Add the tomato sauce and 1 cup water, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, prepare the sloppy joes: Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the raisins and pistachios and cook, stirring occasionally, until the raisins swell up and the pistachios toast slightly, about 1 minute. Remove from the skillet and set aside. 

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the cumin seeds and let sizzle about 10 seconds, then add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the chile pepper and cook 2 more minutes, seasoning with salt. Add the turkey, breaking up the big lumps, and cook until opaque, about 5 minutes. 

Add the prepared sauce to the turkey-and-onion mixture in the skillet. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.
Remove the whole chile pepper (unless you want to eat it, like my dad does!) and stir in the honey, half-and-half, raisins and pistachios. Taste for seasoning. Stir in the cilantro right before serving.
Toast the buns and fill with the sloppy joe mixture.

Granola

Alternatively, Grammalla (in Sophie-speak). Or, You Had Me At "I need that recipe"

Is this my foray back into the blogosphere? Thank you to anyone and everyone who asked for the granola recipe so that I would actually sit down and write in my children's blog/journal/baby book/family recipe holder... I never believed my friend Leigh who told me that I might not have as much time to write once baby number two came around. Or, it could be those eight thousand other things I'm trying to do at one time.

I digress, and here is your recipe, adapted from my first take at Granola bars here, which was adapted from this recipe, but oh-so-different-and-totally-way-better. Because when you've made 30 batches, you kind of nail it down.

Granola Bars

The base:
4 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (optional, but amazing if you like salty/sweet)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup coconut oil (I like to barely warm it in the microwave so that it mixes better)
1/2 cup honey (my SIL says to use the local/expensive stuff!)
2 tablespoons ground flax*

The additions, per your taste
1 cup chocolate chips
6 dried apricots, chopped
12 dried cherries, chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped raw almonds

I mix the dry ingredients separate from the wet and then combine them all together. Pour onto parchment lined baking sheet. It will look too dry, but I promise it is going to work. Pat it down, maybe 1/2in in height and then make a rectangle shape (less waste when you go to cut your bars out). I like to use a rubber spatula because the granola is less likely to stick to it as you form your rectangle.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove and let completely cool before cutting. I make rectangular bars that are smaller than your typical granola bar, because I can guarantee you I'm going to eat more than one a day, and if they're smaller than normal I don't feel as guilty :)

*Flax seeds are an awesome source of Omega 3's - among other things. We don't eat a ton of fish as we live in Kentucky, and, well, I like my Florida seafood. SO, Omega 3's are something we try to supplement through fish oil and flax seeds. However, when heated, flax loses it's Omega 3's. Dammit, right?! They are still an excellent source for fiber and protein, and, why not?

Also, original recipe had Vanilla Extract in it. New recipe does not ever since I read that "Natural Vanilla Flavoring" includes something extracted from a chemical derived from the anal glands of beavers. Yeah. Gross.

Teacher gifts!

We are in the last week of Sophie's first year of preschool. Hard to believe.

It is truly difficult to thank her room full of teachers (five of them!) for fostering her creativity, curiosity and sense of adventure. They have made our first year in Louisville memorable, for sure. Feeling a little crafty, I made some gifts for the end of the year!

I spray painted the lids of some old spaghetti sauce mason jars and cleaned the jars really well. Inside, I made Sophie's favorite "Grammala" bars (Chocolate chip granola bars adapted from this recipe). Outside, I downloaded a free printable for bookplates and personalized them with the help of a friend with all of her teachers' names. I printed the bookplates on 8 1/2 x 11 shipping labels and cut down to size, wrapped in plastic and tied with string to the large mason jars.

Grammala Bars
4 Cups rolled oats
1/4 Cup whole wheat flour
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup plus 2 T canola oil
1/2 Cup plus 2 T honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 Cups chocolate chips

Bake 325 degrees on parchment paper (spread into large rectangle about 1/2in thick) for 40 min. Let cool, but not completely, before cutting into squares (or rectangles... whatever floats your boat).

And the award goes to...

It is award season, folks. That seems to be all I hear about on television these days. (Well, I lie: political debates, the Super Bowl and whatever is going on in My Little Ponies. But, back to the awards.) I started to wonder if nominated, what awards would I win?

The first one that immediately came to mind was Most Locations for Stashing Diapers. What a prestigious award. I'd like to thank the academy... With one child I thought having diapers in one unmistakable place was the best way to go. With two children, I've changed my mind. We have diapers in: 1. master bedroom 2. Sophie's bedroom 3. Tucker's bedroom 4. downstairs family room 5. my car 6. the jogging stroller (only takes one ill-fated trip to the park to come up with that one) and 7. my purse. My Coach purse. My prized Coach purse that Bryan gave me as an anniversary gift (the year for 'leather') that now doubles as a diaper bag. Oh, motherhood. So humbling.

The second award I'd be a shoo-in for would be Persevering the Picky Eater. I wrote earlier about a dinner time meltdown and having to cover food with multi-colored sprinkles to get them in Sophie's belly. But serve a meal created with love, a dash of patience, some creativity and kindness and you might find as I did that they'll try just about anything. I also try to remember that everything is cyclical. Something she loved yesterday might disgust her tomorrow. Try again. And again. I actually read one time that you have to offer something 20-25 times before a child might agree to eat it. We've come to a new understanding that she has to try at least one bite before she gets the food she knows and wants.

Our latest creation was a hit. Fruit and Nut Bites, adapted from this recipe. I didn't invent this gem of a snack, but I made it bigger and better for Sophie.

Mom, take the picture so that I can devour
my special snack!

Fruit and Nut Bites.

Sophie's Fruit and Nut Bites
1 Cups dried organic figs
1/2 Cup dried dates
1/2 Cup walnut pieces
1/2 Cup whole raw almonds
2 Tablespoons ground flax seed
1/4 Cup water
1 Cup shredded coconut (we used sweetened)

Blend in food processor until everything comes together in an almost-smooth consistency. Form small balls - teaspoon or tablespoon size - and roll in coconut. Refrigerate and serve cold. They're a little gritty in consistency because of the figs (which is why I didn't hesitate to add the ground flax). And by gritty - think Fig Newton gritty, just the nature of the fruit.

The final award I think I have already won: Marrying Into the Best Family Possible. My in-laws and extended family have made me really happy to call our new town "home." They have been so supportive, helpful and generous. They have taken me in as their own and I couldn't be more grateful. Did you know that I am even getting one morning a week totally to myself to exercise? Brilliant. Sophie goes to school and my MIL watches Tucker. I know that my immediate family would love to be the ones sweeping up Sophie from preschool and giving Tucker his first bottle. But while we live 600 miles away, I rest assured they are happy knowing how well we are all cared for here in KY.

TGIFF

Thank Goodness It's Freaking Friday

This Friday the 13th has been peachy, thus far. (Yes, Mom, I'm about to start bragging again. May the force be with me for the rest of the day!)

Sophie is actually eating food - she's even asking for it.

Tucker is napping in his crib.

That's a win-win, folks.

We've had a mess of food battles lately. In fact, a serious toddler meltdown that ended with throw-up actually occurred on Tuesday. Yes, she pitched a fit over orange slices, cucumber and an almond butter and jelly sandwich. WTF? I can't help but take some of the blame looking back on the situation. 20/20, right? I gave her too many choices and offered to make Sophie her own meal - different from what I was going to eat. Tisk, tisk mommy.

At her two year appointment, the doctor said she wants to check her weight again in a few months since she hasn't gained anything since the fall. So now I'm obsessing over her food again since we kind of let things slide over the holidays.

We have some new winning recipes!

Spinach cake muffins (yes, cake, they are very dense). I didn't have sugar-free applesauce, so I made my own by steaming an apple and pureeing in the blender. Easy peasy.

Granola bars. My version included ground flax seed, dried organic black mission figs and chocolate chips.

Sophie's Favorite Chicken Nuggets
1 organic chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1 egg, whisked
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon garlic salt

Dip chicken bites into the egg, then dredge through the panko and garlic salt mixture. Pan fry in oil (or bake, if you must, but this kid needs the extra fat right now). Sophie LOVES them. Like, she knows when I'm making them by the smell and runs around screaming "Chicken Nuggets!" For the nugget connoisseur, these are even better than Chic Fil A (which, for the record, she has never had).

Hope you have a lovely weekend ahead!

Pink pancakes

Someone happily woke up to pink pancakes this morning.

The Sophie and Tucker household is not big on many artificial things. So how did we make them pink, you ask?

That's right, beets! Now, in full disclosure, I used a can of precooked beets. A year ago I would have purchased organic fresh beets (probably raised somewhere within 100 miles of my home) and whipped up these bad boys from scratch. But if I'm being totally honest, today I was going to pour them into some box mix of Bisquick, so what's the harm in using some canned veggies?

And for good measure, I threw in a scoop of organic ground flax seeds.

Pink Pancakes:

Bisquick (per directions)

1/4 cup of pureed beets

2 Tablespoons organic ground flax seeds

Easy as pie. Or pancakes. One vegetable serving down, four to go.

CHEESE for pink pancakes!

Why so confusing?

Why so confusing, toddler meal time?

Why, after offering you bananas for six days, I throw them in the trash, then you immediately run around the corner and ask for a (now rotten and trash tainted) banana?

Why, will you not eat prunes, and then eat the same prunes with tasteless sprinkles on top?

Why will you turn up your nose at cucumber, and then devour said cucumber after mommy takes a tiny bite and tells you it is now shaped like the moon? (Related: we are seriously obsessed with the moon right now.)

Why will you eat tomatoes that I buy with caution, then once Costco-sized carton of tomatoes (or grapes) are purchased, you boycott?

Why do you turn down carrots every time mommy makes them, and gobble them up every time GMom makes them?

So confusing/frustrating/rewarding/never-the-same-meal-twice.

New rule: family dinner

We are three weeks into successful family dinners several nights a week! I think this makes up for the time daddy has to spend on the road away from us. Our most recent successful family dinner was easy-peasy and Sophie almost cleaned her plate.

Pork chops with Kale was the basis for the meal. My changes to the recipe were marinating the pork chops in soy sauce to help tenderize (what is worse than a tough pork chop?), and I used more like half the can of tomato paste instead of just a tablespoon.

I served this with Parmesan couscous and Sophie's version was a cut-up pork chop, couscous, a handful of cherry tomatoes and kale chips (instead of the wet, tomato-y kale). I'm not sure where my kale chip recipe came from, but I've found a method that works for me:

Wash, dry, and tear kale into bite size pieces

Drizzle with EVOO

Spread out on baking sheet (I line it with aluminum foil for simple clean up)

Sprinkle with salt

Bake 250 for 25 minutes

Have you had successful, healthy family dinners that even picky eaters enjoyed? I'd love to know to add to our repertoire!

The unthinkable

I've done the unthinkable in the Sophie en Sophie household. I deployed sprinkles on an everyday lunch.

The kid needed to eat some prunes, if you know what I mean. Today has turned out to be one of those days where I'm not in the mood for talking about eating prunes, or begging her to eat prunes, or chasing her around the house with multicolored toothpicks stacked with prunes... Sophie likes to play in the spice cabinet and found some sprinkles that are who-knows-how-old. She said "peeeeees mommy?" And we've been working on manners. So, I had to.

I generously applied sprinkles to her plate of prunes and some also made it on to the peanut butter sandwich. She gobbled them up. Was it worth it? We'll know in about 2.5 hours (hopefully she sleeps that long, mommy needs a nap, too)!

Helluva start

Hi friends! Our little family has just had a helluva start to the week and I really wanted to share.

MBD got back into his early morning workout and I made egg white omelets with orange peppers, spinach and provolone, coffee and smoothies ("fooney" as Sophie calls them).

1 cup tofu

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

1 cup fresh cantaloupe

1 cup frozen organic berries

1/2 cup rice milk

Sophie got to push the buttons on the blender which I think blew her little mind. We then had a playdate with Sophie's cousin Hannah as half the town was flooded from a ridiculous amount of rain last night - and who wants to get out and about in that?

Hannah introduced little miss to My Little Pony cartoons, they colored together like best friends, and played a little hide and seek while Kristin and I sat in the baby's room brainstorming. Sophie ate her whole lunch of apples and corn tortilla quesadilla (with organic chicken and cheddar cheese), and then hit the hay for a lovely little nap. So did mommy.

A quick run to the grocery, a long walk with the dogs and some playtime at the park rounded out the afternoon. Daddy came home early and we had our most successful family dinner attempt yet! I made pork chops with apples and Sophie ate nearly every bite on her little divided plate! (I added carrots and doubled the onion and apple in the recipe.) The couscous on the side was probably her favorite thing.

Dinner was cooked and eaten, dishes done, cookies and milk shared, playtime done, books read, teeth brushed, pj's on, and tomorrow's lunch packed all before 7pm. Phew! Hope you are off to a great week!

Weekday school!

Ode to proud parents and Facebook posting: I am one of you. I appreciate your photos. I appreciate reading your proud moments and your victories, and I am so glad you appreciate reading mine (or, you wouldn't be here reading, right?).

I am loving everyone's first day of school pictures! Not to be left out, I got a quick blackberry picture of Sophie before we left for her first day of weekday school. She really has been this excited both mornings so far. I hardly slept the night before her first day (due in part to an enormous dinner from Jeff Ruby's that did not want to digest) so I was just as exhausted as she was later in the day. At the end of day two today I think she's already working on a little cold. Guess I really need to get on the horn and find this baby girl a pediatrician!

What she's eating: I have expressed my love for quesadillas on several occasions. Sophie has a new favorite - she gobbled up organic chicken, cheese, blackbeans and the smallest bit of bacon in a quesadilla last week! I've also experimented with empanadas as of late (using different doughs and different fillings - mostly southwest style with corn, salsa, beans, and organic beef or chicken) and Sophie hasn't turned her nose up at any of them!

Mommy's sweet tooth has taken over the kitchen on an occasion or two lately. Homemade doughnuts and the latest cover of Southern Living: Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake (believe me, I do not bake). This cake is freakin amazing. Perhaps I'm a little biased because the Gala apples we used were actually hand picked on a farm outing by this fine specimen:

I'm really quite obsessed with this picture right now: mouth full of apple, sweaty little curls, big 'ol belly, marching off to some adventure... pretty much sums up my little peanut at 20 months.

Back in the saddle

I may not be able to find the time to do many fun things, like, write in this lovely blog as of late, but we've been busy busy. Lamenting over my lack of healthy cooking for Sophie I got back in the saddle.

Yesterday morning's breakfast began with roasted butternut squash and flax seed pancakes.

Breakfast then ended with "Mo cakes?" We just might be making them again today whenever Miss Sleepy Head decides to rouse from her slumber.

Motherload

The motherload of blog entries is here. If you aren't interested in cute pictures, Sophie's diet, or my homemade concoctions then stop reading now. I have been slacking, but the dearth of blog activity in no way reflects the level of activity at the Barber household!

Baby #2 update: I've gained only 4lbs (which I believe will be picking up pace here soon the way I've been eating!), and we have our 18 week ultrasound tomorrow. I started feeling the baby move for sure over the last seven days. That is one of the most incredible things to me - to feel the little human inside of me dancing around! Sophie has started kissing my belly, patting gently and saying "baby!" Oh, I can't wait to see her playing with her sibling in a few short months.

What Sophie has been doing: Running, sprinting... she really only has one speed these days and it's fast. Mommy has to watch her potty mouth now because we have a parrot in the room - she repeats everything! She was officially 18 months on Friday. Seriously, where does the time go? She loves jumping off the side of the pool into my arms and going underwater - she honestly wants me to just let go and swim on her own. But babydoll, we need a few more swim lessons before that happens.

What she is eating: Geez louise. We had toddler food boot camp start on Friday. Dad was around all weekend to help me with willpower because I couldn't do it alone. Brief history: I nursed as long as I could, I made almost all of Sophie's baby food, and I buy organic whenever possible. It's no secret that I get over-the-top frustrated when she doesn't eat well for a few days. It's also no secret that I get euphoric when she eats a well-balanced meal. SO, back to the toddler food boot camp.

The short and sweet is that we took the sweets off the table - literally (juice, dried and fresh fruit). Friday she was offered a protein, grain and vegetables... and went to bed without eating dinner Friday. I made banana corn fritters with whole wheat flour and flax seeds Saturday morning... and she didn't eat breakfast. Come lunch time on Saturday, she was hungry ("hummy" as she likes to say). She ate grilled chicken, cucumber, sunflower seed butter toast, a banana corn fritter, water and as a treat, a box of raisins. Saturday dinner and all day Sunday was just as successful and we're trying new vegetables and using fruit as maybe once a day treat instead of what seemed like an entire meal sometimes. Now that Dad goes back to work tomorrow, let's hope we have continued success!

It is summer and lots of kids like Popsicles when it is hot out. Keeping in line with my healthy food plight, I will do anything to keep Flav-o-ice and it's high fructose corn syrup out of Sophie's little body. With my bpa-free Popsicle forms, I made apple-sicles! One part organic chunky applesauce, two parts organic apple juice, one part water.

And now, for recent pictures.

Apple-sicles.

One happy customer.

Dada picked out and hung a new swing for Sophie.

The neighbors were outside for her inaugural ride.

Farm Day at the Charlotte Nature Museum.

After this encounter, every animal was "horsey!"

Dada and Sophie in the butterfly room.

I finished putting breakfast away and found Sophie standing

in her Dad's Crocs and smiling widely.

Pickles.

My second attempt at homemade dill pickles loosely adapted from this recipe... these were right on par. We ended a great Father's Day weekend with grilled burgers and fresh green beans from our neighbor's garden. The burgers were topped with as many pickles as we could fit! Happy Father's Day to the most wonderful Dad Sophie could ever ask for, and to my Dad, the best one I could ever ask for!

New vegetable friends

I think we're turned the proverbial corner on vegetables!

It just goes to show that one has to constantly offer babies/toddlers different food choices and eventually they'll they'll try something new! A few weeks ago I whipped up a smorgasborg of vegetables: roasted cheddar cauliflower and crunchy "fried" green beans. I also put some broccoli on the roasting pan, but it began to burn before the other veggies were ready. I gave it to her anyway.

The only thing on the tray she ate (besides the little pb&j circles) was the sort-of-burnt roasted broccoli! Adding that to the roasted kale chips that she gobbles up and I thought we might be on to something.

This past week her new vegetable adventure was peeled and diced cucumber. Then while I was out on Mommy's day off, Daddy offered her diced fresh red pepper. Then she picked out an ear of corn at the farmer's market... which she ate fresh off the cob. One pleased parent right here!

I've tried some new recipes from my absolute favorite baby cooking blog, Weelicious. Sophie ate an entire meal of the Curry Rice that was packed with peas, carrots and potatoes (and subsequently wouldn't touch it the next day... oh well). Baby steps, but we're making progress!

Easter recap

We're kind of having an amazing day. Is it too soon to say that? Am I going to jinx our afternoon? The day started with a bath and blowing bubbles in Sophie's room because of a early diaper explosion. Then she ate all but six bites of a breakfast quesadilla (have I professed my love for quesadillas yet?) that was packed full of red pepper, zuchinni, spinach and onion. We went to the gym for over an hour (there were tears when I left, but smiles when I came back!), story time at the library, had lunch,went for a quick walk and played "OW-SY" all before noon nap time!

This is all quite remarkable coming off the week/weekend that just passed. Sophie had a 2-hour tummy bug, Yaya got it, Dada got it, and Mommy had it the worst. I was completely out of commission for almost two days. Good thing we were in Florida with more people around to help take care of little stink. Before I got sick though we had an eventful trip! Here are some pictures of Sophie's first REAL beach outing at Pensacola Beach.

Getting brave!

Snack time (again!), the sun made her extra hungry!

Sophie's sweet friend Harper, in her fashionable Lilly suit!

Easter Sunday I was almost on my death bed, but I rallied to get through an Easter Egg hunt and some service music at church before we had to head home again. As much as I couldn't stomach anything more than Gatorade, I couldn't stomach the idea of missing her first Easter Egg hunt!

Getting started.

Eggs!

Gimme back my eggs!

She didn't quite grasp the concept of putting her eggs

in the basket. She insisted on holding them (which you could

guess results in not collecting many eggs!).

Sophie smoothie

I feel like I start, and subsequently erase, so many posts about what Sophie is eating. Get excited folks because I'm not going to erase this one.

To date, we've cut out 90% of dairy from her diet (I allow 10% because of eating cheese quesadillas and grilled cheese sandwiches when we go to a restaurant... those are always winners). Well, those of you out there with kids know that dairy is a staple of every meal, so I have to get creative sometimes to make her a tasty snack. Enter: Sophie smoothie.

Sophie Smoothie

1/2 Cup organic silken tofu

1 Tablespoon honey

1/2 ripe banana

1/2 Cup chopped cantaloupe (frozen for extra chill/thickness)

1 Tablespoon organic ground flax seed

Blend all ingredients until desired texture. I added a few Tablespoons of rice milk to thin it out a little - that way it could be enjoyed with a straw! It tastes like a traditional yogurt smoothie!

Does the body good

After Sophie's one year well-baby visit, her Doctor suggested we try going dairy-free for 3 weeks to see if things would move, ah-hem, more smoothly in the #2 department. It worked. Hallelujah. My on-again, off-again love affair with Trader Joe's hit a bumpy patch as I scoured the shelves for dairy-free food options. Their "cheese alternative" might be lactose free, but most people that have a dairy sensitivity react to the milk protein, casein, not lactose. TJ's cheese alternative sure enough had casein in the ingredients :(

I consulted with another dear Doctor friend about Sophie's diet, and she is getting plenty of the good fats she needs even without having milk, cheese or yogurt included in her daily meals. The good fats that she eats come from flax seed, almond milk, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, and regular organic butter/olive oil which I cook/bake with.

What about the calcium though? I found a list of the top 15 non-dairy calcium sources online. Gotta keep my baby healthy!

Sesame Seeds
A quarter cup of sesame seeds has 351 mg calcium.

**Spinach
A cup of boiled spinach has 245 mg.

Collard Greens
A cup of boiled collard greens has 266 mg.

Blackstrap Molasses
One tablespoon has about 137 mg.

Kelp
One cup of raw kelp has 136 mg.

Tahini
Two tablespoons of raw tahini (sesame seed butter) have 126 mg.

**Broccoli
Two cups of boiled broccoli have 124 mg.

Swiss Chard
One cup of boiled chard has 102 mg.

**Kale
One cup of boiled kale has 94 mg.

Brazil Nuts
Two ounces of Brazil nuts (12 nuts) have 90 mg.

Celery
Two cups of raw celery have 81 mg.

**Almonds
One ounce of almonds (23 nuts) has 75 mg.

Papaya
One medium papaya has 73 mg.

**Flax Seeds
Two tablespoons of flax seeds have 52 mg.

**Oranges
One medium orange has 52 mg.

**Sophie eats most of these willingly. Spinach - in a quesadilla with Tofuti and chicken.Oranges - easy. Flax seed - ground up it goes in tofu smoothies and waffles mostly. Almonds - she drinks 16oz of almond milk a day. Kale - she has been known to gobble up some kale chips. Broccoli - offer it, she'll turn up her nose. Puree it and put in spaghetti sauce, and it goes right down!

Kicks and seaweed

Sophie finally has some new kicks from Kixx. Embarrassing as it is, it took two trips to the store to pick out one pair of insanely adorable Pedipeds. If we can look at the trips as teaching moments, Sophie now knows and can tell you the difference between her "boots" and her "shoes." Ah, little girls. Have I mentioned how smart she is?

Or have I mentioned what a good eater she is? Over the past week we've had some new foods that seemed to please the pint-sized palette: Grouper, black beans, hummus, baked tofu, and... seaweed. Yes, the weed from the sea, lightly salted and baked to a crisp. She loves it.

It's about 10am on Monday and I'm blogging... to which you might be asking, how I do this with a one-year-old who naps only once a day? Yes, today is a two nap sort of day (as was yesterday). Some days I guess we'll still need two; and if the social calendar allows, we will go with the flow.

Back to it being 10am and I'm blogging... I should be working out at the Y (where Sophie would be crying the entire time) or doing P90X in the basement. Or sewing. Or taking pictures. Or cooking. Or reading the other 24 books I now have only 9 months to complete. But folks I'm a little in the dumps. I can't seem to brush my shoulders off. The Social Network had me up all night Saturday wondering if I am living up to my full potential; and I haven't been able to pick a side of that fence to sit on. Not that I have some great computer programming ideas I've been sitting on or an application in to Harvard... more like: am I using my God-given talents, challenging myself and/or making a difference in this big 'ol world? (Not one to sit on big decisions, I booked a photoshoot and am *this* close to opening an Etsy store! Hopefully brighter days on the horizon.)

I hate goodbyes and we had one this morning. Yaya flew in for the weekend we had some good food, good times and beautiful weather.

This one is a keeper... going into the Three Generations Frame :)

Flax and babies?

Pictured below is the proud recipient of two big-girl waffles this morning:

Not just any waffles, homemade waffles (well, followed the box) with the addition of fresh yummy blueberries and a Tablespoon of ground Organic Flax seeds. If you're new on the Flax train like I am, it seems a little confusing, right? Couldn't be easier, actually.

I'm always looking at different ways to get the most nutrition into Sophie's foods since I can't just puree and spoon practically anything in her mouth anymore. (Side note: have I mentioned she's started using a spoon on her own with some success? I'm so proud.)

Benefits: Omega 3's, Protein, Lignans and Fiber. And, BONUS! it's a natural laxative . Which is why you should be conscious of how much you give baby (I don't talk about her poop much, but that's because she doesn't make a lot of it. We'll see if that changes with the addition of Flax). If you check this website, it recommends not introducing Flax to babies before 8-10 months.

Hubby and I have been adding it to cereal, yogurt and smoothies so far. It's a little gritty, but we'll be getting used to it because I bought a 3lb bag of it from Costco.

What have you used ground Organic Flax seeds in? It can go in anything, I know, but any specific recipes you've had exceptional luck with? Can't wait to hear from you!