Sunday Funday!

Sunday is one of the only full days our family has the opportunity to spend together. The step-daughter travels to her mother's home on Friday night-Sunday morning, while my husband works Saturday afternoons, which conflicts with my Monday through Friday schedule. All this being said, the 4 of us (baby Mirabelle included) try to do at least one activity together on Sunday, whether it be a walk, getting some ice cream, watching a movie, going out to breakfast, playing basketball, et cetera!

This previous Sunday my husband and I planned something pretty darn special. Friends of ours who live in Philadelphia own a studio, True Hand Society, and they were hosting a photographer who exclusively photographs his subject utilizing the tintype technique. Rick, Asa, and I were all super excited to enjoy this rare moment together and dress as traditional as possible, so to give off the air that we were born a century earlier. Unfortunately, Asa had a last minute summer-job obligation and had to forgo the trip. It was a real bummer, but in the end the experience was just as amazing, and I feel like the photographer truly captured our three person family, minus one, perfectly.

Because Asa was going to be excluded from the photo, I decided to make her a special breakfast of gluten free banana chocolate chip pancakes (she claims to enjoy the texture of gluten free cakes, pancakes, cookies, etc more than their wheat counterpart...who knew). She and my husband gobbled them into oblivion while I settled for an egg white omelette *yawn*

Later in the day, following our trip to Philadelphia, my husband and I knew that the baby was on her way to being irritable, especially because it was about 2 hours prior to bedtime...and anyone with children knows how that goes. So, we decided to go to one of our favorite little restaurants in our town, Bashful Banana. This place is perfect to take vegetarians and babies alike! All of their food items are made with fresh, mostly local ingredients. They don't smother their dishes in oil or unneeded creams/butter. Rick tends to opt for an appetizer or entree, while I stick to their now famous Banana Whip. A Banana Whip is a frozen banana that has been homogenized and turned into a custard like substance. It's only banana. Nothing else. Though I add their homemade whipped cream to my order. Oddly enough, I have the exact machine, but because this restaurant is not open all year, we like to get out and walk the boardwalk while also having the option for healthy, baby-friendly treat. And oh does Mirabelle love Banana Whips...

While Asa was working this past Sunday, and we couldn't spend it together, I still felt like it was a great end to the weekend :>

Gluten Free, Vegan Zucchini Cupcakes

My mother purchases fresh zucchini, tomatoes, and onions from whom she calls "the little old man down the street." Essentially, he's a rather small Italian man that has an equally small garden, which he tends with his tiny hands, and then sells his product out of a mini-garden stand. It's all very adorable, you see?

Anyway, my mother is his biggest customer and tends to over-purchase said zucchini, thus it ending up in my  home. Here's the catch: Rick (husband) and Asa (step-daughter) truly dislike zucchini, and while I dig it, I'm not a huge fan where I could consume mass amounts of the soft, semi-tasteless vegetable. Here's where the cupcakes come in: Operation Trick Spouse & Step-Daughter With Disguised Desserts.

It was a Sunday when I sort of lazily thought, why not just add zucchini to my already kinda awesome cupcake recipe and throw some cream cheese frosting on top? So, that's just what I did, and, it worked! *Applause*

Recipe Deets

Cupcakes
1 1/2 Gluten free flour
1 cup Shredded/chopped zicchini
1/2 tbsp Baking powder
Dash of cinnamon to taste
Dash of salt
1 Flax egg
2/3 cup Agave
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Set oven to 360°
- Combine all dry ingredients...stir
- Add all wet ingredients...stirrrrr
- Throw in a greased muffin pan and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until a toothpick pulls out clean, let cool on a wire rack before icing.

Icing
1/2 cup of Smart Balance butter or vegan butter of choice
6 ounces Tofutti cream cheese
2 cups confectioners sugar (eesh, right?)
2 tsp vanilla extract

- Blend until smooth and place in 'fridge until you're ready to apply to the cupcakes

Blam-o!

Smokey, Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Lately, my family has been on a sweet potato kick. Not only are they easy on the pocket, they're packed with Vitamin A and C, also some B's thrown in there for good measure, and a load of fiber - all around nutritious little sons of a...you get the idea.

This little recipe can be used as a snack, an appetizer, or as my family does it, with a fried egg making it a complete meal!

Recipe Deets

4 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and sliced into wedges)
dash of smoked paprika to taste
salt and pepper to taste
spray oil of choice

- Line a baking pan with tin foil and spray with cooking oil
- Heat oven to 425 degrees
- Spread your potato wedges on the pan, spray with oil, and sprinkle with seaosoning
- Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes until brown and crispy

Super good. Seriously.

First Foods: Apple Sauce

My 5 month old daughter is somewhat of a picky eater. Scratch that, she pretends she is a picky eater. Any new puree we introduce her to is met with a face of pure distaste and utter disgust, followed by an apparently uncontrollable tremor which erupts abruptly and travels throughout her body. It's suffice to say that she can be a tad bit dramatic.

In the beginning, oh about a month ago, I used to become quickly discouraged and sort of took her reaction as a fault of my own doing, as if I couldn't create for her the most amazing, tasty, stupendous baby puree on the planet! Two weeks pass, and I know the routine all too well. Drama-baby is always present on Day One of a new taste. Fine by me little Miss! I'm on to your tricks...

Now for the recipe! I ate hoards of apples during my pregnancy, one may say an entire apple grove was consumed over the course of 39 weeks, so what better homemade puree to create for my budding bambino than some applesauce??

Recipe Deets

5 apples of choice (peeled and cut, I used Golden Delicious)
1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
a dash of cinnamon
1 cup water

- Throw your diced apple into a medium pot with about 1/2 cup of water and lemon juice.
- Cover and allow to come to a boil
- Reduce heat to medium high and continue to stir every so often until tender
- Add your cinnamon
- Use a food processor or hand blender to puree until smooth - continue to add water until mixture is safe for babies!

Easy Peasy!

The Benefits of Sisters

Growing up with a twin sister is normal. Having a sibling the same age was never anything out of the ordinary, and good or bad, it was something I didn't delve on unless the lack of age gap was brought to my attention. Questions like, "Wasn't it great having a built in best friend?" Well, yes, I guess so. But I don't know the difference so I can't compare. "Didn't you hate having to share everything and always being compared to the other?" No, the sharing was fine, and the comparisons, while they bothered my mother, allowed Kira and I to fine tune our competitive natures and always strive to be on par or better than the other. Was this the best mentality to have? Who knows, once again I have nothing else to compare it to. We have a younger brother (by 6 years), so there wasn't much of a sibling attachment, nor was the age gap large enough to elicit any "motherly instincts" toward him. Poor Shane.

Enter my current nuclear family. I have a step-daughter who is 16 and a biological daughter who is 4 months. Asa (step-daughter) and Mirabelle have an age gap larger than the one shared with Asa and myself. This is where it gets interesting. Due to my age, and being very open toward Asa, we have a relationship akin to sisters rather than mother/daughter. She comes to me for advice, but also engages me in conversations that perhaps she would prefer not to approach her biological parents with. At times, our relationship is difficult, because I do need to step in as "the mother" because Asa lives with her father and I full-time, and she's still a kid, and kids need to have structure (blah blah blah), but it's a tough juxtaposition between friend-mom and step-mom. Even though I feel like I really muddle through my relationship with her at times, her perspective is completely different. My husband sees a young lady who loves and strives to do well in the eyes of their step-mom, while I see a step-mom continually struggling to keep the relationship balanced.

Jump to the relationship between Asa and Mirabelle. It is one that shows its benefits more and more each day! I have little patience for the antics of children, especially sibling arguing and any form of disrespectful behavior. Because of their vast age difference, Asa has taken on the role of "protective, supportive, and proud big sister." Mirabelle doesn't know it yet, but Asa is her biggest fan. Asa is an emotional little lady (something I can really learn a thing or two about), but the way she speaks about Mirabelle, she's admitted to not quite speaking the same way toward anyone else. Including her father! A few things Asa has exclaimed in the past few days: "I just can't take her face! Why is it so cute??" "She is a Gerber baby!" "I show all of my friends her picture!" "I'm going to teach her how to play the organ, bass, and how to sing" "I want to give her kisses everyday" "Mirabelle, I love you"

All of these things make me extremely happy. With siblings that are close in age, you have love, but it cannot be expressed the same way. Asa has had time to grow and understand what it is to truly care for and love another person unconditionally. She is able to verbalize her feelings and to understand what she is saying, and how much it means to those around her when she speaks the way she does. Mirabelle will grow to look up to her big sister in a way that most siblings who are close in age cannot fathom. While their relationship may wane a bit while Asa is in college, I am certain that Mirabelle has many years with her big sister to look forward to.

Finally, the look on Mirabelle's face when Asa enters her line of vision is one of complete wonder and the need to be close to this loving, redheaded girl.

Gluten Free Vegan Taco Bites

I adapted this recipe from Skinny Taste (which originally had little or nothing to do with taco flavoring or conception of any kind, but still super good!). A couple weekends ago my sister, husband, and I went to a friend's for a small get together. Kira and I enjoy bringing home made appetizers or baked goods because it gives us the opportunity to make something healthy and unique. I've always been a fan of sweet potatoes and their dominating flavor, which needs little added to it. I'm all for keeping things simple, because that will usually equal better for you! Everyone loved the finished product (even my mother), though the Husband made one suggestion: add sour cream and cheese...no Rick, this is a HEALTHY taco bite ;>

Yield Approximately 40 Bites

Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 package soy chorizo
2 avocados
cumin
smoked paprika
salt & pepper

- scrub and slice potato into little quarter shapes, about half a finger thick
- lay them on a non-stick baking sheet, and set oven to 350
- in a medium bowl mix together avocado and spices
- on the stove, cook one stick of chorizo until brown and crispy, then add to the avocado mix
- stick sweet potatoes in the oven and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until soft/browned
- once done, add about 1/2 a tbsp of avocado chorizo mix to the top of each sweet potato quarter
- top with sliced cherry tomato and serve immediately

yums!!

And We Are Back!

I took a long hiatus for numerous reasons. The main reason was...bleep...laziness! Eeeesh, welly whelp it happens, right? So, I've decided to return to the world of blogging because I wish to continue to document my little family's life and monumental moments, but without inundating other social media spheres with my photos, thoughts, and similar agendas. You know the deal. So here we are, spend some time, and perhaps we will all learn a few things along the way...well, at least I will!

My first post? Post-baby weight loss. Why? Do not tell me there exists a woman in the U.S. of A. that doesn't think in the back of her itty-bitty socially influenced lady-brain about getting her "pre-pregnancy" bod back. I don't care if you're the Dalai Lama of feminists, every woman that exists within this ridiculous conundrum we call society wants and yearns for familiarity after their long, arduous time being pregnant, going into labor, and finally delivering their little bambino; even if this consists of their former physical self. There, I said it, ladies want their forms back! Let us have that, we give EVERYTHING else to our small human productions, why not want for a some small semblance of normalcy? So, let us proceed.

The photo above is the last photo I took prior to going into labor. I'm 39 weeks and ready to explode. My SI joint, which was injured in a car accident the previous year, was in killer mode and had caused me to leave work a few weeks early. I limped around and prepared for the baby to arrive. Throughout the pregnancy I was very conscious what I ate and the amount in which it was consumed. I gained 25.6 pounds. Yes, very precise, but this mindset allowed me to gain within a healthy range, thus making it easier to lose after the infant was born. 

Let's skip ahead.

My little angel was born. After over 24 hours of labor Mirabelle Lake entered this world in 29 minutes. Super push! This bean weighed 8 lbs 10 ounces, which threw the midwife for a loop. They weighed her again to make sure the machine had given us the correct information. Yes, this large infant had come out of a 5'2 vegetarian lady! Much to the nurses and midwife's surprise. Women = strong, even if their favorite meal is baked tofu and peppers. 

While caring for this little honey bun I really needed to focus on what I was eating and drinking, and strengthening the muscles that went into hibernation the final few months of my pregnancy when I could barely use the elliptical without my heart racing well above a comfortable level. 

1. Introduce egg whites back into my daily diet. Meaning they would be breakfast and snacks in between meals. How snacks? I bake the whites in muffin tins. Yes bland. Yes filling. Yes satisfies my need to graze. Hrm...sometimes...damn you Goldfish.

2. Remove Goldfish from the home. I have COMPLETE control over eating all other forms of food, including ice cream, pizza, cookies, cakes, cupcakes, anything! But not Goldfish. I can consume bowls upon bowls until my stomach feels ill. So, goodbye Goldfish! 

3. No carbs for dinner unless in the form of squash. The end. 

4. Workout whenever I can. If Rick is off, I go to the gym or track. If he isn't off I do some minor tummy muscle strengthening exercises: planks, leg lifts, etc. I could truly do a lot more, and it would probably speed the process, but meh, I don't. 

These 4 little disciplines has allowed me to lose all of the pregnancy weight within 2 months. I'm not back to the form I wish to be. I have not hit my goal weight, nor has my body returned to its original shape. But I am confident that it will get there soon. Why? Because I'm a strong-willed individual that does not settle for anything less.