Food for the Week of Archer's 6 Month Birthday!!

Oh yeah, we're totally partying this week. Between starting solids, maybe trying a sippy cup (if there's another name for that cup, please let me know), going to the doctors, it is a big week for my not-so-little guy. 

So let's keep it simple and tasty.

Btw, if you are looking for birthday presents for Archer, as far as I can tell right now he has a strong preference for balloons and socks with faces on them. He's a man of simple tastes, who knows what he wants.

Monday - Slow Cooker Soy-Ginger Chicken (lots of left-overs with this!) - Put 1/3 cup soy sauce, 2 tbls brown sugar, 5 cloves garlic, 2/3 cup fresh cilantro, 1 2-inch long piece ginger, peeled and thinly chopped, 1/2 cup green onions cut on the diagonal, 1 tbls balsamic vinegar, 1tsp ground coriander, stir together. Add 4 pieces chicken legs and 4 pieces thighs along with 2 carrots chopped. Stir. Cook on high for 6 hours. At end add 1 tbls cornstarch that has been stirred in 2 tbls water to thicken. Serve over rice.

Tuesday - Chicken Casserole - Remove leftover chicken from Monday and chop into bite-sized pieces. Toss in casserole dish alongside 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 cup plain lf yogurt, 2 tbls white wine, chopped green onions and cooked farfalle noodles. Serve with salad.

Wednesday - Tacos - Pick your favourite taco package. 

Thursday - order-in/take out

Friday - Baked Ravioli - Sautee 1 chopped medium onion, 3 cloves garlic in evoo, add 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano, add 2 cans diced tomatoes, bring sauce to a boil, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon, add s and p, boil until sauce is reduced - about 20-25 mins. Prepare 2 lbg of store bought ravioli, toss with sauce and turn in casserole dish. Top with 1 1/2 cups mozza and parm. Bake at 425 for 20 mins.

Saturday - Chicken Stroganoff - Blend 1 tbls no fat s. cream and 1/2 cup buttermilk, brown mushrooms in marg and then add 2 bls chicken breasts thinkly sliced and brown. Low heat, add 1 cup onion soup, 1/3 cup white wine, 3/4 water, dill and pepper. Simmer for 45 mins. Shake cream mix with 1 tbls flour and add. Blend with other stuff. Don't boil! Serve over egg noodles.

Sunday - Butter Yaki- Butter or low fat marg 1 tenderloin beef sliced thin ( easy to slice if partially frozen) 2 bs chicken breasts sliced thin 1 onion sliced thin Chinese cabbage, sliced bean sprouts spinach Heat butter & stir fry meats quickly. Remove & keep warm. Add more fat & stir fry veggies Place beside meet & serve with dipping sauce Sauce-- 1 c. soy sauce ½ c. splenda 1/3 tsp minced garlic ¼ c. lime juice. Combine & heat pour sauce into individual bowls.

Grocery List

Soy Sauce

Balsamic Vinegar

Brown Sugar

Garlic

Ginger

Carrots

Lettuce 

Tomatoes

Lime

2 Cans diced tomatoes

Chicken Legs

Chicken Thighs

2 packs Bls skls chicken breasts

lean ground beef

cilantro

Green onions

Ground coriander

Farfelle noodles

2 packs ravioli

mozzza

cheddar

parm

Plain lf yogurt

buttermilk

lf sour cream

can of chopped mushrooms

Can Cream of Chicken soup

Greens

Taco Package  

Sunday - Butter Yaki:

Slim Jim

Inspiration is a weird and wonderful thing. Stephanie Meyer was inspired by a dream to write Twilight and I get inspired to blog after seeing random weird posters on Bloor St. Go figure.



I can't explain why this picture prompted me to post after somewhat of a hiatus but it has.



I wonder what the secret is?

Food for Week of November 22nd

So, as you've probably noticed, I've not been posting as much lately. We've just been so busy! And whether it's been from a growth spurt or teething, Archer's been nursing like crazy. It's hard to find any time... but there's lots on my mind: the upcoming holidays, an upcoming trip to Hawaii, Archer moving around more, going back to work soon... sigh.... Hang in there with me a while longer if you can and we'll get it going again on a more regular basis.

But in the meantime, we eat.

Monday - Steak Sandwiches - Fry 2 onions sliced in veg oil until onions are browned, season with s and p and remove; add a little more oil and 4 small bls steaks (no more than 3 oz each) and sear on each side for 30s-1 minute, remove and add 2 tbls worchestire sauce and 2 tbls water, scrape brown bits from pan and return onions to pan for a couple minutes. Serve on toasted crusty bread that has been brushed with evoo... serve with dark greens.

Tuesday - Easy Noodles and Ricotta Marinara - Prepare 1 package of Parpardelle noodles, serve with 4 cups of good store bought marinara sauce, fresh basil, 1/2 cup ricotta cheese and s and p

Wednesday - Crispy Breaded Pork Cutlets ( Martha Stewart): 1 ½ c. panko or plain bread crumbs 2 T veg oil 4 boneless pork loin chops 3 T Dijon mustard Salt pepper or Mrs. Dash Preheat oven to 425. On a rimmed baking sheet toss crumbs with oil. Bake tossing once til brown. 7-10 min.Transfer to a bowl. Reduce oven temp to 400. Pound chops flat with a mallet. Coat pork with mustard, season, then dip in crumbs coating both sides. Place a rack on the baking sheet.Place pork on rack & bake without turning, 10-15 min. Serve with store bought rice pilaf &sautéed multi coloured peppers in veg oil & seasoning- sliced thin -10-15 min T

Thursday - Eat Out/Order In

Friday - Goat Cheese Burgers - prepare your fave storebought burgers (or make your own if you like!) and serve on buns with goat cheese and roasted red peppers. Serve with a side of sweet potato fries.

Saturday - Chicken with hot peanut sauce over Soba Noodles - 2 T. sherry & cornstarch, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, Boneless skinless chicken breast cut into cubes, 4 T canola oil, Red pepper flakes ( opt), ½ c. peanuts, 1 tsp each minced garlic & grated fresh ginger, 2 green onion cut into slanted pieces; Cooking sauce: 3 T soy sauce, 2 T rice vinegar, 2 T sherry, 4 T chicken broth or h2o, 3 T each spenda & cornstarch; Combine sherry & cornstarch in bowl-add chicken & marinate 15 min; Prepare cooking sauce; Saute garlic & ginger in oil-add chicken then add nuts, seasonings & onions

Sunday - pot roast - boneless season & brown, with chopped onion & garlic- pour over1 c mushroom soup, 1/2 c. red wine, 1 c. beef broth, 2 bay leaves. Roast @ 350 3 hr. Mashed potatoes, froz mixed veggies

Grocery List

4 small steaks

4 bls pork chops

burgers

chicken breast

boneless pot roast

goat cheese

ricotta cheese

can of much soup

marinara sauce

rice pilaf

parpadelle noodles

soba noodles

onions

greens

roasted red peppers

carrots

parsnips

potatos

frozen sweet potato fries

fresh basil

ginger

garlic

peanuts

soy sauce

rice vinegar

crusty loaf

hamburger buns

bread crumbs

worch sauce

Food for Week of November 16th

This past week Archer and I took a cooking class - a baby cooking class. Ok, to be more precise it was a baby food cooking class (baby's don't cook, silly!)- because, believe it or not, Archer starts solids in less than 2 weeks and apparently I'm not confident enough to figure out how to make my own pureed butternut squash (made in the first class). Ack. Actually it was a very helpful class but more on that later...

In anticipation of this big change, we've started to have Archer sit at the table with us at dinner in his brand new high chair (high chair search also to be part of a future post). He seems a little confused by it all and perhaps a little more interested in the light over the table than the actual food we're eating which is fine but makes me think that for the next couple weeks, I need to step it up a little and have some dinners that fill the air with tasty goodness to whet his appetite. So, I'll bring out the slow cooker a little this week and make some foods that I know smell and taste great.... Hopefully Archer agrees (ermm, on the smells great part - no food for you yet)!

Monday - Chicken and Rice Casserole - Combine 1 cup whole grain rice, 3 cups water, 2 tsp of chicken bouillon, 1 can fat-free cream of chicken soup, 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast, 1 cup grated cheddar and cook on high 3 to 4 hours. In last hour stir in 1 bag thawed frozen broccoli with 2 chopped garlic cloves and 1 tsp onion salt.

Tuesday - Sausage, Mozza and Rabe with Shells - Preheat oven to 400. In large skillet, heat 2 tbls evoo and add 1 large chopped onion and 3 sprigs fresh thyme along with s and p. Cook until onion is golden brown. Add 2 chopped garlic cubes and 3 links spicy italian sausage (the turkey sausage is a good lower fat alternative). Cook breaking up sausage until browned - about 5 minutes. Add 1 tbls flour and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add 1 can 28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes and break up with spoon. Cook until slightly thickened. Discard thyme. Meanwhile in a large pot, prepare shells pasta (use the medium size) to al dente and in last 15 seconds add 1 bunch trimmed and coarsely chopped broccoli rabe. Drain and add this to sausage mix. Transfer to baking dish and top with coarsely chopped 6 oz of mozza. Bake for 15 minutes.

Wednesday - Easy Chicken Tikka Masala - Saute 3 bls skinless chicken breast chopped into 1 inch pieces until browned. Before totally browned add 1 coarsely chopped large onion and saute until softened. Add one can of Patak's tikka masala sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes and in last 5 minutes add 1 cup plain lf yogurt. Serve over basmati rice with store bought naan (or whole wheat pita) and greens of your choice.

Thursday - Order in/Eat Out

Friday - Easy Peasy Tuna Melts - Prepare your favourite tuna salad and spread over whole wheat pita. Top with tomatoes and combo of mozza and sharp cheddar and put under broiler on high for 4 minutes. Serve with salad.

Saturday - Kicken Chicken Pot Pie - Skinless boneless chicken breast , cut into bite-sized pieces 2 c. frozen mixed veggies 1 can low fat cream of celery soup 3 servings Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls refrigerated dough Oven-350Cook chicken several min. using non-stick spray. Set aside. Heat veggies in microwave. Mix chicken, veggies & soup& place in a 9 inch round baking dish sprayed with nfs.Bake 30 min, stirring halfway through.Unroll 3 rolls. Combine to make one large piece of dough. Add dough to top of pan & cook for another 15-20 until top is brown. Cal- 235 (1/4 pan) Fat-6 g. Eat with greens & balsamic vinegar/oil

Sunday - Beef Stew - You can use stewing beef or buy something like chuck roast & cut it into cubes. You ideally want beef with a bit of fat on it . Cut into cubes & shake in a bag with 1/4 c flour until cubes are coated. Brown in a large pot with some canola oil. Don't crowd the meat or it will steam. Do in batches. Add 1 onion cut into chunks. When lightly browned add enough beef stock to cover & simmer, covered, about an hr. Add 1 bay leaf to this mix at the same time as the onion. After an hr, add carrots & parsnips cut into rough chunks rustic style.You can also add potatoes at this time or do them separately depending on how you want them. If you have some leftover tomato paste you could add 1 T but this is not necessary. When veggies are tender, mix approx 2 T flour in a cup with some cold h20 & add it to the stew to thicken it. Season well. Chopped parsley can go in just before serving.

Grocery List
3 packs bls skls chicken breast
1 pack italian sausage (turkey opt)
stewing beef
2 cans tuna
cream of chicken soup
cream of celery soup
1 pack frozen broccoli
1 pack frozen veggies
celery
carrots
parsnips
potatoes
tomatoes
bag of salad (or other salad fixings as youlike)
1 large can tomatoes
plain yogurt
patak's tikka masala sauce
onions
garlic
fresh thyme
bay leaves
broccoli rabe
cheddar cheese
mozza cheese
1 pack medium shells
naan bread
whole wheat pita
pilsbury lf crescent rolls

Strong Canadian Dollar + 40% off at Neiman Marcus = Practically Free

Ok you only have like 7 1/2 hours left! I just got an email from Neiman Marcus (yeah, they totally email me personally... I have spent *that much over the years) that they are having a surprise one-day sale online for most of their online items and most items are either 30 or 40% off.

So lemme clarify, this still doesn't mean I can afford this on my E.I. budget. Like, at all. But there are some of you out there DMs or more likely the working friends of DM who'd totally wanna know about this sale so hence the posting.

And, dear hubby, who reads this from time to time, it's really not too early to think about Christmas.

:)

In case you didn't know already, Neiman Marcus ships to Canada. I've done it before and my item was here in a couple of days and really, the taxes/duty are not too bad.

Ok, I'm over-justifying. It's all still too expensive (like 40% off the above featured Marc by Marc Jacobs coat at regular $658 is still waaaay too expensive but 40% (Joe Fresh, you've ruined me for designer duds!) off the cute little $78 tee under the jacket, totally doable) but it's still a good sale y'all! If you are in the market, or just wanna dream, http://www.neimanmarcus.com/common/store/catalog/templates/EventDesignerIndexE.jhtml?eId=e300001&ncx=n&uEm=christina.litz@telus.com&ecid=NMEC111109FirstDay

Special posting for my new Downtown Mamas...

What a difference 5 months makes.

This past couple weeks, 2 close friends each had their first baby - each, a beautiful little girl (look out ladies, Archer is almost on the move...). And in a way, I can't believe I was where they are now only 5 short months ago. In a way it seems like a lifetime ago and in another way, it seems like just yesterday.

Let me explain.

First of all, new babies are totally tiny, dude. Like really really small. Even though both new babies are about the size Archer was at some point, I can't even believe they are the same species. I remember when I first got home and a friend visited with her then 3 month old and I couldn't believe how ginormous he was compared to Archer. I mean, the head alone was like..."whoa". And now Archer is that baby and then some (particularly in the cheeks area... so cute).

And talking to these new moms, I remember feeling just like they are now - exhausted to the extreme, scared, totally helpless... what the heck had I gotten myself into? I don't know anything about how to do this!

But at some point... I'm not sure exactly when it happened (it's all a blur) - maybe around month 2 (?) things started to change... I was an expert by then at things like nursing, changing diapers, changing clothes, packing diaper bags, putting him in a car seat, doing stuff on the go avec baby - all things that in your first week or two, you literally feel like you're never going to be able to do. But then you do. And then all of this mom stuff starts to get really fun.

So all of this led me to think that I should put together a short list of what I think is perfectly normal for the new mom in the first couple weeks you're home with baby - things we all go through as new moms and survive and things you will too:

1. Crying all the time - like all the time. Like I'm not kidding. People are, I think, too quick to jump to conclude that a new mom's wildly emotional state is due to post-partum depression. And while we should definitely take a post-partum diagnosis as a serious thing, let's put some things in perspective. When you first have a baby, your hormonal levels completely and immediately change. You go from having all of these happy calm-inducing hormones (I think it's from the estrogen) in pregnancy to like nothing within like days. Put this factor on top of the lack of sleep, proper nutrition and the stress of figuring out how to do everything baby-wise and heck-ya, you're going to cry. You don't need no stinkin' post-partum depression diagnosis to justify that. I challenge anyone not to cry in such circumstances.

2. You constantly think you're going to break your baby. Further to the babies are tiny comment above, from the moment they hand you your baby for the first time in the hospital, you are worried about everything to do with your fragile little one. You think you might drop the baby, he might stop breathing while sleeping (actually this is something Archer's dad still constantly worries about and is literally in his bedroom every half hour checking...), he might get sick...and you think you're totally ill-prepared to deal with all of this this and so you're constantly stressed out. Also, normal. It just goes with the new mom thing, I think. It might in fact be evolutionary and helps keep you on the ball when you're so tired you could fall asleep anywhere at any time if only you were able to.

3. You'll never be able to nurse. This is not a judge-y thing because if you decide nursing isn't for you, that's your call. God knows, there is enough judging when it comes to mothering! But it can be very disheartening when you've decided that you really want to nurse and it just isn't working out. You probably saw that same video we did in birthing prep class where the woman, as soon as she gives birth, within seconds, has her baby in her arms and her baby starts rooting and whiz, bang, booom, next you see, the baby is nursing with the perfect latch and it is the picture of perfect loveliness. Well, did your birthing instructor happen to share with you that the mother in the video was a lactation consultant who was also a mother of 3?? I bet she didn't. There's nothing particularly natural about breastfeeding in my mind. It is a learned thing for both you and your baby and it takes practice and time. And all through your learning and practising, it hurts like hell. But then all of a sudden, it doesn't. And this usually comes around the end of week 2 or 3 right when you and your baby have finally figured it all out... so if you want to do this, hang in there a little bit longer. It gets so much better, I promise.

4. You'll never be you again. Have I shared with you that right before I went into the hospital, I got my hair done? I also went and picked out the perfect going home from the hospital outfit (as inspired by the perfect going home from the hospital outfit my mom wore), brought a little makeup to the hospital with me and determined to wear my contact lenses throughout the birth knowing that pictures were going to be taken all over the place? Well, let me tell you, you'll be hard pressed to find any actual pictures of me in the hospital. That's because within hours into my labour, my perfectly blown-out hair was a frizz only James Brown could be proud of. And since my labour was 36 hours long and I had a C-section, out came the contact lenses, and on the broken glasses. And guess what? You're pretty much just as pregnant looking when you leave the hospital as when you went in. So going home outfit? Maternity sweat pants and a tee shirt. Awwwesome.

And it applies to life at home to. All your dreams of becoming the cool domestic diva you think you can be are immediately dashed.

So what about all of my rules and tips about cooking and fashion that make it look so easy? They're not meant for you in the first few weeks. Your main job is just to get through these weeks. It's like a marathon. It's exhausting and can break your spirit. You have to rely on others even if you've never done this before and for some people this can be really hard.

But you *can do it. You will do it. Lesser people than you have done it before. And before you know it, you too will be the Downtown Mama you always thought you were - and that I know you are too.

Food for Week of November 9

Today, for the first time, we all went to Costco. We ended up there when we accidentally received a Costco catalogue that was supposed to go to someone else. From the catalogue, we were lured with promises of modern bathtubs, Wiis, and surround sound speakers all for a fraction of their normal costs. And then, if that weren't enough, coincidentally we get a call from my Mom yesterday who was at Costco and she told me that they were selling like a baby grand piano for next to nothing... and, oh, btw, she also told me that Costco has like the best meat in town.

Who knew?

So off we go... and we get there and like all of us - Archer included - are completely overwhelmed. Everything is so... BIG... at Costco. I know you all know this and in theory I knew this before I went but I really had no idea...

Where do people put all of their Costco purchases? Does Costco also sell like really big houses with really big closets for such big items?

Anyway, the meat did look really good - and if I were having a big, like, meat party (that sounded dirtier than I meant it to) - and if I also buy like a really big freezer in which to store such big packages of meat, I'm totally going back. But we walked out (and Archer totally overwhelmed fell asleep in my carrier) empty-handed, deciding that we wouldn't go back until we really really needed something, well, big.

Until then, just some little items of food for your week...

Monday - Crispy Breaded Pork Cutlets ( Martha Stewart): 
1 ½ c. panko or plain bread crumbs 
2 T veg oil 
4 boneless pork loin chops 
3 T Dijon mustard 
Salt pepper or Mrs. Dash 

Preheat oven to 425. On a rimmed baking sheet toss crumbs with oil. Bake tossing once til brown. 7-10 min.Transfer to a bowl. Reduce oven temp to 400. Pound chops flat with a mallet. Coat pork with mustard, season, then dip in crumbs coating both sides. Place a rack on the baking sheet.Place pork on rack & bake without turning, 10-15 min. Serve with corn/cob &sautéed multi coloured peppers in veg oil & seasoning- sliced thin -10-15 min T 

Tuesday - Pasta /arugula/white beans/walnuts: ;
Bow tie pasta (farafelle)
Seasoning; 
4 Cloves garlic, thinly sliced 
4 T butter or calorie reduced margarine 
1 can ( 15 oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed & drained 
1/3 c. walnuts toasted if desired 
Cook pasta, drain & set aside. Reserve ½ c pasta h20 Saute garlic & 1 T butter about 1 min Add arugula to pot. Toss til wilted. Add beans, pasta, & remaining 3 T butter., season. Toss adding enough pasta water to coat pasta. Add walnuts.

Wednesday - Meatloaf mashed potatoes & a green veg 
Meatloaf recipe: 
1 lb. g. beef or g turkey 
1 c bread crumbs ¼ c milk 
1 beaten egg 
Dash worchestireshire sauce 
Seasoning: 
¼ c. finely chopped onion 
½ tsp mustard 
Mix well together . Form into loaf . Drizzle ketchup over top & bake in oiled loaf pan 1 hr @ 375. Let sit 10 min before slicing.

Thursday- order in/eat out

Friday- Throw together pasta 
Penne , chunks of leftover meatloaf , fresh tomatoes cut up, garlic, evoo, -Toss & top with parm cheese- French bread Perhaps?

Saturday - Fat free ham baked with any topping eg peach jam, chutney marmalade or oj or pineapple j, scalloped potatoes (from a mix) bean, spinach, & pepper stirfry

Sunday Buy a ready made BBQ chicken Serve with spinach salad &Vikram Vij’s Turmeric New Potatoes (which you will become addicted to) 
Spinach salad: Assemble spinach, red onion, bacon bits, & walnuts in a bowl & pour hot oil & vinegar mix into which has been dissolved 1 tspsplenda. The oil mix will wilt the spinach TNP: Slice new potatoes into thin rounds- Do not peel. Heat ¼ c canola oil in pan on med heat. Add 1 c/ chopped onions-Saute 5 min-Add 1 tsp turmeric,1 tsp salt & ¼ tsp cayenne. Cook 1 min. Add potatoes & ¼ c. h20 bring to a boil, stir & reduce heat to low. Cover & cook 10 min. Stir & cook 5 more min. Stir in ½ c chopped spinach, cook 1 more min & serve

Grocery list

Boneless pork chops
1 lb gr. Beef or turkey
Fat free ham1 BBQ chicken ( don’t buy this til Sun)
Panko or bread crumbs
Evoo
Veg oil
Butter or marg
Dijon mustard
Farafelle Penne or similar
Walnuts
1 c. cannellini beans ( white)
Turmeric
Garlic
Spinach (lots)
Onion
Arugula
Tomatoes
New potatoes
Red potatoes
Scalloped potato mix
Corn/cob
Red/yellow peppers
Green veg
Red onion
Bacon or bacon bits
Vinegar
Eggs
Wor…sauce
Mustard
Milk

Walking down Queen Street, Parkdale Style

Everyone who knows me is now officially sick of me obsessing about H1N1... I get that. So this is my last installment on the subject and really, I'm not even going to talk about it and the fact that after 4 hour line-up #2, we finally got our shots yesterday (woo hoo! and ouch) but I am going to talk about how I killed time waiting to get our shots because it was actually kinda fun.

I ended up strolling around Parkdale around Queen and Cowan yesterday for around an hour while we waited to go line up (imagine, an actual ticketing system to get your shots - it's like rocket science or something) and if you can, and if you haven't done it recently, it's worth checking out.

The area around Queen around Cowan is still a bit dicey. I got that right away when during my walk, my only one hour walk, I counted 3 ambulances attending to various people on the street - which I guess is a good thing in a way - clearly they're being attentive to people in need - but it kinda made me think for a second we were experiencing a Flash Forward moment (anyone besides me watching this show right now? it's the new Lost) and that maybe the world was coming to an end.

This ain't Yorkville, folks.

But that's a good thing, I think.

I started off my walk with a quick lunch at Cadillac Lounge which has like the friendliest staff ever and lunch specials for under $10. And fyi, if you didn't know this already on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month Cadillac Lounge hosts a mom-baby friendly lunch which is pretty awesome. I haven't been but I'm looking forward to checking it out.

For almost the rest of my hour I wandered around an awesome store called ShopGirls. Check out their online store at http://www.shopgirls.ca/. It's a boutique devoted to Canadian designers - whether jewelry, clothing, art or home accessories.

They carry a line called Yoga Jeans. A weird name, really, but the concept is that these are stretchy jeans that are so comfortable, you could, well, practice yoga in them... don't do that though. If you were in my class, I would be so distracted by the fact that you were wearing jeans to yoga class that I would not be able to do my shavasanah (btw, I have no idea how to spell that word).

In any event, one of the owners of the store - a DM to be who was very cool - was telling me that in addition to being a good option for newly pregnant women, this is a great post-natal skinny jean. She recommended the high-wasted skinny jean featured in the pick above because as she explained, you can...ermm... stuff (for lack of a better term) all your extra belly flab (a lovely picture I'm drawing here, right?) into the jeans and you will pretty much look like Kate Moss.

Pretty much.

The jeans retail for around $110 and as soon as I can afford to (I just spent like $500 buying new car seat, high chair and umbrella stroller), I'm picking me up a pair - unless of course I can fit into real skinny jeans by then...

That could happen, right?

Anyone?

Sigh. Anyway, there are some other great stops to make if you have more time - Made You Look (a beautiful jewlery store), Blondies (a new uber hipster coffee joint), Cafe Taste (wine & cheese) even Designer Fabric Outlets is fun (for me, I'm weird like that).

And with all of this, remember that you always have the extra added bonus that should you run into trouble (say, a sudden surge of H1n1 - I said I would stop after this post), an ambulance is surely only within seconds away from helping you.

:)

Food for Week of November 2

Are my recipes getting too complicated? After another week of colds, and mastitis and generally crappiness, I found it hard to keep up with my own food plan which means that for new moms, it must be even more difficult.

So back to basics. Keep it simple, stupid.

Monday - Store-bought roast chicken package (I'll be lining up again for our shots so need to keep it really easy!).

Tuesday - Vegetarian spaghetti & Salad - St. Ives ground round mixed with your own tomato sauce or a bottle of Prego, whole wheat spaghetti noodles

Wednesday - Marc Anglelo Chicken Skewers w/ Veggie Skewers

Thursday - Order-In/Eat Out

Friday - Tuna Casserole & Salad - chop 1/2 onion and saute in margerine, add this to a casserole dish with 1 can of tuna, 1 lf mush soup, prepared bow-tie noodles, 1 cup lf plain yogurt, 1 tblsp mustard, 1 cup mozza. Top with mozza and parm. Cook at 350 for 30 mins.

Saturday - Veggie Taco Pie - Prepare veggie ground round with favourite taco seasoning as per package. Layer 1 can lf refried beans, ground round, 2 cups cheddar/jack cheese combo. Cook at 350 for 20 mins. Top with lettuce and tomatos and eat with baked taco chips.

Sunday - Oven Fried Chicken and Orzo SaladBrown chicken pieces for a few minutes on each side and then season with salt, pepper, turmeric and paprika, put it in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes.Prepare Orzo as per package and toss together with tomato, green onion, a little olive oil and Parmesan.

Grocery List
Roast chicken package (get on day you get groceries in deli section)
2 pack original St. Ives Veggie Ground Round
Marc Angelo Chicken skewers
1 chicken cut up
1 jar prego
orzo
whole wheat spaghetti
bow tie noodles
green onions
onions
tomatoes
lettuce
bag o salad
red onion
green/red/yellow peppers
mozza
cheddar
jack cheese
baked taco chips
taco seasoning
plain yogurt

Halloween, Baby Style

So after spending an annoying 4 hours in line at the Etobicoke Civic Centre waiting to get immunized, with Archer in hand (well, carrier), and a husband with a cold, me with round 2 of mastitis, on like the windiest day of 2009, we were sent home - told by the nurses that they wouldn't be immunizing us today. There were about 2000 people ahead of us - shocking considering we were in line an hour before the clinic opened.

On the upside, we met some very nice people in line - we took turns holding our respective places in line while we did coffee runs, or went inside to get warm. But no shot for us. Sigh...

And this even after we dressed Archer up in his pumpkin halloween costume. I don't know, I thought it would be a good idea - thought it would make people in line happy (which it decidedly did) and surely, no one would turn away us with Archer looking so darn cute. But apparently cuteness does not allow you to jump the cue. Double sigh...

So now, I'm back at home, recovering from our ordeal this morning, catching up on the internet goings-on while Archer plays with dad (who is working hard not to sniffle over him). And everyone's talking about all the fun stuff they're doing for halloween tonight. There are parties, costumes, even Jay-Z (!!) and we are participating in none of it. No sitter tonight and quite frankly, I'm just not feeling up to going out after the last couple days.

It could make a DM down but it's important to look on the bright side. If you have to stay in tonight with your little one, make it a fun night for you too. If you're able to give out candy at your place, do it. It's a blast. But we're in a condo so we can't even do that... instead, I'm making a yummy dinner, we're making hot chocolate and after Archer goes to sleep, we're going to watch all of the great Halloween tv on tonight. And just maybe we're going to munch on mini chocolate bars. Maybe (ok, probably).

Halloween tv is awesome - does anyone remember when they were a kid watching The Great Pumpkin? Or my favourite - the Legend of Sleepy Hollow? Totally the best. We've actually started our Halloween tv viewing early - TCM has had some awesome Halloween classics on this afternoon including Vincent Price's first film Diary of a Madman and right now there is a Martin Scorcese documentary on early horror films. Tonight TCM is playing the Spencer Tracey, Ingrid Bergman Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde and the 1979 version of Bram Stoker's Dracula is on AMC. All so awesome.

So my hubby and I aren't going out to partay. Or host a party which we have done in the past too. They'll be plenty of time for that in years to come (again, this is where seasoned parents laugh while reading). This year we happily accept the lot we've been delivered and if you're a new parent too, hopefully you'll also find a way to make this night fun - and for all the rest of you who are making it out? Party on.

What to do when you're a week early for the H1N1 shot...

I am on my 3rd week of being sick or under-the-weather with some thing... and this time, my little guy has something too. Week 1 was some weird eye infection, last week mastitis, this week a cold that I think Archer has too (as evidenced by the fact that he is *actually napping like a lot). Since I *never got sick when I was pregnant, it's starting to make a girl nervous about this whole H1N1 thing - is my immune system depressed? Am I not washing my hands enough (even though I'm weirdly obsessive about this and anti-bacterial lotion to the point that my hands feel like sandpaper).

I'm so concerned about getting sick and *not getting H1N1 that I was ready on day 1 to get the shot. We were on our way to our public clinic when Archer broke into a "feed me now"... "like NOOOW"-cry which made me turn around and go home at which point I checked the internet and realized that the public clinics don't open until next week in Toronto... urghh.

So while we wait not to get sick (knocking on wood everywhere), we all need to do everything we can to keep H1N1 away from our little guys - especially since many of them - including little Archer - aren't eligible to get the shot until they're 6 months old.

The best way to do this, I hear, is to make sure I'm healthy and others around Archer are healthy.

This first means that I have to not be so afraid of confrontation. As you can see, objectively speaking (I'm of course very objective about this), Archer is ridiculously cute. So much so that random strangers feel the overwhelming need to touch Archer. They want to touch his cheeks, head, hands... while I *totally understand this need, please, please, please STOP TOUCHING MY BABY. While you're at it, stop touching any baby unless you have permission to do so. I'm working on a way to tell this to people firmly but politely. How does this sound (picture me jumping in front of Archer's stroller right as the hand goes in for the touch): "Yo, I *totally get it - he's like cute - I too want to eat him up - but we're totally not down with this Swine Flu thing and not that I think you have it because you look nice and clean and all but I don't know you from Jack so feel free to make a goofy face at my baby to make him smile - although please do this far enough away so you don't accidentally spit on him - but please don't touch the baby. Please! And thank you."

Ok, I need to work on that. But I think the jumping in front of the stroller move will stay in whatever I come up with. I like that.

Second, I need to make sure that everything that I eat keeps me as healthy as possible. I'm not a doctor but I think anti-oxidants are important. While this gives me more of an excuse to drink red wine (like I need one), during the day, I'm loading up with anti-oxidants through smoothies. Here is a recipe that I like:

Blueberry Vanilla Smoothie

3/4 cup frozen blueberries (always good to have on hand)

1/2 cup ice

1/2 cup vanilla lf yogurt

2 tblsp orange juice

2 tblsp vanilla soy milk

Blend. Be healthy.

Finally, I am trying not to get stressed about all of this too much. Stress I think leads to getting sick and while we need to take all of this seriously, we should remember that we can only do what we can do. We can go on the 1st day to get immunized, we can *try as best we can to keep baby away from sick people -- all those things help -- but being stressed about all of this doesn't help one bit.

Winter Resolutions for this Downtown Mama

Seeing Archer stand like in this picture - nay, practically walking across the room (what?, it could happen), was a serious wake up call for me. In my mind, he literally went from laying like a little lump of cuteness in my arms, to this full-on, semi-mobile little man - I mean, let's not get crazy. He's not ready for like Harvard or Vancouver 2010 yet - as is indicated by the fact that he is sitting beside me right now, trying to turn the pages of his book with his feet (note to self: I should actually read more)... but you get the picture, right?

I sort of get why women talk about wanting another baby right away (note I say "sort of get" - no one here is having another baby anytime soon) - that real baby time goes by soooo fast. It doesn't seem that way in the first 6 weeks or so where you literally feel like you might have a complete mental and physical breakdown at any given moment and you literally watch the clock tick by second by second - but this phase passes *really quickly and before you know it, it's almost time for you to go back to work!

Which is why, I think it's important at the 5 month stage (which is next week) to refocus. This refocusing also comes as winter is upon us - where the days of walking around outside freely with your little guy may be coming to an end. And as such, I've come up with some new Downtown Mama resolutions that may or may not help you too. These resolutions will hopefully maximize your quality time with your guy while helping you stay sane. Heck, hopefully they help you and me to have a little fun...

1. Adopt a New Downtown Mama - Right now all sorts of really cool women are having babies around me. A good friend had a little girl last week, another is due next week, another a couple weeks from now... I plan on making sure at least one of these new DMs enjoys this time. Whether it be dropping by their homes in the early days when it's hard to get out just for a little visit, or picking them up to go for a walk around the mall, adopting a new mama for your own helps you get out of your own rut - you have a purpose and a friend. Don't overwhelm the new mama but offer your support, company and help as much as you can.

2. Engage More with My Moms Group - I have paid my membership dues but really haven't done much with my local mom's group (to find one for you check Meetup.com). That's going to change as the weather changes. Mom's groups give you solid plans for activities and some new perspectives.

3. Do a little local sightseeing - I'm embarrassed to say that I've never been to the CN Tower. I've lived in Toronto for like 12 years. What's my problem? I remember thinking that a friend I had from NYC who said he'd never gone to the Statue of Liberty was craaaazy. And now I'm that crazy person. In the time I have left, Archer and I are going to the CN Tower, the ROM, the AGO and whatever other sight there is to see. I noticed a pass for $59 off the ROM website that gets you into like 5 major Toronto sight seeing destinations. And of course for those who have the flexibility, there are some free nights for major tourist destinations too. I can't just go to a mall every time I need to get out. I wanna be able to tell Archer of all the fun things we did when we had this time together and it seems to me that winter is a perfect time to do stuff like this.

4. Host a playdate - In line with a few things mentioned above, I have yet to have other moms and babies over for a playdate. I've gone to a few but now it's time to give back.

5. Engage less with the office - I confess I've been bad. I talk to someone at the office *almost every day. It's coming to an end though and while I love my buddies at work, I need to draw some boundaries. It's my own darn fault. I can't stay away and in the back of my mind I worry about what will happen to my career if I don't stay connected - but the remainder of my time with Archer has to be one in which I am present with him as much as possible and that means getting off the phone when I'm nursing, not checking email every day when I can be playing with him and not stressing out over anything work related. This time with your little guy or girl is a gift and there's nothing unfeminist about focusing on what your job is now and doing your best at it.

Food for Week of October 26th

This week is the last week in Toronto for many of the Farmers Markets. So even though it's usually not on budget for me, I think I'll take advantage of this and stock up on some apples, potatoes, organic local meats and breads... some of these recipes incorporate these ingredients so enjoy!

Monday - Skirt Steak with Beets and Greens - Peel 3 or 4 red or yellow beets and cut into wedges, place on sheet of tinfoil and drizzle with oil and salt, fold and create a seal. Bake for 25-30 mins at 400. Meanwhile heat 1 tbls oil and season 1 skirt steak (cut into 4) with s and p, cook until med-rare - 3-6 mins/side. Transfer to plate to rest. Serve with Spinach or Swiss chard.

Tuesday - Creamy Pasta with Ham and Broccoli - On a baking sheet lined with foil, toss broccoli, oil, s and p, and roast until brocolli is tender - 15-20 mins at 425. Meanwhile prepare egg noodles, reserve 2 cups pasta water. Return empty pasta pot to medium low heat, add 5 ounce container of light cream cheese, 1 cup pasta water, whisk until smooth. Add broccoli and 6 ounces deli ham, cut into 3/4 inch pieces, cook until hot and fold in noodles. Add more water if you want a thinner sauce.

Wednesday - Upside down pizza - fry 1 lb lean ground beef and drain, add 1 jar of Prego with oregeno, when heated, turn into shallow baking dish, top with chopped broccoli and 2 cups light mozza cheese, top with prepared store-bought pizza dough. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve with side salad.

Thursday - Eat in/take out

Friday - Chicken, lemkon and dill with Orzo - om saice[am nromg 4 cups chicken broth, 3/4 water, butter, s and p to a boil. In a 3 q baking dish, combine 1 lb chicken tenderloins, cut into 1 inch pices, 1 lb orzo, 2 cups crombled feta, 1/4 cup chopped dill, 2 tsp grated lemon zest, 1 tbl lemon juice. Pour broth mix over orzo and stir once. Bake in 400 for 40 mins. Top with parmesean. Let stand for 5 mins before serving.

Saturday - Candy! and spooky soba noodle salad with chicken and scallions - Prepare soba. In large bowl, combine 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tbls rice wine winegar, 1 tbls veg oil, 1 tsp splenda and 1 tsp fine minced ginger. In bowl combine soba and soy mixture. Add 3/4 cup shredded cooked chicken, 6 scallions and 2 1/4 thinly sliced red cabbage.

Sunday - Chicken with Fennel and Apples - Preheat oven to 450 with racks in upper and lower thirds. On 2 baking sheets, arrange 1 whole chicken cut into pieces, 2 fennel bulbs, cut into 1-inch wedges, 4 shallots, halved lengthwise, and 1/2 sage leaves. In bowl, whisk 3 tbls evoo, 2 tbls cidar vinegar and drizzle over chicken. Toss and combine and season with s and p. Roast for 35 mins, Add 2 apples cored and quarted to sheets and roast until fennel is browned and chicken cooked through - 15 to 20 mins more.

Groceries
3-4 red/yellow beets
2 apples
2 fennel bulbs
4 shallots
Sage leaves
Red cabbage
Green Onions
1 skirt steak (1 1/2 lbs)
1 lb lean ground beef
2 lba bonelss chicken breasts
1 chicken cut up
1 bunch Swiss chard
Broccoli
Lemon
Dill
Ginger
Egg noodles
Soba Noodles
Orzo
Chicken Broth
Cider vinegar
1 container light cream cheese
Parm
Mozza
Feta
Prepared pizza dough
1 jar of Prego
6 ounces deli ham

This just in...

... so further to posting about Denmark and leaving babies outside, my mom just told me that that was actually quite common in our family too and that my grandmother and others used to do this. It was a common belief that it was good for the baby to spend a couple hours outside a day... even if it was cold-ish. They just bundled us up and plopped us outside.

Huh, who knew?

Still not doing this though.

What would Denmark Do?

So did anyone catch Oprah the other day when she did one of her "How Other Women Live Around The World"-type specials? On this installment she featured women from Dubai, Istanbul, Rio and off the top of the show featured Denmark - she spent almost half the show on Denmark... and clearly Oprah is fascinated - she even admitted to indulging in some oddly pronounced Danish bread every morning since her trip...I think it was called like Rougruud... or some other Ikea-esque name.

And quite frankly - being the easily-swayed woman that I am - since that show, I have been obsessed with the women I saw featured in the show... Nanna & Stine.

Nanna is featured in the picture above with Oprah - she's 44 (!) and was like this Amazonian pale blonde (ok, so maybe Amazonian wasn't the right adjective) independent powerhouse. Stine, with her 5 kids (!!), was a similar sort - in her minimalist apartment, with her plainly fabulous hair and perfect skin.

In short, I would like to be Nanna & Stine.

Except maybe I'd keep my own name. And maybe I wouldn't leave my baby outside of the house or cafe in a stroller - which is apparently, quite seriously, what people in Denmark do with their babies. When asked by Oprah if they were scared that their babies would be kidnapped or some such, Stine looked at her confused and asked "Why would someone steal your baby?"

A fair question.

But anyway, this all led to wonder what lessons I could incorporate into my own life - other than the weirdly named bread - to be a little more like Nanna & Stine. Here's what I've come up with:

1. Wear more black dresses during the day- pretty much every Danish woman featured in the piece was wearing black - and a black dress at that. Sounds a bit morose right? Yes, except because they were always smiling and were generally happy (why wouldn't they be) they ended up looking relaxed, classic, lovely... I imagine Nanna & Stine only have like 2 very expensive Jill Sander or Commes De Garcons dresses in their very small but efficient wardrobes. I wish I could dress like this - eg., save all my money to just buy 2 very good pieces and wear them all the time. If you read this regularly, you know that I clearly can't do that but I will continue to aspire to this. You probably have a dress in your wardrobe already that you could wear but if you were looking for something, I like this dress from Urban Outfitters (it actually looks nursing friendly too!). Look for something simple but a little avant garde and pair it with black tights.

As a side-note, I tried to wear a black dress that was in my closet yesterday and although I was pretty pleased with myself, within 1/2 hour of playing with Archer on his playmat, me and my perfect black dress were covered with my cat and dog hair. Curses!!

2. Wear less makeup/focus on good skin - I don't really wear a lot of makeup but Nanna & Stine looked like they were wearing none - they just had like perfect skin. Not like botoxed-out perfect skin, just like clean, rosy, nice skin. Of course, having the perfect skin look, usually does require a little makeup so I would concentrate on lots of moisturizing before using a tinted moisturizer as foundation (I like Stilla). Use a little cream blush, a little brown mascara and a little lip gloss and be done with it. You don't need any more.

3. Be happy with less - Yes, I focus a lot on buying stuff in this blog but really, I would like to be the kind of person - like the Danes - who focuses on life more and consumerism less. We convince ourselves that it's hard to do but maybe it's not. Nanna & Stine seem pretty darn happy about it!

Things I saw and heard at Dufferin Mall today...

Ermmm... in case you can't see this, it's a Baby UFC onesie. Like as in a Ultimate Fighting Championship onesie. Being sold at a kiosk at Dufferin Mall.

I also heard a 4 year old boy say "F*$%" when he accidentally backed into a display at Winners.

It may be time to take a bit of a break from Dufferin Mall for a while.

Coffee table or death trap, you be the judge...

And so it starts. No, he's not walking yet. Heck, he still gets fussy doing tummy time. But from all accounts, at any given moment, Archer is going to become our little Tasmanian devil - whirling around the house, causing destruction and chaos in his path... and I'm on a constant watch for this. Actually, since my doctor told me very firmly at our last appointment, at this point, not to leave Archer unattended for even a second...


Really, a second?




So I sit there and I watch for something to happen... like watching water trying to boil. I get all excited and nervous if he starts rolling to one side. And when I hold him up and I can feel the brute strength in his legs (brute, I tell you, brute), I know it's gong to be any minute now when our lives will change forever.


Again.



Man, it's hard for a girl to keep up with all of this!


And I also know that as soon as this happens - when Archer starts rolling and crawling and standing (hey, maybe he'll be doing that baby Beyonce dancing soon), that *very soon after that, my hubby and I will have to say adieu to our beloved coffee table.

A beloved coffee table? Isn't that a bit much?No, in our case, it is not. People, it took us forever to find this table... well, for under one meelion dollars anyway. You'd think finding a glass square coffee table with stainless legs would be pretty straightforward. Nope. We were on the look out for almost 2 years (you have waaaay too much spare time pre-kids) when we finally landed on this one which was perfect and under $500. And so, we bonded with it big time. Don't judge.

But now, as quickly as it came into our lives, it will temporarily go out of our lives. Are all the seasoned parents laughing at me saying "temporarily"? We will be able to eventually put this back in our living room, no? Anyone? I'm living a lie, aren't I?

But temporary or not, it has to go. The edges of the table are as sharp as knives and, I don't know, call me crazy, but glass and babies just doesn't seem smart to me.

So, what to replace the death trap with?

I toyed awhile with trying to find something uber cool and '"safe-ish. I say safe-ish because I tried to convince myself that we didn't need to go 100% baby-friendly - that Archer has to learn how to be safe too and how to respect mom and dad's stuff... but then I thought again and decided that probably learning how to control and acquire large motor skills was enough of a challenge for him for now.


But if your kids are a little older, I might try something like this Eames coffee table. For a real Eames, it's not the cheapest table you can find (around $850) but it's an investment piece and you'll have it forever.


You can find tables like this on Craigslist if you keep on it. I found this one for only $350.






But even this one is probably not safe enough for my little guy at this point in his life. One wrong conk on the head on this table and well... I don't even wanna go there!


Really, the safest you can get by way of the coffee table is the combination coffee table/ottoman.



I *really hesitated going this way because it seems so obvious and I hate obvious. But as you learn with all things baby there are reasons all of those who came before you got the Fisher Price Chair, or the silly baby t-shirts, or the coffee table/ottoman. It's because they're tried, tested and true. Don't fight it. It is what it is.


But do you have to sacrifice style? Never, downtown mamas!



And I knew we'd be ok on a recent visit to Crate & Barrel when we saw this option. A beautiful putty leather bench which would act as a perfect coffee table. But at $1300 it's too much and I would really prefer a square ottoman which is why we've finally settled on this great ultrasuede charcoal houndstooth ottoman (featured in another color in this pic) at Pottery Barn's modern sister store West Elm. At just over $400 I don't feel like we'll be breaking the bank but the dimensions are right and it works with what we have. If we put the silver tray on the ottoman (which is featured on the first picture and can also be found at West Elm) we'll have lots of places to put all of Archer's toys, and soothers, and books... I mean, crystal wine glasses and fresh cut flowers.


Yeah, right.

Best laid plans...

In case you haven't noticed, I'm big on planning. Some might say I'm a control freak even, but really, planning calms me. I like lists, I like agendas, I like taking notes, I like to know what's happening next - so much so that on Saturday, bright and early, I started to outline what I wanted to write about this week... I thought since Archer is getting bigger and busier and that regular daytime nap is still elusive (sigh...), it would help if I did some outlining, notes, while I had a little extra help from the hubby on Saturday.

So today I was going to write about my new fall DM resolutions. It was a good little piece. When I write it, I think you will find it quite helpful.

But you will not read it today because I am on my way to the doctors. As my Saturday went on, nursing became more and more painful. Like searing pain, people. And Sunday morning, I woke up feeling as if I'd been hit by a bus with flu like symptoms. Last night I went to be at 8 and was going back and forth between chills and hot flashes. And there was still the pain. The searing, searing pain.

It seems I have some sort of infection in the nursing area (I'm trying really hard not to get graphic here... but folks, it's bad).

Ugh.

And I guess this is nature's way of saying that when you are a new mom, you need to be able to relax and re-write your rules on the fly because while being a mom is no doubt a job, you can't really approach it in the same way as your outside the home job because whether it's your little boy or...ermm... your boob, being a mom is unpredictable and constantly changing.

Thank you, nature, for the knock over the head. I get it.

Food for week of October 19th

So, have we all had enough turkey? Last week, post-thanksgiving, I had hot turkey sandwiches, turkey rice soup, turkey casserole and without thinking, while on the go, ordered a smoked turkey sandwich. I guess I didn't want to go into sudden turkey withdrawal (an official condition, I swear)... and of course, having hosted thanksgiving dinner, I also had a lot of desert leftovers... yummm.

But back on the wagon this week! I'm going to try and embrace more fall-winter type food - lots of comfort foods - healthy comfort foods. And as always, I've got to keep it simple because my little pumpkin is running me off my feet these days!

Monday - Slow Cooker Butter Chicken & Roasted Veggies (recipe from Canadian Family magazine)

2tbl butter, 1 tbl ground cumin, 2-3 yellow or red curry paste (I used Pataks), 1/2 tsp ground cardamom, 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger, 1 cup tomato sauce, 3/4 cup milk, 3lbs skinless bone-in chicken pieces

Melt butter and pour in slow cooker, stir in all ingredients except chicken; season chicken with salt and pepper and add to sauce, turn to coat; Cook on high setting for 2 1/2 hours or low for 5 hours. Serve with Jasmine rice (try the whole wheat) and your fave roasted veggies.

Tuesday - Fettuccine A La Matriciana & Salad - fry 6 pieces of chopped turkey bacon along with one chopped onion in 2 tbls olive oil; add 1 large can diced tomatoes and small can of tomato sauce; season with basil, oregano and a few dashes of red pepper flakes; let simmer for 20 minutes and serve over whole wheat fettuccine. Serve with side salad.

Wednesday - Tex Mex Chicken & Rice Bake -

1 box Campbell's Cream of Chicken Easy Cooking Sauce (on special 2 for $5 at Metro); 3/4 cup brown rice; 1 1/2 tsp chili powder; 1 1/2 cup chopped onion, red and green pepper strip mixture; 1/2 cup frozen corn; 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb); 1/2 ccup cheddar and jack cheese

Mix cooking sauce, rice and chili powder in shallow baking dish, spread evenly with veggies, top with chicken and sprinkle chicken with cheese and additional chili powder if desired, cover. Bake at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes, remove cover and broil and cheese is golden and bubbly.

Thursday - Eat out/order in

Friday - Cola-braised pulled pork carnitas (Canadian Family)

Put the following in your slow cooker and stir: 1 tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 6 garlic cloves, minced, 1 chopped onion, 2 cups cola (not diet), 1/4 brown sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp oregano leaves 2 bay leaves.

Cut pork (3 lbs boneless pork shoulder) in half horizontally to lie flat, season with s and p and put in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours. When done carefully remove pork and keep warm. Separate grease from cooking liquid and reduce liquid in pot over high heat until thick - about 10 minutes. Using 2 forks, pull the meat apart into shreds. Mix some of sauce until just moistened and season with s and p.

Serve on warm soft taco with salsa, avocado slices, chopped coriander and lime.

Saturday - Chicken Broccoli Bake

Arrange 3 cups broccoli florets and 2 cups cubed cooked skinless chicken breast into baking dish. Pour in 1 can lf cream of broccoli soup and 1/2 cup milk. Sprinkle with light cheddar cheese and top with breadcrumbs.

Bake at 425 for 25 minutes and serve over tri-coloured fusilli.

Sunday - Prime Rib and Potatoes and veggies (get at farmers market while you can!)

Prime rib was on special this week at Metro - I got one for 2 people for $8! Cook according to package. Serve with mashed potatoes and your fave veggies.

Grocery List

Cumin

Yellow/Red Mild Curry Paste (Pataks)

Ginger

2 small cans tomato sauce

Coconut Milk

Chicken - Skinless legs and thighs and 2 packs skinless bls breasts

1 each of red, yellow and green pepper

red onion

Campbells Cooking Sauce - Cream of Chicken

Chili Powder

Brown rice (jasmine?)

Frozen corn

Light cheddar and jack cheese

Broccoli

Garlic

Onion

Cinnamon sticks

Boneless pork shoulder

lime

soft taco

salsa

prime rib

potatoes

other seasonal veggies

H1N1-2,3,4

Yesterday when Archer and I were walking home from our music class, we saw Feist jogging down the street... it was weird in a way because you just don't expect to see someone like Feist in her sweats and rock n' roll tee running just like the rest of us (well, not me, but those rest of us who actually jog).

And weirdly, seeing this, had me focus on a bunch of things that I've been thinking about lately. I thought maybe Feist is like preparing for the next phase of her career - a new album, a world tour, something altogether new and different and jogging is her way of focusing and preparing for this.

And this (stay with me, people) made me think about where I'm at in my journey with Archer.

With thanksgiving over (a *wonderful weekend btw), the cold weather upon us and Archer reaching such new and different development milestones (rolling around, teething, not content with just sleeping and eating) it seems like a time for this DM to regroup and focus on the next phase and what this means and how I might do some things differently.

Like for example, Movies for Mommies has become a little more difficult to go to with Archer - he's not really quite as content sitting there with me through a 2-hour movie. So what kind of activity should we add to our schedule that will make sure I get out of the house in those cold (and yes a little depressing) winter months but will also stimulate Archer?

And there are all sorts of other things on my mind right now - like this crazy H1N1 stuff. What's the right thing to do? Do we change the way we do our activities and interact with others because of all of this or is it all just hype?

Finally, ugh, what about going back to work? It's not that far away (Feb) and I'm already seeing some other moms who I have been hanging out with make that transition back. It's made me focus on the fact that I really want to be sure that I capitalize on my remaining 1 on 1 time with Archer as fully as possible. The summer with him went by so fast!

So all of this to say... 1) yes, seeing Feist jogging really did stir all of this up (whatever, I'm weird that way) and 2) I'm going to stay offline for a few days while I refocus and regroup and think about what it is that I want to talk about and say in this next phase of my life with Archer.

Unlike Feist, I'm totally not going to do this while jogging but maybe I'll do this during some brisk walking with my main man.

See you next week!

In between all your Turkey stuffing...

Short post today since the family festivities of the long weekend have already begun but wanted to share that all those Gap companies (Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy) are all having some pretty darn good sales this weekend.

30% at the Gap with a coupon that you can get if you're on their mailing list. BR has their version of the scratch and save sale - buy something, and at the counter get a surprise discount. And Old Navy has a bunch of items on sale for just $15. If you're not on their mailing lists, ask around and someone will be able to forward the emails.

I'd head to the Gap if I were you... they've been spot on this season and with the 30% discount, it's a pretty darn good deal. I have my eye on these khakis and love the way they've styled them in the picture here... plus I'll need the extra give in these baggy pants for all of the food I'm about to start consuming.

Random What the Heck

It is a cold and windy day today here in the t-dot (look how cool I am down with the lingo...). Not quite winter but those beautiful days of September are definitely gone for good. So I've started bundling up the little guy for our daily walks outside... yesterday, we put on the hat, and the hoodie and even the little boots (which are ridiculously cute and totally useless)... but as we were walking down the street, and holding hands (or rather me holding his hands, him holding my thumbs) while he was in the carrier, I noticed how cold his little fingers were... and panic started to set in. What kind of mother am I? Not having mitts to cover up his little fingers... shame on me.

Well, shame on all of us apparently because apparently mitts for babies just don't exist.

Actually, let me clarify this, mitts do exist if you are either a) a baby girl; b) a baby who scratches his face off at night but never goes outside; or c) a baby with adult hands.

Today I went to Walmart, H&M and BabiesRUs and not one of these stores had winter mitts for baby boys. H&M had really cute baby girl mitts but the mitts for boys were only for 12+ months. Apparently baby boys are like tougher or something? That's the only explanation I could come up with. BabiesRUs only had scratch mitts (which sorta look like mini oven mitts). When I went to Walmart, a sales person showed me the mitts in the picture above - she said they were for babies for 0-24 months.

0-24 Months?? People this age aren't the same size at all!! Apparently in the first year of life alone we do more growing then we ever do in any year in the rest of our lives so who the heck thought it a good idea to market clothing items generally to this whole group? And people, we live in Canada! It gets really really cold here! Babies need mitts!!

Hrmph.

As I was taking the picture above and expressing my general outrage to Archer (what? he listens...), another mom walked by and said gruffly under her breath, "Just use baby socks."

Huh, good idea.

Moms rock.