Very Cool Chair!

This was on babysteals.com today and I so wish I would have checked right away this morning, as it is all sold out. Uggg, I really want this! It normal costs $69.99, but babysteals was offering it for $34.99....I hope they offer it again soon!


Go & Grow Chair by Kristi G

Introducing the The Go & Grow Chair, brand new from Kristi G! Whether at soccer games, the beach, vacation, grandma’s house or in your living room - this chair can be used for years to come! It stores in a lightweight shoulder bag for easy portability and was designed with safety as a priority. Babies able to hold their heads up can start using the chair with the 3-point harness and grow into the chair all the way through school age (up to 75 lbs).

The Go & Grow chair meets and/or exceeds all safety standards set by the ASTM and CSPC. 

Consider how many times you'd like to feed your little one in the living room where the action is...this chair is the perfect solution with its with removable feeding tray and "take anywhere" portability. Brilliant!
Stage I - Sit & Relax
(3-6 months)

• Slight recline and side foam cushions stabilize head and body
• 3-point harness keeps baby safe and comfortable
• Link loop holes on arms to attach toys or pacifier
• Use with or without the tray or sun bonnet

Stage II – Stand & Play
Pre-Walkers (6-12 months)

• Seat cover is folded into the front skirt pocket to expose leg holes for standing and stretching
• 3-point harness keeps baby safe
• Safety bucket under the seat is used to keep baby’s feet clean, bug-free and safe
• Tray is great for snack time or to hold small toys
• Use with or without the tray or sun bonnet

Stage III – Big Kids
(up to 75 lbs)

• Seat cover is reattached covering leg holes
• 3-point harness is removed for older children and stores neatly in a pouch behind the back of the chair
• Safety bucket is stored neatly underneath the seat
• Use with or without the tray or sun bonnet

This anti-tip chair is designed for safety, with enclosed sides and extra-stable, angled legs. Made of rugged 600 denier nylon, for indoor/outdoor use. Supports kids up to 75 lbs. Imported. The Go & Grow chair meets and/or exceeds all safety standards set by the ASTM and CSPC.
Product Dimensions:
Open Size - 20.5 x 14 x 23.5
Folded Size - 12.5 x 10.25 x 24
Bag Size - 11 x 25 x 8

Shopping...

Grocery shopping that is! Excited, yes! Why? First, it had been at least three weeks (probably closer to four) since I had been really grocery shopping. Yes, the fridge and pantry were bare. Second, Ted and I got to do all of the shopping, two carts full, with out the boys (thanks Lois and Tom!). I stocked up on tons of fruits and veggies, meat for the week, and got some extra of everything to get ready for our vacation up north. I am going to make and freeze some meals that I can eat up there. Also putting together some yummy nut and fruit mixtures to bring. When we checked out the guy said it was the longest receipt that he has ever printed, yikes! Then we took our full car home (good thing the boys were not along because we even had bags in their car seats) and unloaded/put away everything in peace and quite. Ted went and got the boys and I stayed in the kitchen making two kinds of fresh salsa, cool cucumber salad, sliced and put into the dehydrator bananas, kiwi, mangos, and pineapples, and then made eight jars of dilly beans.

Recipes from this afternoon:

Fresh Salsa

• 2 large tomatoes - chopped
• 1/2 small red onion - chopped
• 1 small jalepeno - finely chopped
• 1 small garlic clove (optional) - minced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients together, stir, and serve. It does get better if you chill it in the fridge for a few hours. I usually double or triple this recipe because it goes fast! Love this once our tomatoes are ripe because everything but the spices and oil is from our garden! (I had to buy tomatoes today, but the peppers and onion were from our garden and I don't add the garlic because it makes me burp)

Blueberry Salsa

• 3 cups blueberries, divided (2 cups coarsely chopped, 1 cup whole)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 3 Tb chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 minced jalapeno peppers - minced and seeded
• 1/3 cup red bell pepper - diced
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Combine all ingredients together, stir, and serve. Yummy, blueberries are in season and so good right now!

Cool Cucumber Salad

• 8 oz penne pasta, cooked and drained
• 2 large cucumbers - thinly sliced
• 1/2 white onion - thinly sliced
• 1 Tb vegetable oil ( I used grape seed oil)
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1 Tb dried parley flakes
• 1 Tb prepared mustard
• 1/2 cup honey (this recipe calls for sugar but I substitute honey, if you want it a bit sweeter add more honey)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Mix the pasta, cucumber, onion, and oil in a large bowl. In separate bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients and stir until well combined, then pour over cucumber mixture. Chill for 3 hours and serve. This is such a great recipe to use up all of those cucumbers in your garden!

I love my BOYS!

Thank you Auny for taking such amazing pictures of my boys, we will cherish them forever! You have to check out Auny Pole Photography, she has a great website and an awesome blog. My boys had the best time and just so much fun, it was not at all like any other photo session I have had done. I actually didn't even start to sweat (moms, you know what I am talking about!). Here are a few of the pictures:

African Curry....kind of

Auny Pole just dropped off the beautiful pictures she took of the boys and mentioned that I haven't added a recipe in a while and I just made this the other night and then again today for lunch. Basically it was one of those nights where my fridge was bare and I had no idea what I was going to make so I thawed 1lb of burger. Then went out to the garden and picked a few yellow wax beans, a few green beans, and an onion. I had garlic and some carrots. Then to spice it, I took out my coriander, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg....this is what it turned into:

Brown hamburger with onion and garlic. Add chopped beans and carrots and saute until tender but still a bit crunchy. Add spices (as little or as much of each as you like, I went heavier on the coriander and lighter on the pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir it all together and let cook for a minute or two to get the spices infused.

To top it off I added chopped celery, currants, dried blueberries, dates, and sliced almonds. It turned out really good, a little sweet, a little spicy, and a little crunch all in one bite :)
This was fashioned from the recipe I have from Jen and Perry Numedahl and their African Curry.

SCD Waffles that are actually fluffy!

Yes, fluffy! At least fluffy in the SCD world, and so yummy. The almond flour gives it a wonderful nutty flavor. These are dairy, grain, and gluten free! The serving size is 6, but we doubled the recipe and it made 6 belgium style waffles with a little extra batter. Tip that I have learned while cooking/baking with almond flour is that you have to use a lower heat and cook for longer or else it burns on the outside and is still gooey on the inside. We will be making these again and again! I put honey and cinnamon on top of mine instead of syrup.

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• cooking spray

Directions

• Preheat waffle iron.
• Combine almond flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, and vanilla. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Grease preheated waffle iron with cooking spray
• Spoon batter onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden; serve hot.

Shorts

I made these shorts for Ethan yesterday. Ted calls him his funky shorts, but I think they are cute. Not only cute but functional as well, because they are also a diaper cover! Ethan seems to like them:)

Work in progress

Finished (except sewing in a few seams)

A few Diapers

Two for a customer (which I wanted to keep!) and one for Ethan

One Size AI2s

Black & White Circles

Iced Girrafe

Ethan wearing Retro Owls

Time for Breakfast

Blueberry Muffins, these were a HUGE hit and we will be making these and trying different fruit/nuts!
3 cups almond flour
2 large eggs
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (can substitute blueberries for chopped bananas, peaches or other fruit)

Preheat oven to 300. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
In a food processor, puree the almond flour, eggs, butter, honey, baking soda, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Gently fold in the blueberries. With a big spoon, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and set. Serve warm or at room temp.

Blueberry Muffin Homemade Cereal
4 Blueberry Muffins (from above recipe)
1/2 cup raw unsalted walnuts, lightly toasted
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted
1/2 cup home-dehydrated banana chips, raspberry slices, or favorite fruit
1/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 200.
Crumble the muffins onto a parchment-lines cookie sheet. Toast in the oven for about 30 minutes, until crunchy. Allow to cool completely.
Mix the muffins with the nuts, coconut, fruit, and raisins. Very good sprinkled on top of homemade yogurt with honey drizzled on top.

Cinnamon Pancakes
1 cup cashews (unsalted) - I love to use pecans instead of cashews, but either way these are very tasty!
3 large eggs
2 Tb homemade yogurt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tb honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
coconut oil or vegetable oil

Grind the nuts into a paste in food processor. Add the eggs, yogurt, baking soda, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt, and blend well.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-low (these will burn easy, so lower and slower for cooking is best). Pour the batter into small pools and cook for 2-3 minutes, until golden. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Serve hot, drizzled with honey.

What's for dinner?

Here are some of our seafood favorites for a very tasty, filling supper.

Seared Ahi Tuna with a Sesame, Avacado, Ginger sauce
4 Ahi tuna steaks
salt
cayenne pepper
2 Tb sesame oil (or toasted sesame oil)
1 garlic cloved, minced
1 Tb grated ginger
1 Tb grated orange zest
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 Tb homemade dijon mustard or wasabi
1 Tb honey
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, cubed
1/2 small red onion, minced
1 Tb snipped fresh chives
2 Tb currants
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 Tb black sesame seeds, toasted (I leave this out)
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat grill to high.
Season tuna steaks with salt and cayenne. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side for rare. Set aside and let rest for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, garlic, ginger, zest, juices, and mustard.
If you want to, cut the tuna into small dice and put in medium bowl and add the honey, avocados, onion, chives, currants, half of the cilantro, and half of the sesame seeds and then pour the dressing from the small bowl over top and mix thoroughly. I leave the steaks hole and just add all of the ingredients in one bowl and put about 2 large spoonfuls on top of the hole tuna steaks. Either way, this dish is amazing!

Swordfish Steaks with Mango salsa
4 Tb olive oil
Four 8-oz swordfish steaks, about 1 inch thick
salt and pepper
1 large ripe mango, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice

Heat grill to high.
Using oil 2 Tb, coat the swordfish steaks all over. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for about 8 minutes per side, until browned and cook through. While fish is cooking, mix together the remaining 2 Tb oil, mango onion, avocado, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, and lime juice. Set aside.
When the swordfish steaks are cooked, top with a generous mound of mango salsa. Enjoy!

Pecan Encrusted Salmon
2 Tb olive oil
1 large Salmon fillet or 4-6 salmon fillet planks
4 Tb brown mustard
1 Tb honey
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil. Using a pastry brush, spread oil over the tin foil. Set salmon on prepared foil. In a small boil mix mustard and honey (use less mustard if you want it sweeter or less honey if you want it tangier). Using the pastry brush, brush the salmon with the honey mustard mixture. Sprinkle the pecans on top. Loosely close the tin foil around the salmon and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the thickest part flakes with a fork.

My Kids LOVE Juice....

...and of course I am not a huge fan of all of the sugar added to juice. So, as I have been modifying our diets and trying to get rid of unnecessary added sugar I have come across these super good drink recipes that my kids (and myself) LOVE.

Lemonade (not sure what kid doesn't like lemonade)
1 cup honey
1 cup water
juice from 6 lemons
14 cups water

heat the honey and 1 cup of the water in a large pot until the honey is well combined with the water. Let cool and add the lemon juice. Add the rest of the water and keep in airtight bottles in the refrigerator. If concentrated lemon cordial is desired, only add 4 cups of water after boiling and then serve over ice, diluting the cordial to the desired strength.

Raspberry Cordial (my favorite!)
1 3/4 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup honey
juice from 2 lemons
4 cups boiling water

Heat the raspberries and honey in a medium saucepan slowly and cook covered for 15-20 minutes until fruit has released all its juices. Let cool, then line a large sieve with four layers of cheesecloth and strain the juice, squeezing  the cloth gently until all the juice has been extracted. Discard the pulp. Juice the lemons and strain them into the cordial. Add boiling water to the mixture. Bottle and refrigerate. To drink, place ice into a large glass, add 1/4 cup cordial and fill with cold water. Can use soda water if you prefer (my kids think it is pop with the soda water).

We like to make our own orange juice, and the boys love juicing the oranges...plus how easy is it to just cut up a bag of oranges in half, juice them, put them in a pitcher and you have orange juice....that and it keeps my boys entertained and behaving for a good 30 minutes :)

Recipes

Yesterday I felt great! It has been about month now since I could say that. My power cord is no longer working for my laptop so I have been disconnected from "the world" for about a week (new cord should be here tomorrow!), so I am posting this from my mom's house. I have more recipes that we have tried and liked at home and will put them up when I get a chance.

Good Morning Breakfast Bars (I made these for Easter)
1 cup honey
1/3 cup butter
1 cup mixed nuts (raw nuts, whatever you like)
1 cup shredded coconut (not sweetened!)
1/2 cup pitted dates - chopped
1/2 cup pitted prunes - chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots - chopped
1 tsp vanilla (make sure it is just vanilla and alcohol, no corn syrup or anything else!)

Preheat oven to 360

Line 8 inch square cake tin with baking paper

Heat honey and butter in a saucepan, stir until butter has melted and is well combined with the honey. Turn off the hear and add all the other ingredients. Mix well and pour itno the prepared cake tin. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool in refrigerator until set. cut into bars and store between baking paper in an airtight container in refrigerator.

These bars need to be eaten straight from the refirigerator as the soften too much with warmer temperatures.

More to come, Trevor just asked me to play tractors and to stop doing the computer!

Too Much Sugar

Ted and I are all too guilty of over treating and have made it a goal to get this back in control. I feel like the boys are starting to think that sugar is a staple in their diets. Not good! I have cleaned out our pantry and my baking cupboard and am pleased with the outcome. Out of site (meaning out of our house), out of mind! I have found that they boys think it is a "treat" to play water guns outside, do sidewalk chalk, or make playdo, just as much if not more than an ice cream cones or lots of candy. With Easter right around the corner, I have opted out of filling their baskets and eggs with candy. They will each get one chocolate bunny and then I will fill the eggs with stickers, egg shaped sidewalk chalk, some seeds to plant in the garden, fruit snacks, goldfish crackers, etc. The fun is in finding the eggs anyway!

One more thing that I need to stress is that you can't put sugar in front of a toddler or child and tell them not to eat it if they don't want it.......What kid does not want sugar??!!! Of course they want it, but that doesn't mean they should be consuming it!! Would you put that much sugar and junk into your own body? I hope the answer would be no, so then why does it make it okay to put it into someone that is less than a quarter your size? This is the age where healthy habits, in all aspects of life, are LEARNED, we need to be the best teachers we can be!

Comfy Belly

This site/blog has all kinds of really yummy looking SCD recipes, mouth is watering!
Comfy Belly
I think I will try to make this for Easter:

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of fresh or defrosted cranberries
• 5 tablespoons of butter
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup of honey plus 2 tablespoons
• 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (I used half & half yogurt)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 eggs
• pinch of salt (in the cake batter)
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 2 cups of almond flour

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 310 degrees F.
2. Place the cranberries, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of honey in a large frying pan and cook about 5 minutes, until the cranberries just slightly tender.
3. In a bowl, blend yogurt, eggs, 1/2 cup of honey, and vanilla together. Next, add 3 tablespoons of melted butter and blend well.
4. Add all the dry ingredients (flour, baking  soda, and pinch of salt) to the wet mixture, and blend well.
5. Separate the cranberries from the juice that formed when cooking. In a buttered baking pan (I used an 8 inch spring-form pan) or spring-form pan (I also add a circle cut-out of parchment paper to the bottom of my pan) place the cranberries on the bottom. Lay them out fairly evenly.
6. Next, pour the batter over the cranberries until covered. Even out the batter.
7. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the center is not wiggly. The top will be starting to brown and a toothpick will come out clean. Cool completely and turn over on to a plate.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet

So I just found out that I have ulcerative colitis and have been doing a little research on what the heck it is and how can I get better. I joined a support group and kept reading so much about the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and decided to give it a try. Basically I feel like what I eat is the only thing I have control over when it comes to this disease so I am going to make sure that I am putting the best things into my body so that I can get over this flare up as soon as possible and hopefully not have another flare up for a long long time (if ever?!?). I won't go into much detail, because you can google it if you want to but basically the easier something is for my body to break down the better...so that means simple carbohydrates and to stay away from complex carbohydrates.

Here is a basic list of foods that are "legal" (but again this still might vary from person to person and will have to be a sort of trial and error type of thing):
Meats, Poultry, Fish, Eggs
Butter, Whipping Cream, Half and Half, Homemade yogurt (it has to ferment for 24+ hours instead of the mere 4 hours that store bought yogurt ferments), hard aged cheese (like cheddar and parmesan), dry curd cottage cheese, homemade ice cream
Fruits (the softer the better while flaring and you can cook them so they are soft, eating a lot of really ripe bananas right now also had some mango)
Vegetables (cooked and seeded...trial and error, staying away from "gassy" vegetables right now)
Dried beans (while not flaring if tolerated)'
Fresh squeezed juice, welches grape juice, dry wine, clear liquor
Honey (this is the sweetener..NO SUGAR!)

So far it is going pretty good, I am looking forward to making my own yogurt and cream cheese! Here are a few recipes that we have had and really liked (the boys included):

Pancakes:
1 1/4 cup almond flour
3 large eggs (beaten)
4 Tb honey
2 Tb vanilla (make sure the vanilla is just vanilla and alcohol...nothing else!)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 Tb butter

Mix everything except butter until pancake batter consistancy. Melt butter and use a little at a time in your pan or skillet. This recipe is better if you make smaller 2-3" sized pancakes, flip when bubbles start forming. Enjoy with honey or fruit if you can tolerate it (Landon liked them plain).

Parmesan Squash
1/2 cup chopped green onion (I didn't use this)
2Tb butter
3 cups mashed, cooked winter squash (like acorn or butternut)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 eggs, beaten
1 to 2 Tb honey
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp pepper

Heat oven to 305, Oil 3 qt casserole dish. Cook onion in butter until tender, set aside. Mix squash, cheese, eggs, honey, mustard, and pepper (also onions if you use them). Pour into greased dish and bake for 30-40 minutes or until set.

Salmon Fillet
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tb EVOO
3 cups chopped tomatoes (skinned and seeded if necessary)
1 cup chopped onion
1 large garlic clove
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1 Tb honey
salt, pepper, parsley

Chill fish in a little lemon juice and sprinkle it with salt. Heat oven to 350.
Saute onion, garlic, and spices in oil. Add tomatoes, honey, and lemon juice and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour sauce over fish, season with salt, pepper, and parsley. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

(Very good! it also called for olives but Ted doesn't like them and I don't love them so I left them out)

I have also made some gluten free muffins, gluten free pasta with pesto (my boys really like pesto sauce and I added shrimp for them because they love shrimp).

One thing that I could not live without right now is my Advocare meal replacement shakes. Tons of vitamins and minerals, TONS of protein and very easy to digest.

More recipes to comes...as I try them and if we like them!

Here are some ideas that I look forward to making and trying

Breakfast ideas:

Banana pancakes -1

Pear pancakes - 1

Butternut squash pancakes-2

Nut butter pancakes-2

Nut butter cake/muffins -2

Scrambled eggs - I

Hard Boiled Eggs - Intro

Dairy free smoothies - 1

Pear sauce - 1

Soup in a Mug - Intro

Lunch and Dinner ideas:

Broiled hamburger patty - Intro

Broiled Chicken Burger - Intro

Baked Chicken - 2

Roast Chicken (meat only) - Intro

Chicken Pancakes - Intro

Sneaky muffins w/chicken w/o flour-Intro

Chicken carrot soup - Intro

Well steamed carrots - Intro

Pureed Carrots - Intro

Mashed butternut squash - 2

Squash French fries - 2

Carrot curls/chips - 4

Egg pizza (varies depending
on ingredients)

Snack ideas:

Nut butter cake w/o flour-2

Pear sauce - 1

Apple sauce - 1

Ripe bananas - 1

Squash French fries - 2

Carrot curls/chips - 4

Nut butter muffins - 2

Boiled eggs - Intro

Dairy free smoothie - 1

Gelatin/Jigglers - Intro

Squash Buttons - 2

Nut-free Dairy-free bread -1

My Boys

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my biggest boy...Ted, I hope 27 is a wonderful year for you!

Just wanted to write down a few things the boys have been saying and doing before I forget!

Landon: I wish Christmas was over...translation, he is ready for winter to be over

Landon: You look like a real princess in that dancing dress...I had on my bridesmaid dress for my sisters wedding, he asked me the next 3 days to wear that dress.

Trevor: moved on from I love you to the moon and back to...I love you more than all the cookies and candy in the world

The other day Landon wanted Trevor to marry him:
Landon with a plastic soccer ball ring: Trevor, will you marry me?
Trevor: No.
Landon: Trreevor, will you marry me?
Trevor: NO!
Landon (whinning): But Trevor, you are my favorite and I love you the most.
Trevor: NNnnnOOooooo!
Landon: Mom, will you marry me?
Me: I would love to marry you, Landon then puts the ring on my finger

Trevor: He was nursing his baby doll the other day, lifted his shirt and everything.

Ethan: Trying to walk more than crawl now, unless he wants to get somewhere fast. He is saying mama, dada, bu bu (for bye bye), waving, pointing, also says ba (for ball), and LOVES being outside!