Pack Up All Your Care And Woes: Grilled Chicken Sandwich

While you're reading this, there's a pretty good chance I'm sitting in a car.  Heading home.  And there's an even better chance that I am so thankful to be heading home.  We spent the past weekend with the inlaws in Yosemite, a trip I'll be recapping over the next few days.  The inlaws and a toddler.  Which explains the eagerness to be home.

But before we get to the recaps, I thought I'd share a pre-cap!  I take my packing very seriously.  I tried to pack lightly before, but now that we have Thatbaby's gear in addition to my own I try to go even lighter!  So this is my stash for a 6 day "camping" trip (if your idea of camping includes staying at a lodge in a National Park).

*Cardigan for chilly nights

*Button down shirt which can be worn as a coverup, light jacket, or for cooler weather

*tank tops

*maxi dress for a night out

* bras and underwear

*swimsuit

*jeans (regular and colored)

* pair of shorts

* pair of nylon pants for hiking

*windbreaker

*hiking boots

*sandals

As evidenced by my suitcase, I'm fairly simple when it comes to my vacation wardrobe.  But simple isn't always bad.  And most of the time, summer calls for simple.  Like a simple grilled chicken topped with the best tomatoes summer has to offer, citrusy mustard and juicy avocados.  Sandwiched between two slices of chewy sourdough bread and you'll agree that sometimes "light" is the way to go.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

2 Tbsp orange juice concentrate (thawed)

juice of 1/2 lime

1 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp cumin

2 breasts of chicken

4 slices of sourdough bread, toasted

red leaf lettuce

1 heirloom tomato, sliced

1 avocado, sliced

1. Combine greek yogurt, orange juice, lime juice, mustard, and cumin in a bowl.
2. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and grill 5 minutes on each side.  Cover pan and cook an additional 5 minutes.  Cut chicken into thin slices.
3. Spread a Tbsp of the yogurt sauce on two of the toasted bread slices.
4. Top each slice with lettuce, chicken breast slices, tomato slices, avocado slices, and the remaining slices of toast.

Mommy Mondays: Working as a Team

Discussions about future children should play a major role in any serious relationship.  Long before discussions about engagement rings and certainly before a baby is on the way.

Discussions about whether children are wanted, how many children are wanted, and parenting philosophies should be decided before the stress of parenthood actually sets in.

Some of our discussions during our dating relationship were ridiculous.  I vividly remember sitting outside my parents house having a heated fight with Thatboy about the age when our future children would be allowed to play with fireworks.  It degenerated into the absurd when Thatboy argued that even infants should be allowed to hold sparklers.   And when I stormed into the house and confided in my mother about our latest tiff, she merely looked at me incredulously and told me it was a little premature to be getting so worked up about this.  And she was right.  Fast forward over 10 years and this was a man who wouldn't let his son sit for months without pillows around him.

Others of our discussions were vital to the continuation of our relationship.  When I knew I was serious about Thatboy, I spoke with him about my dealbreaker - raising my future children in the Jewish faith.  And he was only too happy to agree, even though it meant a major falling out with his family.  It was our first decision that had us working as a team, against outside forces.

And really, that's what this post is about.  Because parenting is not a one person job.  I credit my ability to function as a parent to the fact that Thatboy is a tremendous partner.  It's more than being a good father, we are able to work together and allow each other to do so.

In the beginning this meant support for many of my decisions.  There was never discussion about breastfeeding - I wanted to do it, and Thatboy supported it.  Attending breastfeeding classes with me so he could be as knowledgeable.  And those fantastic classes helped teach him ways on which he could help out during those early days.  A role he took very seriously.  He even supported my decision as to when and how to wean.

He supported my decisions about how I wanted to labor, the use of medications, and he fought against medical interventions which he felt would lead me closer to an unwanted C-section.  He supported my decision to not allow anyone in the delivery room, or even the delivery floor, having our parents wait to meet Thatbaby until we were up on the maternity wing.

When we got home, Thatboy and I became a parenting team.  I was in charge of feeding the baby, and he took care of everything else - feeding us, keeping the house in order, diaper changes, the works.  When he went back to work, he had a baby in arms as soon as he came through the door.  Conversely, I allowed him to parent in his way.  I didn't insist on doing everything myself.  I didn't stress out if his way of doing something was different than mine.  If I left the house, I knew I would come home to a living child - he would work things out.  I supported him as a father the way he supported me as a mother.

And as Thatbaby has grown, we find ourselves working as a team more and more.  We are a united front - both to outside parties who may not share our parenting philosophies (like TBIL and TSIL who insist that children don't need nap or bedtimes) and against Thatbaby.  One of the tenants my parents passed down to me was that even when they didn't agree with the other's decision, they upheld it in front of us kids.  We're already doing that with Thatbaby.  In some ways Thatboy is stricter than I, in other ways I'm stricter than he.  We both have "rules" the other one doesn't agree with, but we both uphold the other's rules.  And we discuss in private our thoughts on them.

Working together really solidifies us as parents.  It makes things so much easier.  And I know it's going to make Thatbaby a happier, healthier child.

Beach Buddies: Jap Chae

I cannot stress enough the importance of having good friends.  Friends are the people who lift you up when you're down.  Tell you how beautiful you look when you've done your makeup in the dark. Pick you up from the airport when you're stranded.

I feel really lucky that I have great friends, and more importantly great friends with kids.  I often imagine Thatbaby being a teenager, hanging out with the same friends he did as a baby.  Heck, I've even already married him off to the unborn daughters of our friends, because the only thing better than being friends is being INLAW FRIENDS!

Thatbaby spent Sunday with one of his very good friends - Little LO.  L&O texted me on Saturday asking if we were up for a beach day on Sunday.  How could I say no to these faces?

The boys get a little shy at the beginning of our playdates, but they always warm up.  Especially when there are towers to smash!  L&O and I used pails to build towers and the boys very nicely took turns knocking them over.  Because destruction is the cool thing these days.

And when Little LO found a hole, Thatbaby was more than happy to join him in it.

Rumor has it, Little LO went home and slept for 3 hours.  We were not so lucky with Thatbaby.  With little catnaps in the car, and errands to run on the way home from the beach, we were treated with his usual nap-stravaganza. Which is fine.  It still gives me time to throw together some dinner.  Which was inspired by one of Thatmom's very good friends.

Thatmom lives in "University Housing,"  a development that is exclusive to faculty at the university she teaches at.  Which means many of her coworkers are her neighbors.  After Thatdad died, this meant that they could check in on her frequently.  And they did.  One of her coworkers is Korean and brought over some Korean comfort food.  It was my first experience with Jap Chae and it was delicious.  Filled with fresh vegetables and light noodles, it was something we enjoyed both hot and cold.

I'm not well versed in Korean food, so this is far from authentic.  But it's a pretty good "white girl's Jap Chae" and easy to recreate at home.  I will warn you that Thatbaby wouldn't touch this.  At all.  In the slightest.  Which is odd, because he likes chicken and he likes noodles.  But he wasn't interested at dinner.  And when I tried to send some to school with him, his teacher told me he was very upset with lunch.  He cried and refused to eat it.  Which isn't the end of the world.  It just means more for Thatboy and I!

Jap Chae

1 pkg thin rice noodles

1 chicken breast, cut into thin strips

7 Tbsp soy sauce

3 tsp crushed ginger

2 clove garlic, minced

2 carrots, shredded

1 zucchini, julienne 

1/2 red onion, sliced thin

3 oz shitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced

5 green onions, green parts cut into 1-inch strip

3 Tbsp canola oil

3 Tbsp sugar

sesame oil

sesame seeds

1. Cook noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes.  Drain and set aside.
2. Combine the chicken, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, ginger and 1 garlic clove in a ziplock bag.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp of the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and brown, about 5 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan.
4. Add remaining Tbsp of oil to the pan.  Add the carrots, zucchini, onions and mushrooms and stirfry for 3 minutes. Remove veggies from pan.
5. Add remaining soy sauce and sugar to pan.
6. Add noodles, stirring to coat.  Cook until noodles are heated through.
7. Add the meat and veggies to the pan with noodles and sauce, tossing to combine.
8. Drizzle sesame oil over noodles and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Circus Trains: Crab and Cream Cheese Won Tons

One of the benefits of being members of the San Diego Model Railroad Museum is access to their special "Family Days." Last Saturday was their "Circus Family Day" and we ventured to check It out.

There is no such thing as a bad day at the train museum for Thatbaby.  He loves watching the trains, pointing out the tunnels, the buses, the fire trucks.

And the museum is small enough that we're more than happy to let him run around the entire thing, again and again.

I was a little disappointed in the Circus aspect of the day.  The only thing circus about it were performances by some kids from a local camp that does circus/acrobatic classes.  Not that the kids weren't talented, they were.  There were mini-airealists:

And very flexible acrobats.

And stilt walkers wandering the museum.

But really, I was expecting more.  On the plus side, The Juris family met up with us and Thatbaby had a grand time taking Jurisbaby around the museum.

With a nice, long stop in the train table room.

I was so proud of both our boys, playing so nicely and sharing with the other kids.  Thatbaby didn't even want to leave.  But all good things must come to an end.

We came home and Thatbaby settled in for a nap while I worked on dinner.  Wontons are a weekend food for me because they're so time consuming.  But I love the snacky aspect of them.  And I wanted to make some crab wontons before the sweet summer crab was gone.  Crab Wontons.  The quintessential non-kosher food.  But they are absolutely fabulous.  And so easy to munch!

Crab and Cream Cheese Won Tons

8 oz cream cheese, softened

Meat from 2 clusters of snow crab

2 green onions, sliced

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp sriracha

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

won ton wrappers

Canola oil

1. Combine cream cheese, crab meat, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, sriracha, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Place 1 1/2 tsps of the crab mixture in the center of a won ton wrapper.  Dip your finger in some water and run along the edges of the wonton before folding it into a triangle and pressing to seal.
3. Bring in the two sides of the triangle to meet in the middle. Repeat with remaining filling and remaining won ton wrappers.
4. Fill a pot with 3 inches of canola oil and heat until it reaches 350.  Fry won tons for about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Movin' On Up: Spinach Artichoke Chicken

You may remember me mentioning that at Thatbaby's first swim lesson of the season he appeared to be the oldest and most advanced member of the class  (or you could pay absolutely no attention to my mentions of my child on this blog - and that's okay too).

In any event, after that class, Thatboy called to see if we could have Thatbaby moved up to the next level up - 21 through 36 months.  He's been taking this class for the past couple weeks.

The kids are much more independent in this class, and spend a lot more time underwater, fishing for rings or doing passes.

And Thatbaby is already showing improvement. Last year, and even his first week this year in the younger class, he got the arm movements down, but wasn't doing well with kicks. Now he's kicking up a storm. 

He's blowing bubbles and almost confident enough to jump off the side without holding anyone's hands. Almost.

And Thatboy is holding him less and less as he swims towards his ducky.

it's important to move up in life.  Staying in the same place means no improvement.  And the same holds true for recipes.  Most of us have favorite dishes that find their way not our tables again and again.  And there's nothing wrong with that. But sometimes it only takes a little change to bring it too whole 'nothin level.  Like the Artichoke Crusted Chicken I made a while back. So easy, so cheesy, so delicious. But add a little spinach to it and voila, it's like an entirely new dish!

Spinach Artichoke Chicken

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1/4 cup artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/4 cup frozen spinach, thawed, with excess moisture squeezed out
1/3 cup grated white cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.  Sauté the chicken breast for about 8-10 minutes, flipping once, or until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork.  Set aside.
2. Mix together the yogurt, artichoke hearts, spinach, and cheddar cheese.  
3. Spread the mixture over the sauteed chicken breasts.  Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

SUCCESS! And Pupusas

I have detailed our numerous attempts to recreate that first drive-in experience we had here in San Diego.  The one where Thatbaby magically slept through 2 movies, while Thatboy and I got to enjoy a date night.

All week I've been super stressed about getting an opposition to a motion out.  Mostly because every time I'd try to work on it my boss would either ask: "Why are you working on that?  I thought it was straightforward." "How come you're still working on that?" or, my favorite, ask me into his office to talk about one of our other cases.

Weeks like that are exhausting for me.  I hate being torn between being told not to work on something and being asked why I'm not working on something.  So as soon as the motion was done on Friday I texted Thatboy to see if he was up for a drive-in night.

Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more.

We headed out to see a double feature of "We're The Millers" and "The Wolverine,"  expecting that the little guy would be up during some point, and hoping it was during the first movie which promised less slashing.

But You Guys - he slept!  The entire time.  Fell asleep in the car on the way to the drive-in.  Stayed asleep as we drove through the Sonic drive thru to get drinks for the movie.  And even though he woke up during the movie, all he did was look around and go right back to sleep!

Not as successful was my pupusa attempt for our dinner.  When I posted my black bean pie I described it as a twist on a quesadilla.  This is another twist.  A pupusa is basically a stuffed tortilla.  A stuffed, homemade tortilla!  But I alluded to the fact mine were not altogether successful.  I had some issues with the dough - it was too thick and dry.  The thinner you can get this, the better.  Nevertheless, like many other things in life, the fact that the dough was difficult to work with and a little thick didn't change the fact that these were a big hit.  Thatbaby loved these.  He liked being able to hold them easily, something not so easy with quesadillas.  And he liked the fact they were filled with cheese.  Thatboy had two of them!  A salad makes the perfect pairing with these for a nice meal.

Pupusas

2 cups masa harina

1 cup queso fresca

1 cup water

1. Combine masa and water in a mixing bowl until smooth. Cover and let rest 5-10 minutes.
2. Shape dough into 8 balls.  Flatten each ball into a thin disc, about 6 inches in diameter.
3. Divide the queso fresca between four of the discs.  
4. Top each cheese covered disc with one of the remaining four discs, pressing the edges to seal.
5. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Cook each pupusa, one at a time, about 2 minutes per side, until the cheese melts and tortillas are browned.

Mommy Mondays: How to Make (or not make) a Baby

This is really only tangentially related to being a mommy - the road to getting there.  Which funnily enough, starts out with the road to making sure I didn't get there before I wanted to.  Yes friends, this is a post about birth control.

I've never been on any form of hormonal birth control.  Everyone who I know who has, has had some sort of problems - bleeding, bruising, skin problems, weight problems, and there was that one time we had to take my college roommate to the hospital because they thought her birth control may be causing her liver to fail.  It just didn't sound like something I wanted to put my body through.

So for *mumble mumble mumble* years, I resorted to condoms for birth control.  Which wasn't an issue for me, since condoms do things that hormonal birth control doesn't, like protect against STIs and STDs.

About 5 years ago, I heard about a book called "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" and picked up a copy.  It was life changing.   Mostly because I was terribly ignorant about the whole menstrual cycle.  I actually thought the egg hung around waiting to get fertilized for weeks, until it got flushed out of the system with the uterine lining.  That's not what happens.  The egg can only be fertilized in one, 24 hour period.  Meaning, there is only one day during the cycle that you can get pregnant.  Given that the sperm can live for up to 3 days, that means there are only 3 days during the month when sex can lead to pregnancy.  Crazy, right?

The book also talked about the fact that the length of cycles can vary.  Most health classes teach about a 28 day cycle, with ovulation on day 14 and then your period 14 days later.  Which is not the case for most women.

So what's the import of this information?  With the knowledge about your actual cycle - when you ovulate based on individual body signals as opposed to counting days, you know what 3 days during your cycle sex can lead to pregnancy.  So if you're looking to avoid getting pregnant, you don't have unprotected sex during these days.  If you're looking to get pregnant, these 3 days will give you your best chance.*  This method, known as the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), uses the signals your body gives that are related to your cycle - body temperature, cervical fluid, cervical position - to keep track of your actual cycle.

I kept track of these signals for a full year, charting them on an online site, Fertility Friend, before I felt comfortable enough to use it as our primary form of birth control.

And armed with that knowledge, we used this method to conceive Thatbaby.  In fact, the month Thatbaby was conceived we were running a fertility test.  We decided we were ready to have a baby, but didn't want a baby born during the holiday season - November or December.  So we decided to give it a go that month, and if I didn't get pregnant we were going to take a 2 month break on trying to conceive.  And we thought as long as we were just starting out, we might as well see if this FAM was all it was cracked up to be.  We had unprotected sex one time that month, the day I ovulated.  2 weeks later I was greeted with 2 lines on a pregnancy test.  And 9 months later we welcomed Thatbaby into the world.



* There is a lot about getting pregnant that is out of our control.  Fertility issues plague many couples, both for explained and unexplained reasons.  This post is not trying to make it seem like getting pregnant is easy - it isn't.  And simply charting isn't going to guarantee pregnancy.  But, with all the pregnancy factors that are out of our control, I think charting helps with the factors we can control.

Party Time!: Baked Penne

One of the reasons I was in such a hurry to get home from The Actress's baby shower was that I had another party to attend.  Have you ever noticed that's the case?  All your events inevitably end up scheduled for the same day?

And in this case I couldn't say no to either obligation.  Because how could I miss The Actress's baby shower?  And there was no way I was going to miss Little LO's birthday party!

For some reason, the fact that Thatbaby will be 2 in less than 2 months doesn't really phase me.  But the fact that Little LO is already 2?  Mind blowing!  

I'll probably post something similar every year, but it still amazes me to look at pictures of these two guys through the years.

There was their initial encounter:

Almost a year later at Little LO's first birthday party:

And over the weekend:

Every year they look so much older!!!!  I was so grateful to arrive at L&O's house for the party.  Thatboy and Thatbaby were already there.  And Thatbaby is so comfortable that he was running around playing, without needing Thatboy in attendance.  L&O is a fantastic party thrower.  The food was plentiful and the atmosphere was just so comfortable.  I sunk into a chair and didn't want to leave!  Luckily there will probably be another one of these next year to look forward to.

For Little LO's first and second birthday parties, L&O had a taco bar.  It's a brilliant way to feed a crowd.  Baked pasta is one of my go-to crowd feeders.  It's not nearly as fun as a taco bar, but with a couple of tweaks it can be so much more than your basic spaghetti and meatballs.  A rich, creamy sauce and lots of cheese are the secrets here.  But one bite and you'll see it's not such a secret.

Baked Penne

1 lb penne pasta

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

2 cup milk

1 cup mascarpone

1 1/2 cup parmesean (divided)

2 cups marinara

2 cups mozzarella, shredded

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350.  Melt butter in a skillet.  
3. Add the flour, whisking until smooth.  Cook for 1 more minute, until a nice paste forms.
4. Slowly add the milk, whisking to combine.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower heat and cook until thick and bubbly.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone and 1/2 cup parmesan, stirring until cheese has melted into the sauce.
6. Stir in the marinara and mozzarella until combined.
7. Stir the pasta into the sauce, tossing to combine.  Pour into a large baking dish.  Bake for 25 minutes.
8. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan over the pasta and bake for another 5 minutes.

All Day in the Car: Peanut Meringues

On Saturday I spent some time in the car.  A lot of time in the car.  More time in the car than out of the car.

You see, it was time for The Actress's baby shower!  Yay!

The Actress lives in LA.  Which is 2 hours away without traffic.  Luckily, on the way up, I hit that elusive no traffic.  I got there in plenty of time to catch up with The Actress, her family, and some of my old college acquaintances.

The Actress has been having some issues with contractions and is currently on bedrest, so she spent her party off her feet, sitting and letting guests come to her.

It makes me so happy to see The Actress happy.  She's the last in her group to have a child, so she was surrounded by mothers doling out advice.  Rather than feel overwhelmed she remarked how lucky she was to be surrounded by so many people who can help her.  Ever gracious.

I headed out to drive back home to San Diego.  On the way back I wasn't nearly as lucky as on the way up.  I hit traffic.  A lot of traffic.  It took me 4 hours to get back.  And THAT my friends is why I caution people against daytrips to Los Angeles.  Traffic is so unpredictable and can be really bad.

And I hate being stuck in the car in traffic.  I don't mind driving, but I hate not moving.  Especially when I have somewhere to be.  I used to be better about packing snacks for the car but it's been so long since I've done a long drive that I'm out of practice.  Which meant I got really hungry when I was stuck in the car for 4 hours.

Meringues make excellent car snacks.  They're filling, but you can also eat lots of them without feeling too bad about it since they're egg white cookies.   These peanut meringues were sitting at home while I was sitting in traffic.  I could have kicked myself for not packing some for the trip!

Peanut Meringues

1 egg white

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 300.  Beat the egg white until stiff.
2. While beating, slowly add the sugar.
3. Stir in the peanuts and vanilla.   Place heaping tablespoons on a silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake about 15 minutes or until dry. 

Celebrating with Copper: Garden Tortilla Soup

Thatboy and I did a lot of celebrating last night.  We ended up having a 4 course dinner and drinks inspired by my anniversary gift to him.

See, Thatboy and I have always stuck to the traditional gifts for anniversaries.  And the Seventh Anniversary is the Copper/Wool anniversary.  When I realized that I kicked myself for getting him a beautiful wool sweater for Christmas.  I should have saved it for this gift!  I was really stumped on what to get him.  When we were registering for our wedding he begged and pleaded to put a copper espresso machine on the registry.  Unsurprisingly at $2000 no one bought it for us, and it prompted Tesseract to ask if we were planning on opening a Starbucks.   I still felt like a commercial espresso machine wasn't probably something we needed but my efforts to turn up a personal copper espresso machine turned up nothing.  I thought of a wool blanket, inspired by the embroidered quilt Thatboy purchased for me for our Second (Cotton) Anniversary, but really - we are up to our elbows in blankets.

Eventually I settled on these:

Copper Mule Mugs engraved with our initials.  We're not habitual Moscow Mule drinkers, but they are our drink of choice when we visit Starlite, so I thought he'd like them.  I just didn't realize how much!  He exclaimed multiple times last night that he was so excited we owned mule mugs. When we got to the restaurant and saw mules on the menu we ordered them.  I had picked up ginger beer to go with his gift, so when we came home we had some more!

Thatboy wanted to capitalize on both the copper and wool aspects of the anniversary, so I got multiple gifts.

A new watch with copper accents (and copper links which would be under that little watch pillow).

And a new black wool coat (which I was in desperate need of!)  Thatboy had a heck of a time finding a wool coat in August.  I guess people in San Diego don't recognize the need for warm things in the summer.  I enjoy them year round - which is why you're being treated to another soup recipe.  In August.    And it's not even terribly original.  I've posted tortilla soup recipes before.  But this one takes advantage of fresh summer tomatoes, peppers corn, and avocado.  Making it so much better than my previous recipes!  I love roasting tomatoes for soup bases, which is why this technique may seem familiar to you.  It brings out a smokey richness that can't be matched.

Garden Tortilla Soup

16 roma tomatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

4 cups vegetable broth

1 chipotle chile in adobo, diced

kernels from 3 ears of corn

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Cut an X into all the tomatoes and place them on a baking sheet.  Drizzle olive oil over and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 45 minutes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper and sautee until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Add the veggie broth and diced chile.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Once tomatoes have cooked and cooled slightly, place them in a food processor and puree until smooth.
6. Add the tomatoes to the soup, cover, and simmer for an hour.
7. Add the corn and cook an additional 5 minutes.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve topped with crushed tortilla chips and avocado.

Lucky Number 7: Tequila Lime Chicken Tacos

7 years ago I woke up before the sun.  Not because of a crying child, but because I had to get ready for a very special day.  I day I would pledge, in front of friends and family, to love Thatboy with everything I had to give, for as long as I could give it.

It was an easy promise to make.  I had already given him unrestricted access to my heart.  2 years earlier I had walked with him along Half Moon Bay as the sun set and realized I wanted to grow old with him.  We had been dating for 4 years at that point in time, and it was only then I realized I loved him.

 

Prior to that moment we'd had discussions of marriage.  Most of which involved Thatboy questioning if I'd ever be ready, and me questioning myself as to whether I wanted to bind my life to this man.  We were so very young, with so much unknown in front of us.  

  It took 4 years to get to a place where I was sure.  Years where we learned to work things out, because nothing is ever easy in life.  Years of fighting and making up.  Years of struggle and peace.  I often joke that our marriage works because we had every fight you can have before we were married.  Now it's just rehashing the same things we've already done. 

Two years after that walk on Half Moon Bay, we made it official.  Exchanged rings and vows.  Celebrated with those close to us.  And the road since then hasn't been easy.  We've dealt with moves, loss of jobs and loss of family.  But we've also gained friends and family.  Weddings, births, and obviously Thatdog.  We're still learning new things about each other, even though I never would have thought it possible, and we're still learning to work together in our relationship.

Thatboy and I didn't get to eat at our wedding.  There was too much wandering from table to table, celebrating with our friends and family.  I don't think I had anything but champagne in my stomach the entire day.  Our coordinator noticed this, and rather than box us up something to take with us, she had a meal sent to our room.  Thatboy and I took a nap - in our wedding clothes, and woke up to a hot meal waiting for us.  We ate it on our balcony, overlooking the water, as husband and wife.

This is not that meal.  In fact, I haven't cooked on our anniversary ever!  And tonight is no different.  This meal, however, reminds me of our first anniversary trip to Puerto Vallarta.  Chicken marinated in tequila, topped with fresh strawberries and avocado, and wrapped in a warm tortilla.  It's the perfect marriage of sweet and sour, crunchy and smooth, warm and cold.  Things that just compliment each other. 

Tequila Lime Chicken Tacos

 1 chicken breast, sliced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup tequila

juice and zest of 2 limes (divided)

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander (divided)

1 avocado, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

4 strawberries, chopped

2 sprigs of cilantro, chopped

1 1/2 cups panko

4 Tbsp flour

1. Combine chicken, oil, tequila, juice and zest of one lime, and 1 tsp coriander in a ziplock bag.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2.  In a small bowl, combine avocado, tomato, strawberries and cilantro. 
3. Add juice and zest of remaining lime.
4. Season to taste with salt and peppe.
5. Preheat oven to 450. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Combine panko, flour, lime zest and `/2 tsp coriander in a bowl. 
6. Dip chicken in panko mixture and then place on baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.  

Mommy Mondays: 22 months

Weight: 28lbs 3oz (+ 20 lbs, 13 oz) - left over from two months ago

Height: 33" (+ 13")
Head: 19" (+ 5.65")

Sleep: Other than the waking up early, I can't complain.  He goes down easy for naps and bedtime, and sleeps the whole night through.

Eating: We are in the watermelon phase of summer where I feel like I'm constantly chopping up watermelon so we have a bowl in the fridge at toddler level.  He loves it.  He's been eating lighter this month - not as much, so I've been packing him smaller lunches for school.  Of course, as soon as I pick him up, he eats everything he didn't finish during the day.  So maybe it's more about distraction.  In more important news - Thatbaby is officially done nursing!

Best Moment: Our "train day."  He was so excited to ride the trains and see the trains at the museum.  I think he would have stayed there forever if I'd let them.
 

Monthly Wisdom:  Kids don't know the difference between "toy" and "not toy" so when you think your kid is getting bored, pull out something new for them - this month we blew up my exercise ball and Thatbaby has been having a blast rolling it, carrying it, sitting on it (with assistance), and bouncing on it (with assistance). 

Goals for the Upcoming Month:
- Still the babysitter. But we've started the process!

- Roadtrip!

- Camping with a baby.

Things Thatbaby is doing:
-  He's added "Your Welcome" into his please and thank you vocabulary.  Like thank you at first, we're not at the consistent stage yet, but it's adorable when he uses it.

- He is Mr. Bossy Pants lately.  "Sit here" "Thatdog shhhh" "Mommy arm."  We've had to institute "no bossy" into his vocabulary.

- He can open the fridge by himself.  Which means I have to hide berries in drawers but he can get his own milk.

- He loves to do everything himself "Thatbaby do it"  "Thatbaby hold it"

- He looks for people/things:  "Daddy aaarrrrreee you?"  (Daddy where are you?"

- He brings his stuffed animals to the table so they can eat (and drink) too.  He feeds them.

- He drinks "tea."  Jealous that Thatboy and I start the day with coffee and tea respectively, he wants in.  So I pour him some water in a little ceramic 1/2 cup measuring cup and he uses two hands to drink it.

- He takes "BEEG BITES" of his food.

- He's starting to develop a memory, so if you ask what he did, he just might tell you!