Pork with Peppers

Thatbaby  has recently discovered the world of "Selfies."  I'm not entirely sure where he got it from, since the lack of photographs of me on this blog should be evidence enough that I'm not exactly providing him a model to copy from.

It's possible that he caught on to the self-timer trick we used to capture pictures of Thatboy's entire family over Christmas, and knows that you can press a button, and then run to be in the picture. 

I surmise this, because a couple weeks ago he started saying he wanted to take a picture, set my camera on the coffee table, pushed the button then looked into the lens and said "cheeeeeese."  Which then transitioned into me showing him the right way to face the camera, letting him push the button, and lifting him onto the couch with us to be in the picture. 

He's been hooked on the idea ever since and uses every opportunity he can to take his own picture.  In fact, when I went to download some pictures this week, I noticed a series of images that showed me how the boys spent some time while I got my nails done last weekend.

The other thing Thatbaby has been really into the past few weeks is pork.  I know, weird, right?  My kid didn't eat the veggie burger I packed in his lunch yesterday.  He completely ignored the flautas for dinner last night.  But put some pork in front of him?  He's all about it.  We've had pork once a week since the new year, and each time he is happy to finish his chop.  I was a little worried about these chops, with jalapeno, but a de-seeded jalapeno has very little spice.  Just make sure to get rid of those seeds.  And take out your contacts first!

Thatboy and I also really liked the pork.  We're a little easier to please with dinner, but there's something nice about a colorful topping to pork.  And the sauce helps to keep it from being dry - a big problem with pork!

Pork with Peppers

 2 Tbsp olive oil
3 boneless pork chips

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1 bell pepper, sliced

1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced

1/2 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

juice from 1/2  a lime

1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet.  Season the chops with the chili powder, cumin, and some salt and pepper.  Place the pork in the pan and cook 3 minutes per side.  Remove pork from pan.
2. Add another Tbsp of oil to the pan and saute the peppers, onions, and garlic for about 10 minutes, until the peppers are soft.
3. Add the chicken broth and lime juice and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer and add the pork chops.  Continue to cook until the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 150.  Serve pork chops with sauce, peppers, and onions.

Strawberry Tart

This year we spent New Years Eve with Thatmom.  Instead of going away like we have for the past few years, we spent this holiday at her home.  She wanted something very low key.  And that's how it started out.

We talked about having a simple dinner, but she wasn't sure what we should make.  Thatboy and I discussed some options and came upon the idea of duck.  Thatmom had never made duck before, but I assured her it was as easy as roasting a chicken, and after she spent some time searching for recipes she got really excited about making duck for dinner.

The idea of duck for dinner elevated our "simple" meal.  And it expanded to include wild rice, brussels sprouts, and pureed rutabegas.  Our little party of 3.5 grew to include my cousin and her boyfriend visiting from Boston, and one of my mom's friends.  We drank wine, and then port.  We laughed and ate, heaping our plates full of the delicious meal.

And before my cousin and her boyfriend headed to the airport to catch a New Year's flight home, I brought out dessert.  A strawberry tart which, like the duck, is simple to make, but seems somehow elegant.  I was a little wary of the not so sweet December strawberries.  I'm sure this would be even better in the summer.  The orange glaze helps to add any sweetness your strawberries are missing, so if you are using summer berries, you can go a little lighter with the syrup to really let the berries shine through.

Strawberry Tart

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

6 Tbsp butter

1 egg yolk

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch

3/4 cup orange juice

juice of 1 lemon

1 quart of strawberries, hulled and sliced

1. Mix the flour and 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl.
2. Cut in the butter with your fingers until it forms pea-sized balls.
3. Whisk the egg yolk and 2 Tbsp water and add to the flour mixture, mixing until it forms a smooth ball.  Wrap in foil and refrigerate 20 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 425.  Press the dough into a tart pan and prick with a fork.  Bake for 12 minutes.
5. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, remaining salt, orange juice, and lemon juice in a saucepan.  Cook over low heat, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes and then let cool.
6. Fill the tart crust with the sliced strawberries and cover them with the syrup.

The Blondes of Winter

Thatboy is still incredibly close to his best friends from high school.  I remember the first time I met Magski, I felt so much pressure for her to like me.  After all, she'd been in Thatboy's life much longer than I had, and a good word from her would go far.

His little group has hit similar milestones at similar times.  Magski got married the summer before we did.  (Vegas got married a couple years earlier.)  And within the past 3 years, we've all had our first children.  Our first, male, blonde children.  Each about a year apart.  Each tiny little blonde terrors.  Each wanting to be just like the bigger one.

While we were up visiting the inlaws, we had our very first playdate with all three boys together.  We took them out to Tilden Park where they could run around being small boys.  Doing things small boys do.  Like playing with sticks in the dirt.

Cheeks was so excited when the big boys presented him with a stick of his own. But he is just starting to enter the toddler phase, so he did less drawing with sticks and more chewing on them. 

He wanted to do everything the big boys were doing, but he's just not there yet.  Next year is going to be much more fun.

One of the reasons Magski picked Tilden Park was because they had a steam train for us to ride.  She knows how much Thatbaby loves trains, and Ace is a big fan too.  In fact, at Ace's request, we got to ride around twice!  The second ride Ace and Thatbaby got to sit together on the seat, which was very cute.

In general, Thatbaby and Ace were incredibly cute the entire time.  Ace rode to and around the park with us, sitting in the backseat with Thatbaby and singing as loudly as they could.  We played a cd and every song was met with Ace chiming in "I know this song!"  And Thatbaby echoing "I know this song too!"  He wanted to be just as cool as his older friend.

We also, after getting lost a couple of times, made our way to the Tilden Park Carousel.  Magski and I took turns taking family photos, which ended up with me playing stunt artist as I maneuvered through a moving carousel and jumped, one handed onto an animal near the lion Thatbaby had ridden on.

Cheeks had fallen asleep on the way to the carousel, so it was really the two older boys enjoying the ride around and around.  And they certainly enjoyed it!  Even though Thatbaby managed to pick a non-moving animal, because he really wanted to ride a lion, he still cried when we got off because he wanted to go again.

Although I'm sure a lot of that was due to the fact that he was fairly napless that day.  After the carousel, we headed back to Magski's house where the boys rode bikes, scooters, and skateboards up and down the street.  At one point, Thatbaby was riding Ace's scooter, Ace was riding Thatbaby's skateboard, and Cheeks was on Thatbaby's bike.  It's going to be really fun watching these little blondes grow up and play with each other.

Veggie Loaded Lettuce Wraps

It's January, so you may have noticed a trend among your favorite bloggers to feature Light! and Heatlhy! meals.  Some feel like this is part of the whole resolution bandwagon, but in my opinion, this is a direct result of having eaten large, heavy, holiday meals over the past few months.  Combined with the lack of fresh and delicious summer produce.  It's only natural that come January we all start craving things that are crisp and light.

I get that because in January all I want is lettuce.  It's weird. I know.  I love big salads in the summer of course, loaded with juicy tomatoes, and lots of summer vegetables. But in the middle of the winter I want them too!  The problem becomes, there aren't a lot of great things to put into a winter salad.  Cucumbers are a little anemic and tomatoes are mealy.  The berries aren't sweet, and peas are non-existant.

So what's a girl to do?  How about a twist on a winter salad - lettuce wraps!  Cooked vegetables, wrapped in crisp lettuce.  Don't bother with the meat, keep it simple with chickpeas. 

Veggie Loaded Lettuce Wraps from Branny Boils Over

1 Tbsp agave nectar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
juice of 1 lemon
1 can chick peas
1/2 carrot, diced
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1 can chopped water chestnuts
1/4 tsp anise seed, crushed
1 head of romaine lettuce

1. In a small bowl, combine the agave nectar, water, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, and lemon juice. 
2.  Spray a pan with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat.  Add the chickpeas, carrots, bell pepper, water chestnuts, and anise seed.  Cook for 2-4 minutes, until veggies are tender-crisp.
3. Add the sauce and cook until most of the sauce has evaporated.
4. Serve with the lettuce leaves.

Mommy Mondays: It takes a Village

The saying "it takes a village" dates back to times when tribes or villages provided resources for mothers and families.  I don't think we've moved so far from that time period, except now, that "village" is a little less personal.  We still don't do things on our own, but our "village" is virtual.  It is a composite of online resources that we can turn to with all of our questions.  It thought I would share with you some of my village - the resources I turn to when it comes to child-rearing.

Kelly Mom - the number one research for all things breastfeeding. 









Sugar and Dots - Kimmie is a fantastic resource if you're interested in babywearing.  She knows just about every type of carrier out there, and which works best.

For mamma runners I love Cate's World Kitchen and Run Aud Run.  Cate doesn't blog anymore, but her blog is still a great resource.  She had her daughter a month before I had Thatbaby, so she was always right ahead of me, providing inspiration and a peak into the future.  Audrey still blogs, and between the two of them, they provide really great advice on keeping active through pregnancy and continuing to run while balancing work and being a new mom.
 

Sarah's Cucina Bella/The Lunch Box Ladies - Sarah recently formed a collaboration with great tips about lunches for little ones, but before that you could find her insight on her own blog.  Her food and family philosophy is one that I hope to follow.

If you're a pinterest person, then Wanlifetolive and KimberleyMichelle are great blogs for you.  Even moreso if you have a daughter, like they both have.  Jenny is THE Donna Reed of the modern era, between sewing adorable outfits and creating amazing cookies.  And Kim is the DIY queen.  Whenever I'm trying to figure out whether I should buy something or make it, I turn to one or both of them.  And if you have any questions about Disney, these are the women you should ask.

Sunday Runday: Speeding Up

I've never been an especially fast runner.  And I'm really okay with that.  I tend to run for me, and not for any highly competitive reasons.  Besides, most of the races I run you get a medal whether you come in 3rd or 103rd.

But as I mentioned last week, one of my resolutions this year is to run a sub-30 minute 5k.  No great reason, just because I think it'd be fun.  And it's attainable, with some work.  My PR for a 5k is 30:32.  Which is only 33 seconds away!  Of course, that was back before I got pregnant, had a baby, and had to balance working/running/and being a mom.

But that does bring me to my solution on how I'm going to meet my goal. I've found 2 things work for me on increasing speed - increasing my distance and speed workouts on the treadmill.  See, back when I got that PR, I was training for longer runs - 10ks, 15ks, half marathons.  For me, the more long runs I do, the easier it is for my body to go faster on those shorter distances.  And as much as I hate the treadmill, it's a great way to increase speed by pushing myself to go faster, increasing the amount of time at higher speeds as I'm able to.  Last weekend I played around on the treadmill, upping my speed to 8mph (a 7.5 minute mile) first for 10 seconds, then upping it until I ran it for a full minute.  Eventually I'll be able to hold it for longer and longer.  While a 7.5 minute mile is not really my goal, forcing myself to run it makes a 9 minute mile more within my reach!

I'm also trying to increase my iron.  I've never actually been diagnosed with anemia, but I do find that when my iron intake is higher, I'm not as tired.  So I've been trying to include more green leafy vegetables in our diet.  Which isn't hard, because at this time of year, green leafy vegetables are the ones that still taste good!  (I'm looking at you tomatoes)

Kale and White Bean Soup

1 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can cannellini beans

1 head of kale, chopped

6 cups water

3 Tbsp basil, chiffonade

3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the beans, kale, and 2/3 cup of water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Uncover and add remaining water, basil, and parsley.  Bring back up to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
   

I'm also really loving our beach morning surfing/running plan.  Yesterday morning Thatboy and I had our outlines drawn in sand and got to watch a surfing dog.

All Over the Bay

Thatboy loves the Bay Area.  I don't have the same affinity for it.  But really, he doesn't blame me given that the only time I've really spent up there is time with his family. Who rarely ventures from their home, and for whom a "trip to the city" means a trip to the Museum of Modern Art.  In an effort to get me to love the Bay Area, the day after Christmas, Thatboy planned a day where he could show me his favorite parts.

We began with a trip to Point Reyes and the lighthouse.  The lighthouse was closed, but we were still able to hike up to the vantage point and see it. 

We didn't spend a lot of time at the lighthouse (although we spent a lot of time getting there!) because Thatboy wanted to have lunch in Sausalito.  I had been to Point Reyes before (just not the lighthouse) but this was my first time in Sausalito.

It was a cute little bayside community I would love to spend more time getting to know.  Our time there was a little short, mostly because we were meeting TBIL, TSIL, and Thatniece for dinner in San Francisco.  We got there a little early, so we headed down to Pier 39, where it was still Christmas!

And I got to see the sea lions!  13 years I've been going to San Francisco, and this was my first time seeing them!  They were a huge hit with Thatbaby too.

Honey Mustard Chicken

I love recipes that come together quickly.  I feel like at the end of the day I'm always rushing to get dinner on the table, and dinner for the next night made so I can get to bed at a reasonable time.  Often nights I don't get to sit down until it actually is time for bed.  And I know I'm not the only one out there in that situation.  So here is one of my favorite easy dinners.  It can be adjusted in a number of ways with different sauces, but I personally like honey mustard, so that's the version I'm sharing with you.

Honey Mustard Chicken

2 Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1. Whisk together the honey, mustard, vinegar, oil, garlic, and 2 Tablespoons of water.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium high heat.  Cook the chicken for about 5 minutes, until cooked through.
3. Add the honey-mustard sauce and cook for another 3 minutes, turning the chicken to coat.   

White Bean Ragout with Polenta

A hearty vegetarian stew served over creamy polenta is the perfect way to warm up these cold winter nights.

 

Thatbaby is a typical toddler with his eating habits.  He is perverse in his delight of a food one day and the complete refusal of it the next.

Luckily for us, this hasn't seemed to apply to beans.

Beans which he will pick out of soups.

Or stuffed peppers.

Or the bowl where I have them sitting waiting to be used in a recipe.

In keeping with my philosophy of not stressing about whether Thatbaby eats every meal put in front of him, I try to offer one bean-containing meal a week.  It's a surefire way to ensure one dinner gets eaten.

Personally I like the inclusion of these vegetarian meals.  There's something very healthy feeling about them, like a cleanse for the system.  A lot of vegetarian fare gets a bad rap - "rabbit food" as my father used to call it.  And the lightness of it can often seem more fitting for summer than winter.  But eliminating meat from a meal doesn't have to make it less than satiating.  A thick ragout, simmered on the stovetop is just as filling when it contains beans instead of beef.  And while this dish could benefit from summer tomatoes, it loses nothing by the inclusion of the canned variety.

White Bean Ragout with Polenta

1 cup polenta

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 sprig parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can cannellini beans

1. Bring 4 cups of water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a saucepan.  
2. Add polenta in a slow steady stream  and cook while stirring for 2 minutes.  Cover and cook for 10 .minutes. Uncover and cook while stirring for 2 minutes.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Uncover and cook while stirring for 2 minutes.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Uncover and cook while stirring for 2 minutes.
3. While polenta is cooking, in a separate pan heat the olive oil.  Add the parsley and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Add the sage and tomatoes and cook for 12 minutes.
5. Salt and pepper to taste, then add the beans.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Serve the beans over the polenta. 
7. cook 5 minutes. Uncover and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Cover and cook 5 minutes; uncover and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve polenta with bean mixture.

Baby Visit!

It's time to promote Jurisbaby to Juristoddler, because there's a new Jurisbaby on the scene!  A couple of weeks ago, the Juris family welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world.  And I know she's beautiful, because I got to see her on Sunday. 

As far as babies go, her entry into the world was much less traumatic than her older brother, and so far she's proving to be an easier infant.  Juristoddler is growing into his role as older brother as best as one can expect of a 2 year old.  Which is to say, there are still tantrums and hysterics, but they tend to occur during periods where any 2 year old would likely behave in the same manner.

Mr. Jurisslave went back to work on Monday, so I dropped off some food with them during my visit so no one would have to worry about dinners this week.

Black Bean Chili

 

Italian Beef

 

Chicken Stirfry

 As we were about to leave to see Jurisfamily, Thatbaby pointed to a tray of hermits we had made the day before and asked if we could bring "tookies to Jurisbaby."  So at the last moment, I filled a container with these molasses, raisin, and nut cookies.

Mommy Mondays: Baking with Babies

I've mentioned before that Thatbaby is a fantastic kitchen helper.  It's a great way to keep him busy when I've got a lot in the kitchen to do, but it also works to give him a "job."  Toddlers love jobs.  Not so much jobs they have to do like "pick up your toys" but real grownup things.  Which is why you'll find that many toddlers love to imitate cleaning with brooms, vacuums, even washing dishes.

Obviously you can't send your toddler into the kitchen with a vegetable peeler and bag of potatoes and expect them to make french fries.  So how do you involve your child in the most dangerous room in the house?

Thatbaby and I have been doing a lot of baking with the past holiday season.  With that in mind, here is a recipe for how to make peanut butter blondies with your toddler, including steps on how to include them!

Peanut Butter Blondies

 2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp butter, room temp

1 1/3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1. Have all ingredients ready to go before beginning.  Turning to get your sugar from the canister is an almost surefire guarantee that you will end up with eggs on the floor.
2. Preheat oven to 350.  Have your toddler help you spray a square pan with baking spray.  They LOVE this.  If your little one doesn't have the dexterity or strength to push down the sprayer (Thatbaby doesn't), have them press down on your finger while you depress the sprayer.
3. YOU crack the eggs into an electric mixer.  (I learned this the hard way -toddlers hit those eggs a little too hard and they end up all over your kitchen floor).
4. Have your toddler pour the sugars into the electric mixer.  Make sure the bowl is very close to them, so they can dump the sugars right in without them getting all over the counters.
5. Have your toddler spoon/scoop the peanut butter into the bowl.  This is a good time to let them "lick something."  If they're busy with the peanut butter spoon, you can more easily dissuade them to leave the beaters alone.
6. Have your toddler hold a measuring spoon over the bowl as you pour the vanilla into the spoon, then they can turn over the spoon into the bowl.
7.  Thatbaby loves to turn on the electric mixer himself.  He is very skilled and can even follow directions as to "slow speed" or "fast speed."  However, if you're not comfortable with this, have them help you, by placing their hand atop yours as you turn the mixer on.  Beat well.
8. Let your toddler pour the flour, baking powder, and salt into a separate bowl.  Help them to give it a quick stir, and then dump it into the electric mixer with the rest of the ingredients.  Turn the mixer on slow speed and mix until thoroughly combined.
9. Thatbaby always wants to help me pour the batter into a pan. This ends up not being very helpful at all.  So my solution is to have him "hold the pan steady" on the counter as I pour the batter.  After, I give him a spatula and let him help smooth it out to all corners.
10. Let your toddler sprinkle the peanuts over the surface of the batter.  You press them lightly into the batter (toddlers aren't great with that light pressing).  Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool before cutting.

Sunday Run-Day: 2014

It is less than a week into the new year, and I'm already signed up for 3 races.  With more on the horizon.  It's going to be a big running year for me.

Not in quite the same way as the year I ran a race every month; I won't be racing that often.  But one of my 2014 resolutions is to run a sub-30 5k.  Which is funny, because I'm actually not registered for any 5ks for the year.  This is the year of long runs for me.  On tap are two half marathons, a 10 miler, a 12k, and a 10k.   It's also the year I get to make a big check mark on my "Race Bucket List" and I'm pretty excited about that!

This is also the year I'm going to be changing up my usual training plan. Usually when I train for long runs, I up my mileage during the week.  Running anywhere from 3-5 miles a day, with a longer run on the weekend.  But right now, there's no way I can get in that kind of mileage during the week.  As it is, I wake up at 5:30/6 to get a run in.  It's dark and cold at that time, and the sun doesn't rise till after I'm already home from the run.  I don't think I can get up any earlier!  When Mrs. Pirate trained for the AFC Half Marathon, she didn't up her mileage during the week, but added a mile on to her long run every weekend.  I'm going to give that a short and see how it works out in my first race of the year next month.

In order to accomplish these longer weekend runs, I've worked out a plan with Thatboy.  We're going to do a "beach morning" one day every weekend.  We'll head to the beach, where he and Thatbaby will play while I run.  Then I'll stay and play with Thatbaby while he head into the water for a surf.  We gave it a shot yesterday, even though I was just doing a little 4-miler. 

Christmas Recap

Here we are, in 2014, with Christmas over a week away.  So instead of doing a long-winded recap of the day, I figured I'd just do a quick recap with pictures, from the perspective of Thatbaby!

 

As far as Thatbaby was concerned, Christmas was filled with gifts, cousins, friends, and lots of fun!

Big Trees and Little Boys: Crock Pot Short Ribs

As I mentioned, we kept ourselves very busy during our Christmas trip to visit Thatboy's family.   Our first full day there, we headed out to Big Basin to check out the Redwoods and Giant Sequoias.  Otherwise known as "The Big Trees."

 

We're usually dwarfed by trees (heck, I'm pretty much dwarfed by bushes) but there's something really amazing about trees this large.  Trees that have been around for hundreds of years.  

Thatbaby enjoyed much of the hike, whether he rode on my back, Thatboy's shoulders, or walked.  But it was a pretty long hike for a little guy with short legs.  By the time we got to the waterfall, he was kind of tired and hungry.

He spent much of the hike back atop Thatboy's shoulders and was ready for a big meal when we got home.

Hiking always works up an appetite.  Something about the combination of exercise and fresh air.  We ended up with meatloaf that night, but hearty short ribs also fit the bill.  I've been using the crock pot a lot lately, and it's especially good for days when you're out all day hiking.  Because you get to come home to a nice hearty meal all ready and waiting!

Crock Pot Short Ribs

1 cup red wine

2/3 cup ketchup

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp brown sugar

4 lbs beef short ribs

2 onions, chopped

1. Combine the wine, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic and brown sugar in the slow cooker.
2. Add the ribs, stirring to coat in the sauce.
3. Distribute the onions over the ribs.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

Happy 2014!

May the New Year bring you everything that 2013 lacked, as well as all the things you loved about the past year.

I hope you find yourself surrounded by the love of your family, the support of your friends, and the spirit of good health.