The Big Fat Fall Post

Fall used to be my favorite season.  And then the realization hit me that fall is too quickly proceeded by Winter, which (living in the arctic circle as I do) is my least favorite season.  So now I greet fall with the happiness that wearing boots and scarves, drinking apple cider and eating pumpkin spice hershey kisses brings, but with the apprehension of knowing that cold and dark and ice is coming soon.

Our fall so far:

Labor Day
Does Labor Day count as Fall?  I'm going to count it because a) it's the unofficial end of summer holiday and b) I haven't posted our pictures yet so this is as good a post as any to throw them in, right?  Although it definitely didn't feel like Fall because it was hot, hot, hot!

Per our usual routine, we went to our local town's Labor Day celebration.  They have a great kids area, with a dozen bouncy houses and activities for the entire family.  I had to work Saturday and Sunday but took Monday off and spent a much needed day with the family.
Last year we watched the pony rides but this year, we hoisted Barrett up onto the pony for his first ride. Without hesitation, he held on, even pushing Tim away at one point so he could do it himself.  Such a big boy. 

Little boy with hot pink cheeks.  It was so hot, especially after jumping your heart out in a few bouncy houses. 

 Little Audrey slept most of the time. It was very hot holding her, but she slept great. 

Apple Picking

We made our annual trek to a pick-your-own apple orchard and had a blast.  This was our 4th time going here and it's funny to think that the first we were childless (and carefree. and wrinkle free. and bags-under-the-eyes free), the second I was wearing Barrett, last year I was pregnant with Audrey and this time I'm wearing her.  Pardon me while I get all weepy about how fast time is flying.

Okay, I'm back.

So we had a gorgeous September day to hit the apple orchard.   I was a little nervous about going because this place gets crowded and due to the early spring followed by a freeze and the super dry summer, the trees struggled this year.  But I think we got there early enough in the season and in the day that the trees still had some apples. 

Before we made our way to the orchards, we had to stop for a gratuitous photo op with the two cutest pumpkins in the patch.

(Please disregard Barrett's sock & sandal combination.  He's a two year old boy with strong opinions on footwear.) 

Showing off his picks

After the apple-picking, we went inside for some apple cider and apple cider doughnuts.

The orchard had other kids activities and so we boarded Barrett onto the Apple Train.  I'm not sure how he felt about it, since he was alone, but he hung in there without complaint.  Maybe next year he'll enjoy it more.

Baking
I have a new little helper in the kitchen these days.  Barrett loves helping me out.
So far this fall, we made some delicious seasonal recipes.

One was this Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage.   I make it once each fall and we gobble it up.  It's not necessarily my favorite meal to prepare, but it tastes really good to eat so is worth it.

Another fall recipe I die over is Pumpkin Pancakes.   I could eat these every day.  I like to spread butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and forgo syrup.  But is there really a bad way to eat pumpkin pancakes?  The kids devoured these (I think Barrett may have had three) so I definitely need to make these again before the end of fall.

photo from Allrecipes.com

But our favorite recipe this year just may be these Pumpkin Spice Cookies.

They are made with Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses.  If there was any way of making these bite-sized pieces of heaven even better, it's to add them to the top of a spice cookie.

I think Barrett agrees

Smelling the deliciousness

waiting patiently until I give him the green light

Yummy!

 He was definitely my little helper on this endeavor, which we did on Columbus Day while Audrey napped.  He loves to smell all the ingredients, pour them into the bowl, and stir.  Evidence of his stirring is seen in flour dusting on his chin in the photos.  He kneels on the stool next to me on the island and waits for his turn to "help."

Pumpkin Spice Cookies
(I can't remember where I got this recipe)
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2-3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 package Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap Hershey Kisses and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.
3.  Add vanilla and eggs and beat until light and fluffy.
4.  In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Gradually add to butter mixture. Mix until just combined.
6. Place rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on a parchment lined or sprayed cookie sheet.
7. Bake 7 to 9 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a Hershey Kiss into the center of the cookie. Move to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Run, don't walk, to the kitchen to make these.  They are awesome.  Seriously.  I have a few uncooked in my freezer and it's taken all my willpower to not eat them all immediately.

Life Lately

Another whirlwind week come and gone.  I seriously stopped in my tracks this morning at the realization that it was already the end of September.  Crazy! 

Our lives have been even more hectic than usual lately it seems. 
Last Monday: appointment with Audrey's ENT to have her tubes checked.  All is good.
Last Tuesday:  appointment with all 4 of the therapists that evaluated Audrey and the coordinator and discussion of the next steps.
Last Wednesday:  appointment with Audrey's pediatrician for her 9 month wellness visit (oops - she was 9 1/2 months+ for this appointment).  Both kids got flu shots and Audrey got another shot. 

Tim was out of town all weekend last weekend so it was just me and the kids.  Somehow we managed to stay busy the entire weekend though, between a haircut for Barrett, grocery shopping, making a few freezer meals (Chicken Chili and  Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili) and a lovely visit from my wonderful friend Jen.  It'll be Tim's turn this weekend when I have to work all weekend. 

This week Audrey came down with something and was home for two days from daycare so Tim and I each had to take a day off to stay home with her.  Poor little thing just looked so pitiful, glassy-eyed and hot and just wanted to be held all day.  Holding her was like holding a lightbulb, she was so hot.  Fortunately she is doing a lot better today, but still not her normal active and happy self.

Work has also been busy since I'm still interviewing applicants for an open position in my department.  It's been really hard to find qualified applicants, believe it or not.  Whomever the recession has been hitting either isn't in my field or in my area!

We had some good meals this week too so wanted to share the recipes.

Slow Cooker French dip -  so easy and delicious.  With only a few ingredients (beef, beef broth, french onion soup and beer) really can't be beat.  Tim claims it's near the top of his list of favorite meals now.

Carnitas - we poured this packaged sauce on a pork roast and simmered in the slow cooker all day.  I try to avoid packaged stuff for both the mystery ingredients and the cost, but it was very flavorful and easy.  We served on corn tortillas with sliced avocado and tomatoes.  This is probably the last of the garden's tomatoes, as it's turning really cold here some days!

One great development in the last few weeks is that now Audrey is eating table food with us!  It's so nice to be able to serve her what we make for ourselves and she's actually a much easier and less picky eater than someone else under 3 feet tall who shall not be named but has the ability to make some mealtimes a nightmare.  Some nights little Audrey devours her food and just eats and eats, even picking food off her bib after we've taken her tray off the chair.  It's so wonderful to see her eating so well and I can only hope the scale will show this when we weigh her again in a few weeks. 

Monday - I made bbq pulled pork in the slow cooker. 
The recipe is:
2 1/2-3 lb pork roast
1 can diet Dr. Pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dry ground mustard
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
bbq sauce
whole wheat hamburger buns

Night before prep:  I pretty much prepare everything the night before.  I trim the pork, chop the onions, and throw the onions, garlic, and pork seasoned with the ground mustard into the slow cooker and place in the fridge.  The next morning I add the soda, vinegar and worcestershire sauce to the cooker and cook on low all day.  When I get home, I shred the pork with a fork and pour bbq sauce on top (we really like Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet 'n Spicy).  Put onto buns and serve - delicious!  We had this with green beans.  Barrett did not eat this.


Tuesday - The pork makes plenty of meat so there's enough for several meals - score!  Tim had pulled pork sandwiches again but I decided to mix it up and make a salad.  I pulled some greens from the garden, chopped up red pepper, sliced red onion and hard boiled egg and poured bbq chicken on top with some lite ranch dressing.  Barrett ate a hardboiled egg with some ranch dressing on it but refused the bbq pork again.

Wednesday - Linguine with Sun-Dried Tomatoes. 

photo from linked website

So good.  We used fresh basil from the garden and it was a nice use of the huge bag of pine nuts and huge jar of sundried tomatoes that we bought at Costco a while ago. It did require some day-of prep, with roasting the pine nuts and garlic and slicing the sundried tomatoes.  I probably could have done this the night before to eliminate some of the work to make it. Even B ate this and said "yummy in the tummy."  I made a little extra so have it for lunch on Thursday too - even though we were both eying the extra that night! 

Thursday - Crockpot Rotisserie-Style Chicken.  I had bought a whole chicken a few months ago when it was on super-sale at the grocery store and it's been taking up space in my freezer for far too long.  So I decided to get that bird out of the freezer and into our bellies! 
I did as much prep as I could the night before - preparing the seasoning and cutting the fat and skin off the bird.  I suppose that part isn't necessary but I prefer a skinless bird  and would rather take the time to trim it.  This did take a while and was pretty disgusting. 
Total fail too, in that the bird wasn't completely frozen so I had to thaw it overnight in the fridge to finish thawing the inside and had to clean it out, stuff it with some onion and garlic chunks on Thursday morning.  I hate dealing with dinner in the mornings so I wish I could have avoided this with better planning.  But it'll hopefully be worth it to have dinner ready when we get home tonight.  I'll serve it up with a side of veggies.

photo from www.crockpot365.blogspot.com

 Friday - I am sure we'll have a lot of chicken leftover from Thursday so will be able to make something with this for Friday night's dinner - maybe some pasta with chicken or something.  And then I possibly can make chicken salad for Saturday's lunch as well, if there's still enough left.  

As a sidenote - Sunday I made sweet potatoes in the slow cooker (boy, I could really be an ad for the slow cooker this week apparently!)  I just poked them with a fork and threw them in with a splash of water and cooked on low for about 5 hours, turned up to high for the final hour to finish them off.  We ended up eating them like this and then I pureed the rest for Audrey.  (And believe it or not, she is actually eating them!)  This was my first time making these in the slow cooker and I plan to do it a lot more!  They were delicious and simple.  I haven't used the programmable option on my slow cooker yet but will definitely use it for these. 

Working Mom Meals

One of the absolute most challenging parts of my day is when I get home from work.  Not only do I have to make three trips in from the car to bring in 2 children, a pump, a laptop bag, a lunch bag, an insulated bag with bottles, a purse, and a cooler, in heels no less, but then it only gets crazier when I get inside.  That's when the real fun begins.

Dinner.

That dreaded word send chills up my spine.

It's a constant stress to figure out what to make for dinner and how to find the time to make it.  Basically, I have zero prep time. I don't get home until 6 at the absolute earliest and dinner needs to be on the table within 15 minutes or so.  Tim gets home after me most days since he commutes from downtown, so it's all on me to figure out what to make.  I try to do as much as I can the night before, but I hardly have the time or energy the previous night either.  Kids go to bed between 8-8:30 and I only have 30 minutes to wash dishes and bottles, make my lunch for the next day and prep bottles for tomorrow. 

I hope to make a regular post each week with my meal plan and recipes.  This will hopefully not only force me to meal plan each Sunday for the week, but then I can also share any quick and easy dinner ideas that I have for those of you in the same boat.  There's nothing better than sharing recipes, since I know so many of us have the same dinner stress. And I welcome any dinner ideas you have to share!

Here's this week's meal plan:

Sunday:  Tacos.  We can really only do these on the weekend because of the work of browning the beef and cutting the veggies.  And of course Barrett didn't eat anything except some cheese and taco shell.

Monday:  Chicken Chili.  This recipe is awesome.  Both Tim and I were skeptical of the combination the first time I made it, but it's become on of our favorite soups.  I made a huge batch of this right before I came back to work and froze.  Now I just have to thaw and heat on the stove, serve with bread and voila, dinner is served.  With the beans, chicken, and veggies, it's healthy too. 

Tuesday: Ham and Cheese Sandwiches.  Again, another freezer meal.  I made a batch of these with our extra Easter ham and froze.  I thawed overnight and will just need to pop into the oven after work for 15 minutes or so.  I will serve with a fruit salad on the side - which will probably be all that our picky Barrett will eat.

Wednesday:  Tim has an event after work, so I'll probably just feed Barrett a peanut butter sandwich or egg or something and eat a lean cuisine.

Thursday:  Crockpot Cranberry Pork Roast.  I made this once before and was very impressed so hopefully it'll be as good as I remember.  I have some Birds Eye steamfresh brown rice in the freezer I'll serve it over.

Friday:  Either leftovers from Thursday or take-out.

Reducing after-work stress + delicious dinners = a happier mom.

Easter

Happy happy Easter! My parents came to visit and we had a brief break in the torrential rain for the 2 day weekend, so that made the weekend even better. It was a very quick weekend, but nice of course.

Here are some pictures from Easter Sunday...

Barrett and the grandparents


Clearly it was bordering on naptime






The Easter bunny did pretty good this year. I think he hit up the Target dollar spot. The basket was loaded with bunny ears, bubbles, a fishing net, sidewalk chalk and empty plastic eggs. I He considered filling the eggs with treats like goldfish crackers or puffs but thought that would be a lot of work to wash and fill the eggs. What a lazy bunny!

B's favorite part of the Easter basket were the bubbles. He kept saying "bubbles, bubbles"




My favorite part of the Easter basket was the fishing net.


Our little Easter bunny!


He was so happy when we finally went outside to blow the bubbles.


And he cried when we stopped. I think he could have stood there all day.


Our delicious Easter meal - ham, scalloped potatoes, asparagus, rolls, and fruit salad.


I finally was able to use the china I'd bought at an antique store a few years ago. Perfect for spring! Of course I laugh that we bought it at an antique store when it's basically my parent's wedding china and what we grew up eating every holiday meal on. It's gorgeous - stark white with very pale blue flowers.


And a close up shot. Pretty, isn't it?


But what to do with all that leftover ham? Well, have I got the recipe for you. Here's a family favorite that we eat every Christmas with all the leftover ham. It is wonderful.

Ham & Cheese Sandwiches
1 cup butter, softened (can go a little lighter on this)
3 T poppyseeds
1 onion, grated
1 T worcestershire sauce
2 T mustard
2 packages of party rolls (I used Sara Lee)
cooked ham
slices of swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl stir together butter, poppyseeds, onion, w sauce, and mustard.
Arrange rolls on cookie sheet.
Slice rolls and spread butter mixture on bottom layer of rolls. Top with ham and cheese slices. Replace tops and spread butter mixture on top of rolls.
Bake 10-12 minutes, until rolls are browned and cheese is melted.

A great way to eat up leftover ham!

Baby food 2

I have made what will likely be the final round of baby food purees. We've started eating real food - toast, cheerios, cubes of fruit. So I think we're getting ready to transition to real solids. But in the meantime, I made a few purees to have on hand for dinner during the week. Here's what I made this weekend:

Trio of Root Vegetables
1 1/2 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1 1/4 cup potatoes, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup parsnips, peeled and chopped

Put the vegetables in a saucepan and just cover with boiling water. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until tender.
Blend to desired consistency.


Spinach, potato, parsnip and leek puree
2 T butter
1 1/2 cups leeks, white part only, sliced
1 1/2 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 cup boiling water
3 cups fresh or 1/3 cup frozen spinach
1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in saucepan, add the leeks and saute 2-3 minutes. Add the potatoes and parsnips, saute for 1 minute and cover with boiling water. Cover and simmer 12 minutes.
Add the fresh spinach leaves, if using, and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. If using frozen, cook separately, then drain the mix with potatoes, leeks and parsnips. Drain the vegetables.
Blend vegetables together with about 3 T of cooking liquid and cheese. Puree to desired consistency.

Chicken with Mashed Potato and Carrot
1 3/4 cups potato, peeled and shopped
1 1/2 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
3 oz chicken, cut into chunks
1 cup chicken broth (I used water)
2T butter
3 T milk

Put potato and carrot into saucepan, pour over some boiling water, then cover and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until veg are tender. Meanwhile, poach the chicken in the broth for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through.
Drain the carrots and potato and mash together with the butter and milk. Chop the chicken into small pieces and serve with mashed potato and carrot.

Chicken with Sweet Potato and Apple
1T butter
1/3 cup onion, chopped
4 oz chicken breast, chopped
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 cup chicken broth (I used water)

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and saute 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken and saute until it turns opaque. Add the apple, sweet potato, and broth. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Puree to desired consistency.

So there you have it! I can't give the verdict on any of these, since B hasn't tried them yet, but from the smells and the small tastes I took, they are delicious!

I was so nervous to start food at the beginning but it turned out to be kind of fun and really easy! I am nervous though to start the real finger food and still try to get him the healthy food he needs. It's tough, because we get home around 6pm and I try to get him dinner immediately. Defrosting from the freezer is a piece of cake. But trying to whip up real dinner is going to be much more challenging.

Making baby food

I have really enjoyed making baby food for Barrett. I got recipes from online and from books from the library. At the beginning, I made simple purees - butternut squash, carrots, apples, pears, etc. Most of this has already been eaten, except everything green. He refuses to eat anything green. No green beans, no broccoli, no peas. Even with mixing a tiny bit in with foods he does like - yeah, he's not fooled. If he tastes one bite of green in anything, he spits it out, refuses to eat any more bites, and gives you a look like "nice try. how dare you do that to me?"

Some of the best recipes I've tried so far:

Potato, carrot and corn
1 T unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup water
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels

Melt the butter in a pan and saute the onion for 1 minute. Add the carrots and saute for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, cover with the water and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the corn and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Puree in food processor.

Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Grapes
2 T onion, peeled and chopped
1 T olive oil
1/4 lb chicken breast fillets, cut into chunks
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 cup water
6 seedless grapes, peeled

Saute the onion in the olive oil. Add the chicken and saute for 3-4 minutes until browned. Add the sweet potato and pour the water on top.
Cover and simmer for about 12 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the grapes and puree in food processor until desired consistency.

First Chicken Casserole
1 T veg oil
3/4 cup carrots
2/3 cup leeks, washed and sliced
1/4 cup chicken breast fillets, cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup parsnips, peeled and chopped

Warm the oil in a pan, add the carrots and leeks, and saute until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the chicken and saute, turning occasionally, until browned.
Add the potatoes and parsnips and just cover with boiling water. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until everything is tender and cooked through. Blend to puree.

He is eating about 3 meals a day now. We started cheerios this past week, which I actually didn't think he would eat right away, but he loved them immediately. Must be a sign that he's ready for something with a little but more crunch!