Ramekins & Skewers

Today was pretty good. We had banana walnut muffins for breakfast:

Tofurkey Sandwiches with Pop Chips for lunch:

And for dinner, Baked Spinach Macaroni & Cheese, with Vegetarian sausage & cherry tomato skewers on the side:

I picked up some vegetarian sausages at the store yesterday. I can't remember if they were on my original list, but they made the final cut. And we had a handful of cherry tomatoes left over from last week, so I popped those babies on some skewers and roasted them in the oven at the same time the Mac & Cheese was baking. No additional seasoning. I give the Eating Well recipe two thumbs up. It was tasty - how could it not be - but just as importantly it was simple and quick to make. As you can see from the picture above, I prepared it in individual ramekins. Everything is more fun in individual serving sizes, don't you think? Just like everything is better on a skewer. Ha! But really, presentation is so important when trying to get your kids to eat. Plus, the adults don't mind either.

$108.59

Not bad, eh? Not amazing either, but it's real, solid progress. Our grocery spending was getting a little out of control, and bringing it closer to $100 is a much more reasonable weekly budget for a family of four. Here's a shot of our grocery cart about midway through: 

This week is all about trying and experimenting. The hardest part for me was limiting variety. It was hard when I was preparing the grocery list, and it was really hard in the actual grocery store. Silly went with me and kept pointing to yummy fruits and vegetables and suggesting we add them to our cart. I realized that I usually say "yes" to anything that is healthy. It was hard telling her "no brussel sprouts this week" and "we can get plums next week, honey". In fact, it was more than hard - it sucked. We have been very spoiled by the variety we enjoy in our diets.

But let's be clear: I intend to continue offering the same variety, but not on a daily or meal-to-meal basis. For instance, we will totally change it up next week. No apples and bananas. Perhaps grapes and plums. And no carrots and green beans. Maybe squash and brussel sprouts. But it'll take some getting used to - that's for sure. It's cheaper to buy in bulk. Buying a bag of Organic Pears is a fraction of the price of buying 2 Organic pears, 2 Organic apples, a small bunch of Organic grapes, and 2 Organic bananas.

Also, if the item on my list had an organic option, that's what I bought. This fact probably increased my grocery bill by about 30% at least. Some things, like milk and butter were nearly 40% more for organic. The walnuts were only about 10% more. I guesstimate I could bring our grocery bill down to about $70 if I were willing to forgo organic eating. But, well, I'm not.

Lastly, I worked on being flexible. For example, I had apples on my list. But in fact, I saw a better deal for a whole bag of Organic Pears. It was only $3.89 for a big bag. That's a great deal. Apples are available pretty much all year, but Pears are special - seasonal. Also, the stores are packed with Pumpkins right now, so I'm going to incorporate that ingredient into next week's menu. Pumpkin muffins? Pumpkin curry? Who knows! But being in the store, seeing what's in season, was very helpful.

Oh, and just so everyone knows, that $108 included a few staples, like olive oil spray, as well as a small potted rose bush. Silly insisted on getting her dad some pink roses. I couldn't convince her otherwise, so getting a plant rather than the cut flowers was our compromise. Now we have pretty little rose bush in our bathroom! I'll update tomorrow with a picture. 

More Budget Brainstorming!

This morning I cranked out some lunch and dinner ideas and put together a grocery list. There is only one new recipe here, the Baked Spinach & Cheese Macaroni, and it will probably go over just fine in our house. Otherwise, the recipes I chose are tried and true family favorites. I find my self asking again if these is the best I can do, budget-wise. I tried to limit the variety. Carrots can be prepared so many different ways, in lunch, dinner & snacks. Plus they are great in baby food. Dried beans are so so cheap and so so good for you, it's a no-brainer to include a meal with those; same for Lentils. Also, I had a bunch of half used bags of lentils and other grains, so the Turkish Spinach and Lentil Soup was practically free. Check out the menu:

Dinner Ideas:
Turkish Spinach and Lentil Soup (from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant)
Red Beans and Rice (vegetarian adaptation of Emeril Lagasse's recipe) and corn bread
Vegetarian Burgers, French Fries and Roasted Carrots
Baked Spinach and Cheese Macaroni (from the Eating Well website)
Nuggets, left over Baked Mac & Cheese, Steamed Green Beans

Lunch Ideas:
Almond Butter and Jam Sandwich, tomatoes and cucumbers on the side
Cheese Quesadilla with Black beans and tomatoes on the side, salsa for dipping
Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Apples & Carrots on the side
Leftovers!
Leftovers!

Snack Ideas:
Gram Crackers with Almond butter & bananas
Yogurt cup with Apple slices and Almonds
Cheese & Crackers

Grocery List:
4 Onions
tomato paste
fresh parsley
2 stalks celery
1 green bell pepper
vegetarian sausage
garlic
corn bread mix
dry red beans
fake chicken nuggets
frozen french fries
carrots
hamburger buns
1 bag frozen spinach
1 bag fresh spinach
bag of shredded cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
8oz penne pasta
Flour Tortillas
1 can Black beans
2 yogurt cups
apple sauce cups

Stuff we already have:
Fresh green beans, from garden
Vegetable bullion
raw bulghur
lentils
salt
pepper
cayenne
fresh rosemary, from garden
fresh tomatoes, from garden
Bay leaves, from garden
rice
frozen vegetarian burgers
Almond butter (we buy in bulk online)
Various Jams
Salsa
Almonds (we buy in bulk online)
Sliced cheese (happen to have a lot left over from last week)
Crackers/triskets (happen to have a couple half full boxes in the pantry)

Now it's time to head to the store!

A Better Breakfast

After thinking about the budget goal for a bit more, I realize I'm not doing a very good job of cutting corners. If the husband lost his job today, we'd probably have to cut back more than I tried in the last post about breakfast. In fact, if we were broke, breakfast would probably look more like this:

Oatmeal with apples and walnuts
scrambled eggs with apples and toast
banana walnut muffins with scrambled eggs
Poached egg sandwich, with apples & bananas on the side
Oatmeal with bananas & walnuts
Apple cinnamon walnut muffins with scrambled eggs
French toast with (you guessed it) apples and bananas


With a grocery list that looks more like this:

Oatmeal
2 dozen eggs
bag of walnuts
bag of apples
bunch of bananas
loaf of sandwich bread
Coffee
Milk

And if the staples were low, we might have to throw in a bag of flour or some powdered sugar, or baking soda or something. The main thing that got cut was the variety of fruit and the vegetarian sausage, neither of which are cheap. Oh, and the fancy creamer for our coffee; milk will work fine. And the nice thing about this menu, is Valentine can eat everything but the walnuts and coffee. So I won't have to budget in separate baby food items for breakfast. Now I've got to get thinking about dinners.

Get Started With Breakfast

I'm going to use the rest of this week to plan, plan, plan. We've already got a kitchen full of food, so the budget tightening will commence next week. Let's get started with breakfast.

Breakfast is definitely the easiest meal to trim down, simply because we are almost always at home first thing in the morning, not tempted by eating on the go. Also, breakfast foods tend to be cheap for some reason. Eggs? Cheap. Oatmeal? Cheap. Pancakes or muffins? Cheap.

I'm going to change the format up a bit to accommodate this challenge. I'll write up a menu, and then a grocery list with the store I expect to find it cheapest. I'm not including basic pantry items, like baking soda or salt, unless I really do run out.

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal, chopped apple, chopped walnuts, drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkle of brown sugar.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Whole Wheat Toast w/butter, Apple slices

Wednesday
Breakfast: Banana Walnut muffins, Breakfast sausage, Grapes

Thursday
Breakfast: Cream of Wheat, Breakfast sausage, Apple slices

Friday
Breakfast: Oatmeal, chopped pear, chopped walnuts, drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkle of brown sugar.

Saturday
Breakfast: Cinnamon Apple muffins, breakfast sausage, Grapes

Sunday
Breakfast: Pancakes, Scrambled eggs, Grapes

Grocery List
Bag of Oats (QFC)
dozen eggs (farmers market)
bunch of bananas (trader joes)
Bag of apples  (trader joes)
1 pear (QFC)
Bunch of grapes (QFC)
Frozen vegetarian breakfast sausage (trader joes)
Bag of walnuts (trader joes)
Bag of coffee (trader joes)
quart of creamer (trader joes)
Butter (QFC)
Loaf of bread (trader joes)

That's a good start. I know it seems like a lot for breakfast. Some will say, "why not buy a few boxes of cereal and be done with it?"
Well, anyone that knows us, knows that breakfast is a big deal in our house. We all sit together as a family. It's important to my husband and me that breakfast be a hot, balanced meal. We notice that our toddler always has a better day after a nice big breakfast. And so do we.

If you have any suggestions please share them in the comments. What's your go-to breakfast? Are you a smoothie person, a breakfast burrito kind of person, or do skip breakfast and simply down a hot cup of coffee as you run out the door? I'll be back tomorrow to brainstorm about lunches and dinners.

Welcome back!

It's September and the chaos of summer has finally subsided. Silly started preschool 3 mornings a week, and Valentine is enrolled in a Mommy & Me music class on Fridays. Life has become more routine and as things settle down, we turn our attention back to the blog. But why today and not yesterday or tomorrow? Well, because today I've come up with a food challenge to get things going!

The husband and I have decided that we need to tighten the belt around here. My general philosophy about budgeting is that groceries get cut dead last. I'd rather live in a tent than feed my family junk. Your body is your temple after all. You only get one, and just about everything in your life is made possible by a healthy mind and body, so food is a priority around here.

That being said, we can eat very well and not spend nearly as much as we currently do on food. We've been spending between $150-$250 each week and there is no rhyme or reason. That figure includes eating out which is why it varies so wildly. Eating out adds up really quickly! So, in the spirit of "tightening the belt" I've decided take on the challenge of seeing how cheaply I can feed my family of four for a WHOLE MONTH without compromising quality. I still intend to buy organic, provide variety, and keep it fresh.

Summer Vacation

Silly & Valentine have decided to take a little summer break from the blog world. It's birthday season around here, with all but one family member having a birthday in the hot months. We're going to be busy, busy, busy and so you can expect our next post this fall, when Silly starts preschool. There will be lunches to pack, snacks on the go, and I suspect more pizza nights than I'll want to admit! Thanks for reading! Have a great summer!

-- Silly & Valentine's Mom

Fresh Cherries

Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls, Vegetarian Sausage Links, & Fresh Berries.

Morning Snack: Fresh Cherries (pitted), Roasted Almonds, and Dubliner Cheese Cubes.

Lunch: Sunflower Seed Butter and Jam on Whole Wheat Bread. Fresh Strawberries on the Side.

Afternoon Snack: Popcorn!

Dinner: Turkish Spinach and Lentil Soup Leftovers

We had bigger and better plans for dinner, but the Husband was running late so Silly and I finished off the soup from last night. Turns out it's just as wonderful a day later!

Silly came down with something today, so lunch had to be a comfort food she could eat on the couch while watching movies. Hence the SFSB&J Sandwich followed by Popcorn for a snack. Nothing puts the regular chaos in perspective like a sick child. Normally great eaters become very particular and what can you do?

Here's another unsolicited product recommendation for you: A Pitter. We use ours all the time. When you have small children in the house, there is really no easier way to deal with olives and cherries. Cherries are seasonal of course, but we have to pit olives at least once a week. I'd hate to have to sacrifice the quality of olives we buy simply so we can get them pre-pitted. Not that Silly would care! She'd be just as happy to eat sliced black olives out of a can as she would be to sample the olive bar at Whole Foods. She can be more discerning about other foods, but not olives. She likes them all!

How it all Began

A question I get a lot is how did I get Silly to eat so many different foods. Honestly, she wasn't a great eater until after a year old. She resisted the introduction of solids, but the when finger foods started coming her way, she got a little better. In my (very) limited experience the important key factors in getting a kid to eat well are: Offer variety at every meal, re-offer foods many times, & don't force them to eat.

These points are definitely easier said than done. When you spend half an hour chopping and rinsing and warming a wide selection of foods for your toddler's meal, only to have them take 2 bites of the 'familiar' food, it can quickly become a disheartening process. After composting enough food to feed a small village, I finally came up with a way to deal with the waste that worked for me. Salads! I would chop up a bunch of stuff for Silly's lunch or snack, and what she didn't eat would get scooped onto a bed of greens and become my lunch.

Here is a photograph I took in January 2011 of a pretty typical lunch for Silly when she was 1.5 years old:

There are black beans, cucumbers, feta cheese, tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms in that dish. I have no recollection of what she ate that day, but I do know that today, she would lick that plate clean. So, however many introductions it took, all of those foods became favorites. And though it may have been an unusual salad, I have no doubt that I preferred the taste of that medley going into my mouth rather than into the compost bin. 

The third prong in this strategy is very important. Do not force them to eat or even try the new foods. Just place it out in front of them and let them explore. Very early on we implemented the rule, "If you don't want to eat it, just leave it on your plate and wait until everyone else has finished eating." Notice I don't use "If you don't LIKE it." We simply never introduced that language. The option to not like something wasn't really on the table so to speak. Also, and I know a lot of parents will balk at this, but I allow Sylvia to spit food out on her plate after trying it. 9 times out of 10, she will pick up the food she spit out and finish eating it. But something about having the option to not commit to the bite makes her braver at trying new things. She knows she can taste it, chew it, feel its texture, and decide it's not for her. 

That's how it all began! And the picture above is evidence of how long this strange habit I have of photographing my children's food has existed: Pretty much since Silly started eating! 

Carrot Pinwheels

Breakfast: Mozzarella and Spinach Omelet, Avocado & Cherry Tomatoes on the side. 

Morning Snack: Sugar Snap Peas & Carrot Sticks. 

Lunch: Avocado & Cucumber Sushi Rolls, with Edamame & Carrot Pinwheels on the side.

Afternoons Snack Round 1: Strawberry & Honey Greek Yogurt, with Berries and Walnuts.

Afternoon Snack Round 2: Graham Crackers with Sunflower Seed Butter and Hot Chocolate.

Dinner: Turkish Spinach and Lentil Soup

Babyfood: Green Beans, Spinach, and Carrot Puree.

Today's highlight was the vegetarian Sushi we had for lunch. I forgot how simple it is to make. The most time consuming part is making the sticky rice, which you could always do in advance. You spread the rice on a sheet of seaweed, put something in the middle (avocado & cucumber), roll it up and slice it into pieces. It's no more work than making a wrap. The carrot "pinwheels", cut some divits into a carrot length ways, and then slice off your wheels. It doesn't matter how you make the divits, it'll create a nice look no matter what. Add some thawed edamame and you've got a great lunch. Pretty too! Silly will be starting preschool soon, so I'm keeping an eye out for good lunch box meals and this one fits the bill. 

We had two snacks this afternoon. Morning snack was a little weak so lunch was early and that left us with a longer stretch of time before dinner. I joined Silly for the hot chocolate and graham crackers. It always hits the spot. 

Dinner was a delicious soup from the cookbook Sunday's at Moosewood. Turkish Spinach and Lentil Soup has got to be one of the best recipes in that book. It's got bulgar and lentils and spinach and tomatoes in it. I have never had any trouble getting Silly to eat it. It's a warm, hardy meal, and I recommend it. 

I don't know what else to say about the babyfood I've been making. Valentine loves it all. I am yet to find something he doesn't gobble up. Today I made Spinach, Carrot, & Green bean puree. I also let him have his first Baby Mum-mum, which he was thrilled to have. He's the easiest one in the house!

Planning Day!

This Sunday we're going to change it up a bit. The reason being we have a special visiter arriving on Wednesday and I'm going to get her assistance planning the rest of the weeks meals. Also, this coming weekend is Silly's 3rd birthday so a special menu must be planned for the occasion!

This is what we're going to plan on for Monday & Tuesday:

Monday
Breakfast: Mozzarella and Spinach Omelets, with Avocado & Cherry Tomatoes on the side.
Lunch: Vegetarian Sushi, with Edamame on the side.
Dinner: Turkish Spinach and Lentil Soup


Tuesday 
Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls & Vegetarian Sausages.
Lunch: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with a Spinach Salad on the side. 
Dinner: Shrimp Fried Rice 


Snacks:
Yogurt & Berries & Walnuts
Hot Chocolate & Graham Crackers with Sunflower Seed Butter
Fresh Veggies (Snap Peas, Carrots, Radishes, Cucumber)
Cherries & Cheese Slices & Almonds


Babyfood: 
Spinach/Greenbeans/Carrots
Squash/Spinach
Carrots

Brie & Bread

Lunch: Brie Cheese, Ciabatta Bread, Grape Tomatoes, and Cucumbers.

Today was a big whop-whop when it comes to photographing our meals. Breakfast was Donuts and Fruit at a birthday party we attended. Silly ate about half a jar of pickles for morning snack. Lunch consisted of the family sitting around a loaf of bread with a slab of brie cheese and some extras. Later, we poked our heads into a neighborhood Pig Roast and Silly snagged a 'smores on a stick' for her afternoon snack. Then we headed to a new pizzeria for dinner and got a giant Calzone and Caesar Salad. As we were leaving they offered us free pistachio ice cream so we all shared that on the walk home.  It was a tasty day!

Grapefruit

Breakfast: Homemade Drop Biscuits with Jam & Butter, Vegetarian Sausage, and Grapefruit. 

Morning Snack: Chickpea Hummus, Pumpernickel Pretzels, Carrot Sticks, Sugar Snap Peas, Cherry Tomatoes, and Cucumber Slices.

 Afternoon Snack: Baby Carrots with a glass of warm Cow's Milk (not pictured).

Dinner: Spaghetti & Tomato Sauce, with Sauteed Zucchini & Yellow Squash

Babyfood: Green Beans, Yellow Squash, and Zucchini Puree.

Who could have known what a huge hit drop biscuits would be this morning!? I guess we never made them before, and Silly was in love. Of course, the butter and jam we spread on them probably didn't hurt. Grapefruit was a little harder to introduce because neither mom nor dad like it. We've always tried very hard to "be grownups" about food and resist making faces and saying things like "eww!!" when there is food that one of us doesn't care for. Usually at least one of us likes any particular food so there is someone to introduce it in a positive way. Well, Silly loves sour things. The kid will suck on lemons if we let her. So the logical conclusion is that she would probably enjoy grapefruit, but neither of us could stomach the first "Look how good it is!" bite. Finally my husband took the plunge and sliced one open this morning. He made such a big production out of slicing it in half and putting one half in her kiddie snack cup, then sprinkling it with a little sucanat, that she never noticed no one else actually took a bite. She only ate a few bites herself but she sucked a bunch of the juice out, and the overall verdict was: Success. I guess we'll be serving more grapefruit around here!

Lunch was on the road - literally. We sat on the side of the road and ate delicious falafel sandwiches while out wandering around our neighborhood. Everyone enjoyed it, but I forgot to take a picture. Which brings me to a question for you, my non-existent readers. I almost always photograph food I prepare at home. That's just habit and I started this blog to have a place to post those pictures. But what about when we're eating out? Should I still photograph the meal? I'll put it to a vote. See the side bar for the poll.

Everything else was pretty standard fare. The babyfood turned out great. I wasn't super happy with the oatmeal banana puree I made the other day. Valentine enjoyed it, but the servings I put in the fridge gelled up and I had to add water to smooth it. Also, it turned brown because of the bananas. So back to the veggies for a while. Maybe banana is best served fresh anyway.

Tomorrow is Father's Day and we've got lots of activities scheduled, so there will be many meals on the go. But holiday or not, there is no escaping the Sunday night meal planning and grocery shopping. Have a great day all you dad's out there. I'll be back in the evening with our regularly scheduled Broadcast!

Cook's Day Off!

Breakfast: Yummy Diner Food: Eggs, Pancakes, and Strawberries.

Snack for Silly: Oranges

Lunch for Silly: Vegetarian Hot Dogs, Dubliner Cheese Cubes, and Cherry Tomatoes. Grapes, Pretezels and Chickpea Hummus on the side (not all pictured).

Dinner: Pizza Delivery! Cheese with Black Olives, and Caesar Salad on the side.

We did very little cooking today. In fact, unless you consider chopping a hotdog to be cooking, we did none. It's been a long week with my husband out of town and when Silly and Valentine woke up this morning it was obvious we needed a treat. So off to the diner down the street for some yummy pancakes. Lunch was on the go today. We joined some friends for a hiking/playground adventure, and ate our picnic lunch before we headed out. This evening was our regular Pizza Friday, and even though we just made homemade pizza last night, it still sounded good to everyone. There was very little snacking today. Silly worked on her lunch all afternoon, so all and all, it was an easy day for the cook! 

Pasta, Pesto, & Peas

Breakfast: Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins and Scrambled Eggs.

Snack for Silly: Raisons, Almonds, & Annie's Cheddar Bunnies.

Lunch: Pasta, Pesto, Peas, & Chicken.

Dinner: Homemade Pizza. Silly's topped with Olives, Mushrooms, Onions, Potatoes, & Cherry Tomatoes.

You've gotta love a dinner that is as much fun to make as it is to eat. Tonight's dinner was a full on "activity". We bought raw dough that Silly rolled out and put onto individual pizza pans. Then she slapped on some sauce and proceeded to decorate her own. Her's is the one pictured above. I let her put anything she wanted on it except pickles. Perhaps I should have let her... It was so much fun and not nearly as messy as I expected.

Breakfast was yummy too. Banana muffins with a last minute addition of chocolate chunks. I put exactly three atop each muffin, so things wouldn't get out of hand. Both snacks were on the go today, and I only got a picture of our morning snack. Afternoon snack was another muffin left over from breakfast that we shared with our playdate.

After a long day of taking care of a toddler and infant, the idea of launching another big messy activity can seem down right crazy, but I find if I take the leap, it almost always make the evening go quicker and keeps everyone's mood in check (read: Silly's mood).

See you tomorrow blog world!

Florentine Pasta Salad

Breakfast: Mango, Peach, & Passion Cereal by Peace. Fresh Pear on the side (not pictured).

Snack for Silly: Pretzels, Almonds, Raisons, and Banana Chips.

Lunch: Tofurkey & Dubliner Cheese Sandwich on Tortillas. Cucumber and Cherry Tomatoes on the side.

Snack for Silly: Dubliner Cheese on Multigrain Crackers, and Fresh Avocado.

Dinner: Lemon Chicken Breasts and Florentine Pasta Salad.

We started off weak but finished with a bang! Feeling lazy this morning, so out came the cereal. It's always very tempting to simply pour a bowl of cereal in lieu of making a good balanced breakfast, and sometimes I give in. Even these nicer cereals seem to be a big bowl of sugar and carbs. I always serve some fresh fruit, but it's still not the best way for us to start the day. Silly is always hungry for her morning snack early when we have cereal.

The plan was to have regular old sandwiches for lunch, but turns out we were out of sandwich bread and had just enough tortillas for "tofurkey quesadillas" as Silly kept calling them. They weren't heating up or anything, but they were more fun than regular bread.

Dinner was an experiment. While my husband is out of town I thought I'd try cooking some chicken. Turns out I don't really know what I'm doing. I followed an Ina Garter recipe but I over cooked the chicken a bit. I kept convincing myself I was seeing pink when I cut into them, but no, they were actually overcooked. They were still tasty though. Anyone have some tips for checking if meat is cooked without having to simply eyeball it? Is this what a "Meat Thermometer" is for?? The Florentine pasta was much more successful. It's a dish inspired by one in an old Better Homes and Gardens 'pasta' cookbook I have. Basically you cook some pasta (I used spinach linguine) then toss it with fresh tomatoes, fresh julienned spinach, some lemon juice, garlic, red onions and a scoop of pesto. I served it at room temperature. Silly enjoyed both components of this dish, despite the overcooked chicken, so I'm calling it a success. It sure is pretty, isn't it?

Gnocchi

Breakfast: Rolled Oatmeal with Maple Syrup, Apples, and Chopped Walnuts.

Snack for Silly: Strawberry Yogurt and Banana Slices.

Lunch: Organic Brown Rice, Mixed Vegetables, and Black Beans, topped with Balsamic Vinegar and Sour Cream.

Dinner: Potato Gnocchi, Mushrooms, and Peas in a Cream Butter Sage Sauce.

Babyfood: Oatmeal & Banana Puree.

The Gnocchi isn't homemade, but the delicious Cream sauce it's coated in is. It's a simple "Mushroom Cream Sauce" recipe that I pulled from the Food Network website. It worked perfectly and I happen to have purple sage growing in our garden. I threw in the peas for color mostly, but they are also the 'vegetable' of the meal. Silly was delighted to finally try Gnocchi like we have been making with PlayDough, but I think she was slightly disappointed it wasn't pink or purple.

Lunch was an old stand by. I keep organic rice and organic mixed veggies in the freezer at all times, and there are always a few cans of organic beans in the pantry. In about 5 minutes I can warm up each of these components and mix them up for a pretty healthy meal. A little balsamic vinegar and a dollop of sour cream and we had a delicious lunch.

Valentine continues to love the purees I'm making him, but he has his sights set on our food. He never takes his eyes off my plate and if he thinks he has a shot he'll reach out for a handful. Soon, blended veggies aren't going to cut it anymore. Hopefully not too soon - he's still so young!

Pumpernickle Pretzels

Breakfast: Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls, Vegetarian Sausage Links, and Grapes.

Snack for Silly: Pumpernickel Pretzel Sticks, Sugar Snap Peas, Carrots, and Chickpea Hummus.  

Lunch: Sunflower Seed Butter and Strawberry Jam Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread. Cucumber marinated in Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper. 

Dinner: Vegetarian Tacos, with Vegetarian Ground Meat, Chopped Tomatoes, Sour Cream, Shredded Cheddar Cheese and Avocado, on a Crispy Corn Shell. 

Today was the first full day of my husband's business trip, so I was pleased that we didn't end up at Taco Bell tonight! Both Silly and Valentine were very patient with me today as I prepared (and photographed) their meals.

Deviating from the plan already, I made Valentine pureed Green Beans today. It was a last minute addition to the grocery list last night and I'm glad I did it. Valentine gobbled it up. I didn't mix them with anything - just pure green beans. Oh, and he enjoyed gumming a pumpernickel pretzel stick at snack time too! And may I take a second to sound like an advertisement? I really and truly love my Beabe Babycook. I didn't pop for one when Silly was a baby because it seemed unnecessary. But can I just tell you how great it is?! I can steam and puree a single carrot if I want, with minimal dishes and in no time at all. If I get distracted in the middle of the short process, I can simply put the whole mixer container in the fridge and finish it up later. It has made preparing homemade baby food so easy. And for the record, Beaba Babybook has no idea who I am and certainly didn't ask me to review their product. In fact, I bought mine used off of Craigslist for $35. Ebay always has good deals on them too if you're looking for one.

The blueberry cinnamon rolls were so great. I came across that idea on Pinterest. All you do is plug a few blueberries into regular, ready-to-bake cinnamon rolls. I have a huge bag of frozen blueberries in the freezer, so I just grabbed a handful of those and voila! I also warmed about 1/3 a cup of them and mixed it with the frosting to get a nice dark purple glaze full of blueberries. The picture above doesn't do this dish justice. Everyone was in the clean plate club this morning.

See you all tomorrow! Happy eating!

Planning Day!

Is Sunday here already?? Last week went well. We had a lot of regulars, but we also tried a new dish: Ratatouille. This week I will use my new kitchen gadget to make scalloped potatoes! Also, a few days ago I introduced Silly to Gnocchi by way of play-dough, so we'll be cooking up the real thing this week so she can try it. Alright, let's get going!

Monday
Breakfast: Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls, Vegetarian Sausage, and Fresh Fruit.
Lunch: Almond Butter & Jam Sandwich, and a Cucumber & Tomato Salad. 
Dinner: Vegetarian Tacos with Spanish Rice on the side.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Pears and Walnuts.
Lunch: Vegetable & Bean Rice Bowl, with Sour Cream and Balsamic Vinegar.  
Dinner: Gnocchi & Sweet Peas in a Mushroom Cream Sauce.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Poached Eggs on Buttered Toast, and Fresh Fruit.  
Lunch:  Tofurkey & Cheese Sandwiches, Pickles on the side. 
Dinner: Florentine Pasta Salad and Roasted Chicken Breast.

Thursday
Breakfast: Pumpkin Muffins, Scrambled Eggs, and Fresh Fruit.  
Lunch: Broccoli & Chicken Pasta Salad.  
Dinner: Individual Pizzas and Caesar Salad.

Friday
Breakfast: Blueberry Gluten Free Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, and Fresh Fruit.
Lunch: Grilled Brie Sandwiches and Spinach Salad. 
Dinner: Roasted Chicken Breast, Scalloped Potatoes, and Yellow Squash.  

Snacks:
Yogurt & Applesauce
Hummus & Veggies
Graham Crackers with Almond Butter & Fruit
Corn Chips with Hummus & Salsa
Cheese, Walnuts & Fruit

Babyfood:
Yellow Squash/Carrot
Oatmeal/Pear
Spinach/Oatmeal/Carrot


A small, perhaps obvious note about these Sunday night menus: they change. Meals get moved around the week, eliminated in favor of take out, and so on. As the week unfolds and the pictures turn up, we will see how closely we stick to 'the plan'!