Eating Solids

I was very hesitant to start solids. For many reasons. One being gross diapers...another being that I love breastfeeding. I didn't want my milk supply to suffer. I didn't want to do extra work. I didn't want to give her the wrong thing. But as I got more and more comfortable doing it, it is actually pretty fun.

I read an awesome book, Super Baby Food. It is a pretty amazing book. This woman has really put together a BIG book. If you can get past her condescending tone, and the fact that she has no formal training, it's pretty awesome. I love the back...you can literally look up each food and it says how old she needs to be, how to cook it, store it, etc.

We started with rice cereal. Organic. My doctor said so, so that's what we did. I follow my doctor's instructions. Not everyone does this. I do.

Then, I started her on oatmeal, which she loved. It is important to introduce a new food every 4-5 days. And not with anything else...purely the new food. I always do it in the morning, just in case she has a reaction. Which she hasn't! (knock on wood) I chose organic foods and nothing processed. I want her to eat as healthy as possible. And if you have seen her you can tell she doesn't miss many meals. Okay, any meals.

I love giving her banana. It is so easy. You mash it, add a little water, and feed it to her. Sweet potatoes are easy, as are avacado. I prefer baking to microwaving, as the microwave can produce hot spots. I don't want to burn her. Duh. I have baked avocado and sweet potato.

I give her water after each meal. She loves it. She would drink water all day if I let her. I give her water from the fridge because it is filtered. I have given her non-filtered water, after I asked my doctor. It's not recommended to give a baby non-filtered...so I prefer giving her filtered, bottled or boiled (then cooled) water.

Barley is another great one. Cereal, oatmeal and barley are easy. You just pour some in a bowl and add water and stir. If there is something she is eating that she doesn't eat well, I might add some oatmeal to it to make her eat more. I want her to be as full as possible! Then she will sleep. :)

Tomorrow she will try mango. Then pears are next.

Thanksgiving...dun dun DUN

Haha, don't let the title fool you. Thanksgiving was fantastic! Ryan and I had so much fun cooking the turkey together. We didn't even argue. I am so thankful for my little family of three, and that I made an edible turkey! :) 

Here is the bird, stuffed with garlic, onion, lemon and a bunch of spices. 

Here is the mixture we soaked the cheesecloth in...

Ryan stirring the mixture....

 Lylah was so excited. Can you tell? (She loves her woombie!)

Soaking the cheesecloth...

 Putting the cheesecloth over the bird...

 Putting it in the oven....

 TA-DA!!!!!

Carving the bird!

Ahhh, success. It was so yummy! My family came to eat with us and they enjoyed it. It was a great day. Happy Thanksgiving!!

My first Thanksgiving....

So tomorrow I shall make my FIRST Thanksgiving turkey. 

I know, Lylah. Crazy, right? 

I found a recipe on The Chew. It's a cooking show on CBS that I used to make fun of, because I think that's a lame name. Anyway, in passing I saw they were doing turkey recipes, so I DVRed it, and lo and behold...there was an easy recipe using cheesecloth. It seems easy enough. You make a mixture of butter, chicken broth and a bunch of spices I had never bought before and then soak cheesecloth in the mixture. Then just cover the turkey in the cheesecloth while you roast it. So we'll see. Luckily my sides are all super easy and I am just doing brownies for dessert. I was going to make a pecan pie, but then I decided I don't care that much. I think my company will prefer the brownies :) 

IT'S TOMORROW!!!

It will be interesting to time Lylah's feedings with the oven schedule and my small freak-outs. 

Should be an interesting day....

Warning: Don't Read if you are hungry!

 Okay, don't read this if you are hungry. Cause you will want to eat. I mean really eat. Like oops-I-went-to-the-grocery-store-hungry eat. (Big mistake if you are pregnant. Yesterday I came home with two Slim Jims.)

Lately everything I eat is awesome. Most of these are what I made, but trust me, it's not limited to my cooking.

This roast was awesome...I ate so much Ryan was staring at me and I thought I was gonna be sick. So good.

While my awesome Mother in Law was here, she made this fruit salad. This was the best thing I have ever had.

Chicken Parm. Best thing I ever had.

Slushy from the Oasis place on Bethany and Greenville in Allen. Strawberry Pineapple. Best thing I have ever eaten.

To reward you for sticking with this post, here is an awesome recipe.  I got this from a PTA mom at school. After the snow days, they had a soup/chili day. It came on just the right day. I needed it. And this soup is so good and so easy. I made it last week and it lasted Ryan and I for 3 1/2 meals. Seriously. SOOOO yummy! Try it and tell me how it is!

Taco Soup

2 lbs ground beef 

1 small onion, chopped*

2 cans 14.5oz  stewed tomatoes**

1 pkg Ranch Dressing Mix

1 15oz can Kidney beans

1 15 oz can pinto beans

1 1/2 cups water

1 can mexicorn (I used corn)

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 pkg. Taco seasoning

salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Brown beef with onions*, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add taco seasoning, dressing mix, mexicorn, stewed tomatoes**, Rotel tomatoes, kidney beans, pinto beans, water in a large pot (very large). Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes. Serve with cheese and tortilla chips if desired. Enjoy!

*I always use onion powder in place of onions. This is my trick and I can never tell the difference. 

**Ryan hated the big tomatoes, so next time I will use diced or petite diced. 

In an unrelated note....They really should have these everywhere:

Something I'm just passionate about

I love to cook. I don't know why I didn't discover this earlier in life, but I know it now. I absolutely love it. I love trying new recipes. We even have an unofficial rating system in our house.

Inedible (It's been years....but it happened once or twice)
Good not great
Great, I'd eat it again
Exceptional, I'd eat it tomorrow and the next day and the next

So I strive for the last one. I really try. Because as we say "If its always exceptional, it's never exceptional."

Well so this love has developed into another love as our friends became parents. The new love: Taking People Meals. I love it. Love doing it. It makes me so happy.

So our friends are having babies, and I love bringing them food. I love bringing my pregnant friends food. I love people coming over to eat food. It's become a bit of an obsession. I even have a refill deal. (Bring me the tin back and I'll refill it.)

I don't want this to sound like I have this all figured out. Because one day I may come back later (after our little girl comes) and change this, but I have a few things I think a meal needs if you bring it to a family. And a helpful video (don't worry I didn't make the video, I saw it on the Today show).

1. Main dish. It's best to bring it in something they can throw away or keep. If I bring someone flowers, I  love to bring it in a vase (it can be from the dollar store) that they can keep. If someone brings me food in a pyrex (that they want back), the first thing I'm gonna think is...Holy crap, pyrexes are HARD TO CLEAN! :)
I also think it's good to bring a 8x8 dish. Especially if they are receiving a ton of food. But ask..maybe they love leftovers. Some people will eat anything leftover. (I am not one of them. But my husband is.)

I love to take Baked Ziti because it's one of my favorites and I think one of my best. I always try to abide by the "Guest Room Rule" I read somewhere: "Do for them what you would want as a guest!"
If you want the recipe, ask...it's awesome and easy!

2. Small side. I think salad is easiest, and in a container they can throw away. Vegetables...when in doubt, ask! Maybe they love peas.

3. Small (or large dessert). Someone told me once that they loved it if someone would bring them one slice of cake. They were trying to lose baby weight, and the last thing they wanted was a massive chocolate cake. Well, they wanted it, but they didn't want the calories. Again, I like to put it in a ziplock or throw-away container. But, I have had people say "Where are the rest of these brownies?"...so take it with a grain of salt. :)

4. Paper plates, knives, napkins. Makes it easier!

5. Small token. This is totally optional, but I love doing this. Something they can keep. At least send a little card of congratulations! I like to give a little onsie. They are so cheap and you can find some really cute ones at Target.

Now, again, I don't have this all figured out. Please don't think I do. But I think it's a good start. I would love ideas!

Now the promised video.

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How to have a great holiday baking experience.

Here we go.... 

Pre-baking.

Step 1: Set up your baking station. Equip yourself with snacks, recipes and make sure your Husband (and children) and pets are occupied. 

Step 2: Start out with something easy, to build your confidence. These are so easy and can be ready in minutes. A little droopy, but delicious. Eat immediately. Hurry, before Husband sees.

Step 3: Try something harder. Call necessary relatives and in laws for advice. Don't bother anyone local, cause they will want to eat it. 

This is  yummy Southern Pecan pie. Add Cool whip and enjoy a couple of times a day.

Step 4: Take a picture of yourself with the pie. Success.

Plan for next time! :) 

And I'm back!

I have not cooked a "good-actually-cooking" meal in like two weeks. Ridiculous. I am back in the saddle again!

Chicken Parmesan, corn, bread and pasta....

My happy Husband. 

Much love, 

Allison

Ode to IKEA...and banana bread.

We love IKEA!

Now, growing up, I never knew the glory that is IKEA. We didn't have an IKEA in Edmond. Also, even if we did, I don't think we would have bought furniture to assemble. It takes a LOT of patience. But that was then, and this is now....

Okay, so my husband and I love IKEA. We like their hotdogs, too. Okay, we LOVE their hotdogs. Now I love a trip to IKEA, and Ryan tolerates it. We have a good time. 

So we picked out this dresser and end tables that we liked a couple months ago on one of our many trips. After several trips, measuring them, researching them, etc....we decided we wanted them. But we knew that if we bought them, we had to put them together. How hard can it be, right? 

I should also mention that as we were loading the 2 huge boxes onto our cart, a nice couple stopped and said they have the dresser and that they love it. Which is always nice to hear when you are about to make a big purchase. How long did it take you to put it together? We ask. Oh about an hour, they say. THEY LIED. 

Note: I am kicking myself right now for not taking a picture of all the screws, boards, panels, etc. that we had to go through last night to assemble this. Our entire living room was covered in tools and parts. 

3 and a half hours later.... 

Are you ready? Here it is.....

Isn't she pretty? 

Now all we have left is the end tables. Those should be a piece of cake after the dresser! Right...??

Much love, 

Allison

In other news, I made banana bread! I used to make it all the time, but I haven't in several months. But for some reason, this loaf was extra great. Maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder....or I just did it right this time....

Christmas is LONG over, but this is too beautiful to keep to myself....