Christmas is For Kids: Lazy Carnitas

We got home from vacation just in time to head over to the Pirates for their holiday party.  Thatboy remarked that in the span of a year, the party guests ratio had changed.  We are now outnumbered by children.  Which isn't so bad considering that kids really get into the magic of the holidays.  We headed down to the beach to watch the tree lighting.

We actually ended up missing the lighting itself because the boys were going crazy on the playground.  We did catch a quick glimpse of Santa before Thatbaby flipped out screaming that he didn't want to see Santa.  I believe 2014 will be the year of no Santa pictures.  Instead we got a quick picture of the lighted tree before heading back to the Pirates.

Once there, the kids did a gift exchange and popped open Christmas crackers.  Which reminds me, I need to find that silly crown and tape it for him.  Or maybe I'll just wait until he remembers it.

Then the Pirates popped on some Christmas cartoons and the kids gathered around the firepit watching Rudolph and Frosty until their little eyes got droopy and yawns formed on their little lips.  Then we all went home and dreamt of sugarplums.

This pork is very un-holiday-ey.  Tamales are traditional for Christmas.  And I love tamales. But tamales are a little time consuming.  This is ridiculously easy.  And not so time consuming.  Usually when I make carnitas it's an all day affair.  For my crockpot.  This is a 15 minute meal, tops.  It probably can't really be called carnitas, it's just pork with taco seasonings.  But carnitas sounds fancier right?

Lazy Carnitas

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

1 pork tenderloin, cubed

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp oregano

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.
2. Add pork and spices.  Stir and cook for 6 minutes, until cooked through.

Just a Quick Weekend Getaway:Chicken Noodle Soup

I mentioned yesterday that we were anxious to get our decorations up because we were out of town last weekend.  It was just a quick trip, we left on Friday night and came back Sunday afternoon.  We didn't catch up on any sleep, and our Sunday was a whirlwind getting ready for the week, but sometimes you just need that break from the everyday.

We got to spend some great family time.  We spent Saturday morning at the Living Desert, one of our favorite parts of Palm Desert.  It was a great morning to be there, we happened in our feeding time, so we got very close and personal with some of the animals.  Like the giraffes.

Thatbaby had a request, he really wanted to ride on an animal at the zoo.  Seemed like an easy enough wish to grant.

But riding on a statue of a warthog wasn't good enough.  So we found him something a little more...mobile.

Riding a camel was the highlight of Thatbaby's day.  He loved every moment of it.  It makes me smile, because he is so like me in that regard.  Fearless when it comes to real animals, but terrified of costumed characters like Mickey Mouse. 

We spent the afternoon at the pool.  In December.  Completely spoiled, right?  Then in the evening we kind of attended the Palm Springs Parade of Lights.  It was completely coincidental and I would have avoided the crowds if I'd known better.  But I didn't.  And so we ended up eating at a restaurant a block away from the parade while Thatbaby and Thatboy ran up to look at the passing floats every 5 minutes.

It's hard to vacation in December.  You come home, still in vacation mode, knowing the holidays are right around the corner.  It's very demotivating.  All I want to do is, nothing.  I'm ready to just curl up on the couch with a blanket and movies.  Dinners here are going to get lazy my friends.  Soup lazy.  Soup lazy is the best kind of lazy, because you can even be lazy eating it.  Curled up on the couch with a blanket and movies. 

Chicken Noodle Soup

1/2 bag of egg noodles

1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced
28 oz chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp basil

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.
2. While noodles are cooking, place the chicken, onions, celery, carrots and mushroom in a crockpot.
3. Stir in the broth, cream, oregano, thyme, and basil.
4. Season with salt and pepper.  Cook on low for 8 hours.
5. Stir in egg noodles and serve.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas: Sesame Maple Ginger Tofu

As soon as we got home from Thanksgiving with my family it was time to get ready for Christmas.  We had a trip planned for the first week of December, so in order to enjoy our Christmas decorations as much as possible, we got right to it.  By the time Thanksgiving weekend was over, our home looked like this:

It's bright all right!  There are other houses decorated on our street, but ours glows like the sun.  We continued the light show inside:

We poured hot chocolate, turned on Frosty the Snowman, and decorated the tree.  Thatbaby was especially helpful this year, as the lower right corner of our tree can attest.  He loves every ornament on the tree, declaring each his favorite.  And he loves to turn on the tree every night when we get home from school. 

The one thing our new home is missing is a fireplace.  Which makes me a little sad, because I do love to curl up in front of a nice fire.  But it's especially detrimental during the holidays.   How do you hang your stockings by the chimney with care if there is no chimney?

I made my own stocking holder!  So not so much "by the chimney with care" but now at least they're hung!

Thatbaby got into his own holiday crafting.

Last night I made this tofu dish that is on our regular rotation.  And I realize I've never shared it here.  It's not even mine to share really, it's one of Cara's dishes.  To give you some perspective, she posted this back in 2010, and we've been eating it regularly since then.  It's a tofu dish that even my picky tofu eaters like.  Thatboy likes the fact that it's not mushy, and Thatbaby likes the fact that it's soft and flavorful.  I like the fact that it's easy.  I usually toss it with some vegetables that I roast with the tofu.  Just throw some brussels sprouts or broccoli on the baking sheet before you pop it in the oven.

Sesame Maple Ginger Tofu (From Cara's Cravings)

1 block extra firm tofu, pressed, cut into 1 inch squares
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBSP tahini
1 TBSP soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 TBSP pure maple syrup
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 TBSP sesame seeds
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 475.
   
2. Line a baking sheet with foil, spray with nonstick cooking spray and add the tofu cubes.
3. Lightly spray the top with more nonstick cooking spray and season with salt & pepper.
4. Roast for 10-12 minutes, or until the pieces of tofu are lightly browned on the bottom. Turn the pieces over, and roast for another 10 minutes.
5. Whisk tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup, vinegar, sesame seeds, ginger, and pepper flakes in a small bowl until combined.
6. Remove the tofu from the oven, and toss with the tahini mixture.
7. Pour the the tofu back on the sheet, and drizzle the remaining sauce on top. Return the sheet to the oven and roast for another 5-7 minutes.

Mommy Mondays: Don't Leave Me!

Separation anxiety.  If you're a parent, you know what I mean.  It raises its ugly head in so many different ways. 

Around 5 months, your child first begins to realize that you're not always around.  And usually that's not a happy discovery.  But separation anxiety arises slightly later.  At 5 months, a child realizes you're gone.  At 8 months, the child is capable of realizing you're leaving.  And that's where separation anxiety kicks in.

If you work outside the home, then chances are, you've experienced this at daycare dropoffs.  But moms who stay at home aren't immune to separation anxiety.  It's not like they never leave their children!

And separation anxiety is not a one time thing.  It comes in waves, peaking at different points.  For us, it was most intense at 13 months.  During which time, if we sat Thatbaby down on the floor for a moment, he became hysterical.  But it showed up again at 18 months.  And every now and then we still get glimmers of it.

So how do you deal?  I've heard so many different solutions.  Most of which involve ignoring and walking away.  Like ripping a bandaid off.  I can't say that this is a good or bad solution, and I think it's situation specific.

What we did was exactly the opposite of what is recommended.  Instead of leaving a crying child, I stayed.  "2 minutes" was the refrain.  And although I never actually stayed for 120 seconds, sometimes longer, sometimes less, it worked for us.  My child needed a little bit of acclimation time into his surroundings.  And once he was comfortable, he was okay with me leaving.  This is obviously not going to work for every child, but it harkens back to my constant mantra - figure out what works for your child and go with it.

It also helps to have really great caregivers - daycare providers, family, whoever you're leaving your child with.  We've been really lucky with that.  At daycare, as soon as I was ready to leave, Thatbaby was whisked away to pick out a special toy or look at pictures.  When we left him with a babysitter, she likewise would pull out something special to play with.  Distraction works wonders.


And my last words of advice, remember.  It's just a phase.  It won't last forever.  

Sunday Runday: Have Shoes Will Travel

One of my favorite things about running is that you can do it anywhere.  And so I do.

Every time we travel I throw some running clothes and my vibrams in my suitcase and I take any opportunity to hit the road of my new surroundings.

It's one of the best ways to get to know wherever you are.  Take in the sites and see the community.  I remember running around Victoria, BC, up and down neighborhoods and out to the ocean.  Or through low country Savannah, underneath Spanish moss hanging from trees.

I'm lucky enough to live close enough to the coast that most of my runs are beside the beach and the ocean, so I'm especially grateful when we travel somewhere with different scenery.  Like this weekend when we were in the desert, surrounded by mountains.  Running through such beautiful surroundings makes my runs more interesting.  When you run the same route over and over it becomes...rote.  You stop appreciating the beauty around you. 

On top of that, running on vacation is a great way to start the day.  You know how good you feel after a nice run?  Well imagine that after a great night's sleep in a hotel bed, with a yummy filing breakfast to look forward to.  And all that endorphin fueled energy propelling you through the rest of the day.

So the next time you pack for a trip, go ahead, throw a pair of running shoes in there too.  You might not use them, but think of the adventure that lies ahead if you do.

Photo Bomber:Egg Noodles with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese

 

 

One of my favorite new holiday traditions we started last year is family pictures.  Technically we started this right after Thatbaby was born, but I don't know if I'm quite counting his newborn photo shoot.  

 

This year I started getting really anxious about getting our family pictures done in time, especially since our photographer of choice is due with her first child any day now, and I wasn't sure she'd be up to it during the one weekend we were in Orange County.

So we went on the search for a more local photographer and met Michele, who met us at the beach a couple of weekends ago.  Poor, poor Michele, who had no idea what she'd be getting in to with Thatbaby.   Our little photo-ham who refuses to do anything you ask him to.  Oh 3 is so much fun.

 

Our first mistake was going to the beach, a place with lots and lots of sand and rocks.  Which are far more interesting than taking a silly picture.

 Our other mistake was bringing a 3 year old.

At one point, Thatboy took off down the beach.  Michele must have thought we were derelict parents as we watched him run.  "Should I chase after him?"  "Naw, he'll come back."

Despite the fact that we had some difficulties, we did manage to get a decent family shot to use for our Christmas cards.  Photo success!

Equally successful is this pasta dish.  Which makes sense, because it has goat cheese.  And goat cheese is the opposite of taking pictures of a 3 year old.  Malleable, easy to use, makes everything better.  And unlike many mushroom pastas, this one uses portabellas.  Meaty, dense, rich portabellas.  Creamy, rich pasta, perfect for a cold winter night.

 

 

 Egg Noodles with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese

 1 package egg noodles

3 Tbsp butter

2 large portabella mushrooms, de-stemmed, and sliced

1 tsp salt

3 scallions, sliced

1 Tbsp flour

1 3/4 cup beef broth

1 cup sour cream

4 oz goat cheese

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Increase the heat to high and add the mushrooms and salt.  Saute about 5 minutes.
3. Add the white parts of the sliced scallions and saute another 3 minutes.
4. Sprinkle flour over the mushroom mixture and cook for a minute.
5. Add the beef broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.
6. Stir in the sour cream and goat cheese.  Partially cover and cook for another 3 minutes.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Stir in the noodles.
9. Sprinkle with the green parts of the sliced green scallions and serve.

Thanksgiving Wrap Up: Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Are you Thanksgiving-ed out?  Between you and I, I am.  Don't get me wrong, I love my family.  My crazy family.  And I had an absolutely lovely Thanksgiving, with good food, great company, and lots of laughs.

But Thanksgiving stretches out too long for me.  It starts Wednesday afternoon, and in my family carries on till Saturday night.  Because there are visiting relatives to spend time with, and so much to accomplish in a short period of time.  Friday we did breakfast out, then a disastrous Santa attempt, then some black Friday shopping.  The entire day was such a mess, it left a bad taste in my mouth.  And then we're rushing home on Sunday to try and get a million things done before we're right back into work on Monday.

So right now I'm more tired than I was last week before the break!  And I think I'm still full from those heavy meals, and pie upon delicious pie.  So now in the brief respite between holidays, I'm going with some lighter, easier dishes. 

This may be the second easiest quesadilla in the world.  Cheese quesadillas require a little less work, because they have only 2 ingredients, but they aren't as good as these. The secret to these are roasted corn.  If you're making them in the summer, roast your own.  If you're making them in December, go with frozen roasted corn  (Trader Joes has my favorite).  The sweetness of the corn is key and provides a nice counterpart to the savory beans and salty cheese.

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

1 cup black beans, warmed

1 cup roasted corn, warmed

4 tortillas

2 cups cheddar jack cheese, shredded

1. In a small bowl, combine the black beans and roasted corn.
2. Working 1 tortilla at a time, place the tortilla in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese over half the tortilla.
4. Top with 1/2 cup of corn and bean mixture.
5. Top with another 1/4 cup of cheese.
6. Fold the tortilla in half, covering the filling.  Cook about 3 minutes per side, until the tortilla is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
7. Repeat with remaining tortillas. 

Mommy Mondays: Favorites 2-3 years

It's that time of year again, time to start thinking about holiday gifts!  I know I start worry as soon as Thanksgiving passes.

For us, year 3 was the year of wheels, which is what Thatbaby's favorites reflect.

Lego Junior- Don't get me wrong, Thatboy is still a fan of Duplos, especially when it comes to building airships, but the past year he's graduated to the smaller Lego Juniors.  Maybe because the things they build are more interesting to him?  We're getting less towels and more things that look like the box itself.

Scooter- This is Thatbaby's current favorite wheeled vehicle. Given the choice, he currently only wants to scooter.  I think that's because he has the most control and can go the fastest on it, although he's still working on cornering.

Balance Bike- Thatbaby has a love hate relationship with his "green bike."  He likes it and it is his bike of choice, but he also gets really frustrated with it.  Partially because he wants the seat on the highest level, but then his feet don't touch the ground, so he can't actually use it.  I am a strong proponent of the balance bike as opposed to getting a bike with training wheels.  I really do not relish the thought of trying to teach a child to ride a bike, and this way I don't have to!  Lazy parenting at its finest.

Skateboard- Such a daddy/son bonding activity.  It's so cute to watch the two of them roll around the backyard, or go to a park.  In general, I wasn't the biggest fan of getting a 2 year old a skateboard.  Sounds too dangerous, but Thatbaby has really impressed me and I do think it has helped with his balance and coordination.

T-Ball Set - There is nothing more satisfying than the feeling of connecting the bat and the ball.  Thatbaby loves it.  His favorite thing is to put it on our top step and send the ball sailing across the back yard.

Pool toys - And we don't even have a pool.

Sunday Runday: Gifts for Runners

I'm really trying to get on the ball here this year.  Every year I think about doing a little gift guide, and every year I realize it's too late.

Now that it is officially the Christmas Season (because I refuse to acknowledge it before Thanksgiving) here are my favorite running related gifts, or gifts for your favorite runner.

Shoes - because let's face it, every runner uses them, and every runner goes through them.  I don't think there's such as thing as too many shoes.

iTunes Gift Cards - because good music makes you run faster.  It's proven.  Somewhere.

Warm running duds - I use the holidays as an excuse to stock up on my winter running gear.  Or get friends and family to do the same!  Running jackets and sweatshirts, long sleeved shirts, and running tights.  And yes, I know it's California, but it was 35 degrees the other morning when I left the house.  It gets cold!

Bib/Medal Holder - Thatboy got me this last year and I love love love it.  It's the best idea for your loved one who loves to race.  It keeps all your bibs and medals in a place, but also gives you the ability to show them off.

Race Entries - This is my all time favorite gift.  Because race fees add up.  And I always feel guilty about the costs involved.  So getting an entry as a gift helps cut down on the money I spend, and my guilt!

Earbuds - Maybe this is just me, but I go through these.  Yearly.  Or more often.  Last year I went through 2.  I blame it partially on the fact that I hold my phone when I run, which I think messes with the wiring.  But my latest pair didn't have wiring issues, the over-ear piece came off!  So maybe I'm just hard on them.

Safari Trip: Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

Last month Thatbaby asked to go to the zoo after nap.  He does that.  On the weekends he'll request that after nap we go to (Disneyland, Legoland, the zoo).  He usually has very sad weekends, because most of the time we have to inform him that after nap we will be cleaning the house, or going to the grocery store, or something else equally disappointing.

So when we came across a weekend with no plans, we conspired to give Thatbaby one of his wishes - a trip to the zoo (or in our case, the Safari Park).  Having an early riser meant we got there early, when the animals were a little more active than in the middle of the day.  We got a whole show with the lions.

Papa Lion was keeping an eye on the rest of the family.

Mama Lion started out with her cubs, taking a little nap, but when the kids started getting rowdy she moved to a more secluded location.

But as anyone with kids knows, there is no such thing as a secluded place when you're a mom.  Within moments the cubs came a-looking for her.

Family photo!

We also got a chance to check out the new Tiger Trail which gets you up close and personal with the beautiful big cats.

We visited the elephants and watched some youngin's tusk-wrestling, had some lunch, and then let Thatbaby cool down a bit at the splash zone.

We stopped off at the gorillas on the way out, to visit another baby.  Of course I didn't grab my camera when the mom was giving a piggy back ride to her teeny tiny baby, so you're stuck with this one of him sitting on her lap in the cave.  Which is hard to see because of black fur on black fur  (hair?)

Since we spent the day at the Safari Park, it cut down on our homebody time.  Which means that even though it was a weekend, I didn't have a lot of time for dinner making.  Instead, I popped the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it cook while we played.  I came back and we had soup ready to go!  I used enchilada sauce, which made it a little spicy for Thatbaby, so if you're spice intolerant, a can of tomato sauce would make a nice mild substitute.

Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

1 chicken breast

2 cups chicken broth

1 can enchilada sauce

1 can black beans

1 can diced tomatoes with chiles

1 cup frozen corn

1 onion, diced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt  

1.  Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 7 hours.  
2. Remove chicken, shred with forks, and return back to the soup.
3. Ladle into bowls and top with cheese, avocado, tortilla chips, and/or sour cream

Mommy Mondays: Still Nappin'

I have a very vivid memory of being 5 (or 6) and playing with my friend "J."  J had a little sister who was young enough to still take daily naps.  Obviously we "big girls" were way too old for such nonsense.  But J's mom worked out a deal with us, since the little sister wanted to be just like us, if we would lie down and pretend to nap, she'd make us a special snack.  I remember J and I giggling as we pretended to sleep, then crept out of the room and down the stairs.

I think back on those days now, because I'm trying to remember how old the younger sister was.  Because at 3 years old, Thatbaby is still taking daily naps.  And not just taking them, in desperate need of them. 

The terrible threes, or the wrath of the three-nager, means lots of whining and mega meltdowns.  These get even worse when he's tired.  And given that he's still waking up shortly after dawn, he gets tired in the middle of the day.  Which means without a nap, the afternoons are miserable and the evenings are even worse. 

On top of that, I need those daily naps.  They're my break to get things done, because nothing gets done with a toddler running around.  They're also my break from that whining and melting down I mentioned earlier.  Eventually, when he no longer needs the nap, I'll still probably institute a "quiet time" or "alone time" during that typical nap period.  But between you and I, I hope he keeps napping for a long time.  Then again, I wish I could still have daily naps too.