Toast with cream cheese and smashed fresh raspberries!

Today, Clark had some coconut water with guava as his morning drink ! He loved it!! If you haven't tried it, go give it a whirl.... its quite refreshing!

I am trying to find other breakfast alternatives for the chunk. On Fridays we have swim, so I try to make something very easy but filling since we have to rush around a bit.
While looking through "The baby & toddler cookbook" from Williams and Sonoma, I found a recipe for Almond butter and banana bites. I decided to use cream cheese and raspberries instead. I am leary of using almond butter at this stage.
Below are the simple ingredients that are used: 

Ingredients

To start, I took one deli flat (whole wheat) and lightly toasted
Let the deli flat cool before putting cream cheese on. I lightly spread the cream cheese - Clark does not like it too thick.

Whole wheat deli flat with cream cheese

In a bowl, I took fresh raspberries and smashed them with a fork.

Smashed raspberries

Place raspberries on the cream cheese and enjoy!!!

yummy whole wheat toast, cream cheese and fresh raspberries! 

Mission Sippy cup!

I have decided to start having Clark use a sippy cup. This has been a challenge! We have had several recommendations of different types of sippys! 

Clark has tried, toss and take, safe sippy 2 , playtex sippy (no handles), Nuk (waterbottle type), Tommee Tippee (with handles)  and the Klean Kanteen.

I have found that the safe sippy 2 works great with water! I honestly haven't tried milk in it yet.

Safe Sippy 2

Toss and take works great while sitting at the table. It leaks like crazy but he can manipulate it with ease. 

Toss and Take sippy

Klean kanteen water bottle

Clark uses the playtex sippy like a pro! It works well in the car and does not leak:) Although, when he has messy hands, the cup slips all over the place. 

I think over the course of the next several weeks Clark will find the one that works best for him! 

Breakfast with the chunk:)

Clark is teething (3 coming down at the same time!)  and has had another change in his formula. He is now on cow's milk! With all the changes his sleep schedule has been a bit off. On typical days he rises about 6:45 and has a bottle of milk. About 9:00- 9:30 we sit together and have our breakfast. I have been doing a new chant with him from the Waldorf education philosophy before we eat breakfast. Clark seems to enjoy the chant:) 

Good morning dear Earth
Good morning dear Sun
Good morning dear stones,
And the flowers every one.
Good morning dear beasts
And the birds in the trees
Good morning to you
And good morning to me. 

Once we say our chant we begin having breakfast. Today we had a simple breakfast of blueberry yogurt- I used stonyfield farms french vanilla yogurt  and smashed blueberries!  Clark really enjoys blueberries and was so happy to have them again for breakfast today! 

I gave Clark a cinnamon rice cake with his yogurt!  This was his first taste of rice cakes.  I think the cinnamon flavor was a bit too much for Clark... it seemed like it was too over powering. I think the next time I will try a plain rice cake.

Tasty scrambled eggs with cheese and tomato

Once I made the whole wheat chocolate chip banana bread, I had two egg yolks left over. I hate throwing out any food, so I decided to make a quick scrambled egg for Clark. 

With the two yolks I added shredded cheese, diced tomato and a splash of milk

Cook over medium heat. 

Allow the eggs and tomato to cool before serving!

Clark's breakfast! Complete with deli flat toast with a sprinkle of cinnamon, strawberries, honeydew melon, and raspberries!

Wholewheat Chocolate Chip Banana bread

On today's menu, I made wholewheat chocolate chip banana bread. Clark has been enjoying bananas for months and loves to have a little treat after dinner. I believe that it is just fine to have a little treat after having a substantial  meal.

This recipe was quite easy and took no time to pop in the oven. The ingredients that I used were :

Ingredients! 

 

Measurements: 

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup canola oil

2 egg whites

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 large)

¼ cup fat-free milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup of chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 8×4-inch or 9×5-inch loaf pan with shortening, or spray with cooking spray. 

In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon

Next, in large bowl mix sugar, oil, egg whites, bananas, milk and vanilla with spoon until well blended.

Stir in flour mixture until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

 Spoon into pan 

Bake 8-inch loaf 55 to 62 minutes, 9-inch loaf 45 to 52 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour, before slicing.

(Because this recipe called for egg whites, I saved the egg yolks and make a simple scrambled egg that Clark and I are enjoying for breakfast! )

Mothering our lively sons!

Mothering Our Lively Sons!

This post has little to do with a recipe, food preparation or the ease of making a two in one meal. This post is about my son and all of his quirkiness. 

I was recently observing my son in a very chaotic environment known as the Rainforest Cafe.  The lights were blinking, calypso music was blaring, and animals were making noises. My son was bouncing up and down having the time of his life. He was looking  around, taking in his environment and enjoying  life. I thought surely when he was bouncing around in his highchair, that people may think there was something wrong with him...adhd came to the forefront of my mind. I am a teacher so I feel sometimes I am hypercritical of Clark. (This is the devil/angel on my shoulders that I have to deal with on a daily basis now that I have had a child.)

But then I looked around and  saw children holding their ears, screaming/ shouting/ crying and looking like deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.  

In a flash of a second I realized that my son was a 10 month old baby.. enjoying the world around him, swaying to the music, and had the ability to enjoy the chaos.

My son loves being outside-crawling around on the lawn picking up bugs, seeing the motion of cars and trucks,  watches trees swaying on a cool spring night, observes how his toys work,and loves with all the love in his little chunk heart.

I saw this quote from an online conference and thought this blurb summed up just how I feel about raising a little boy! "Mothering a boy can be exhilarating and exhausting! Understanding the role of biology, testosterone, and environmental stresses means you can help him be his best. Effective language, practical activities and developmental insight can deepen your connection to the boy in your life."

My son might be exhausting at times, but he is showing me how to enjoy life through all of his quirkiness. I may not understand why he wants to bounce on his tip toes, why he likes to throw his bottle, or even why he loves to pull at his right ear. But what I do know is  my life is better because of him. So here is to Clark, the little boy who has my heart, that makes me want to play in the mud, dance in the rain, jump on my tip toes, and even ocassionally makes me splash in the pool. 

Strawberry, Raspberry French Vanilla Yogurt!

I have started giving Clark fruit again. Today we had Strawberry, raspberry french vanilla yogurt for breakfast.  On Fridays, I try to do a filling yet simple breakfast, since we have swimming lessons.

Fresh strawberries and raspberries

To start, I washed several strawberries and a few raspberries. Drain and cut into bite size pieces. Make sure you cut the pieces appropriately so that your child can chew it with success.


I use Stonyfield farms french vanilla yogurt, which tastes excellent. Clark loves it!  Take the cut up fruit and place in bowl of yogurt!

Strawberry,Raspberry french vanilla yogurt with a homemade blueberry muffin!

Clark's breakfast and Mama's breakfast!

 

Cinnamon Sugar Toast!

Clark has been thoroughly enjoying having toast. Today we are trying Cinnamon sugar sprinkled on rye bread. On the side we have Stonyfield Farms French Vanilla yogurt with a scoop of homemade Strawberry jam.

 These are the ingredients I used for the cinnamon sugar:

To start, take a small bowl and add about 1/2 cup of sugar and sprinkle in cinnamon. I decided to make a bigger "batch" so that I can easily access it in the future. If you want to just make a smaller portion then use your discretion when measuring. Once you have the sugar and cinnamon in the bowl mix thoroughly with a fork. 

Sugar and cinnamon mixture

 Next, place the toast in the toaster. Toast it so that it light brown in color. Spread a very thin layer of butter or margarine on the bread. Next I cut off the crust and cut the piece into halves.Sprinkle on cinnamon sugar!

Rye bread; toasted and topped with butter and cinnamon sugar

Viola! A simple, easy to make breakfast that you and your babe can enjoy! On the side I mixed yogurt with some homemade  Strawberry Jam. Clark really enjoyed the taste and texture!

French Vanilla yogurt with homemade strawberry jam

Clark's complete breakfast!

A little piece of childhood relived

Today was a great day to bring Clark to a park/ splash area that I use to go to as a kid. Years ago the water area was a "giant" circle with a whale in the middle.

Clark checking out the sprinklers shooting up from the ground!

Now the area is very well developed. It still has water.. however there are huge rocks all over, water spraying out of sprinklers that move every few minutes. Clark got sprayed in the face so he was a little fussy after that!

The park area was a great! A nice area for children Clark's age with swings, sand box, and slides.
For older children there was a another huge climbing structure to play on.

There is also ample picnic tables under a great gazebo like structure. Clark and I enjoyed a little snack in the shade.

Clark having a yummy snack and some milk!

The only thing I wish there was more of, was grassy area located inside the playground/ water area. While there was some but not enough to spread a blanket out.

Easy Vegetable Summer Salad

Clark has been restricted to only vegetables, protein, and starches for a week. He has had some tummy troubles and the doctor reassures me that cutting out fruits for the week might help his belly feel a bit better. I realized when preparing his meals today that fruit is a big portion of his daily intake.
I decided to make a vegetable summer salad for all to enjoy. I already know that Clark likes summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers and corn on the cob. I used those three ingredients to make this easy summer salad.

Here are the ingredients that are used in the recipe!

To start wash and cut zucchini and summer squash into medallions.
Place them into a pan with about 1/2 cup of water. I cooked the vegetable for about 15 minutes. I like them to be a bit crunchy not too soggy. Once they were done I placed them into a bowl.

Zucchini

Summer squash

 Next cut your tomato and cucumbers and place them in the same bowl.

Tomatoes

For the corn on the cob, I place the corn, husk and all in the microwave for 3 minutes
******The corn will be extremely HOT! Use an oven mitt!*******
When it comes out, peel off the husk and hold small tip up, and cut with a sharp knife down the cob. This will help the corn come off the cob.

Place the corn into the same bowl that is housing all of the other ingredients.
To have some flavor, I use Italian dressing... Two squirts around the bowl and mix! 
I have added cheese to this cheddar cheese to this dish. But other times I have added feta cheese.

Viola! An easy vegetable summer salad that you and the babe can enjoy!  Make sure you cut the vegetables smaller for your little one to enjoy!

Garden Salad topped with garlic couscous, grilled vegetables and chili lemon salmon!

Are you loving this weather? I love this weather but I could use a little less humidity:) The great thing about this weather is the fact that you can start grilling again! I have a little counter top grill from Cusinart. We have had it since Ithaca and I don't know what I would do without it.

Grilled Salmon

Last night I decided to make Grilled Salmon that was rubbed with chilis, lemon and lots of seasonings. I put on the grill for about 15 minutes. Salmon doesn't take too long to cook, so this is a quick and easy meal:)

Vegetables topped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar waiting to go on the grill!

Before making the salmon I made grilled vegetables, which consisted of summer squash, zucchini, and eggplant. I tossed the vegetables in extra virgin olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. I placed them on the grilled and let them stay for about 15-20 minutes. You can also place them in the oven prior to grilling.

Couscous

In another pan I made a package of Near East Garlic Couscous. To make this you boil water, olive oil and the seasoning package in a pan. Once boiled you add the couscous . Let it stand for 5 minutes while fluffing with a fork.

Garden salad topped with garlic couscous, vegetables and grilled salmon!

Make a simple garden salad, add whatever veggies and things you would like. I added cucumbers, tomato, sharp cheddar chunks of cheese, croutons, cranberries and toasted almonds .
This meal was delicious! 
Clark ate some cucumbers, cheese, couscous, and tried a few flakes of salmon! He loved dinner :)