Parker's 7 Month Picture

As P gets older, taking these photos has gotten harder. He will not sit still! He kept crawling all over the place and trying to grab Tuan's camera. Finally, I discovered that if I put him on his back it would take him longer to sit up and get his bearings so we can get the shot. Next month, I'm going to try to find a cool chair so he can stand up.

 

[Look how serious my little man looks in this photo. He's totally giving model face.]

 



 

[Giant drool action shot]

Gourmet Baby Food: Recipe for Turkey with Chestnuts and Apples

I am so excited about finally being able to make something from the Gourmet Bebe cook book. I wanted to make this for Parker a week ago but it took 3 days and 4 grocery stores for me to track down the chestnuts needed for the recipe. Why are pre cooked chestnuts so hard to find? After scouring Sprouts, Vons. Trader Joes and Albertsons, I finally finally found chestnuts at Ranch 99. I was so mad that I couldn't find them and then I remembered that Chinese people love snacking on chestnuts (thanks to my travels in Macau for that tidbit!). Not only did they have cooked chestnuts, they have multiple varieties of ORGANIC chestnuts. Needless to say, I was really effin' happy when I found them. Anyhow, the final product was a delicious puree that Parker scarfs down like nobody's business. I also made Tuan and my SIL try it before I pureed it and they both gave it a thumbs up. See? Pureed meat doesn't have to take bad! Go buy this book. You baby will thank you from saving him from the land of boring, bland baby food.

Turkey with Chestnuts and Apples

Original recipe from Gourmet Bebe by Jenny Carenco

Ingredients

4 apples, washed, peeled and chopped

1 turkey breast, cubed

2 teaspoons of finely chopped shallots

1 teaspoon of sunflower oil

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger

1/2 teaspoon of cloves

1 cup of precooked chestnuts

[The ingredients minus the chestnuts because I forgot to include them. Mom fail.]

[Step 1. Wash and peel the apples. Remove the cores and chop the fruit into pieces.]

[Step 2. Brown your chopped up turkey in a saucepan over medium heat with the shallots and sunflower oil.]

[Step 3. Check on your sous chef. Parker is in his new Phil and Ted's Poppy Highchair!]

[Step 4. Add the spices, stirring with the turkey for 1 minute until evenly distributed. Then add chestnuts and apples. Fill pan halfway with water, bring to a boil and lower the heat to simmer for 15 minutes.]

[Step 5. Remove from heat and blend until you have a smooth puree.]

[I fed a bit to Parker for dinner and froze the rest. There was enough for 2 1/2 of these trays. The puree tastes great when reheated. Yum! There could not be a more delectable way to incorporate fall flavors into Parker's baby food.]

Check out this comprehensive list from Baby Got Stuff for more nutritious food ideas for your baby!

Snooze Del Mar

Last Sunday, Parker woke us at at 7:00 AM with his crazy rolling, hitting and constant chatter. Since we were up so early we decided to grab some breakfast at the new Snooze location in Del Mar because Tuan was craving crispy pancakes. We arrived at 9:00 AM and the wait was about 15 minutes for our party of 3. That's not bad considering the wait at the Hillcrest location is usually about 1/1.5 hours by 9 AM. Besides the location, here are some other differences between the two locations.

Del Mar

-Mostly families vs. mostly hipsters in Hillcrest

-Large covered patio seating area

-Balloon artist

-Easy parking

-PANCAKES ARE NOT CRISPY! Wahhhh

-Service was slow but that was expected because they have just opened on Sept 6. I'm sure it will be better in about a month.

Overall, the experience was good and Parks had a good time watching all the other kids running around. One of the hostesses came over at the end of our meal to ask us about our experience so we gave her some feedback that she said was helpful. I appreciated that! Next time, hopefully the blueberry pancakes will be crispy.

[Awkward husband]

[Awkward baby]

[Delicious chai latte]

[Cheers to good caffeine! Notice my button down shirt which I wore just in case I had to nurse. Thankfully I didn't :) ]

[Waited so long for our food he started eating his bib]

[Munching on a mum mum cracker]

[I ordered the Sandwich I Am. Sandwich I Am. Description: Udi’s soft pretzel roll filled with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and a sausage patty, served with a side of smoked cheddar hollandaise & house hash browns. Yes we can!]

[Tuan ordered the breakfast pot pie. Description: Breakfast Pot Pie Snooze’s homemade rosemary sausage gravy smothers a flaky puff pastry, topped with an egg your style (we’d say sunny side up!). You’ve reached breakfast bliss, complete with hash browns.]

[Letting Parker have a drink of water]

[Blueberry Pancake you should be crispy!]

Snooze - Del Mar Location
http://www.snoozeeatery.com/delmar-san-diego
3435 Del Mar Heights Road
San Diego, CA 92130

Losing the Baby Weight - 27

It's been a couple months since I last updated you guys on my post pregnancy weightloss. Life has been a little more hectic since going back to work full time. Well, this morning while I was picking out my work clothes in the dark, I pulled out a pair of jeans from my closet and to my surprise they fit and were comfortable. These aren't even stretchy jeans! I'm pretty jazzed about this morning. I'm only a couple of inches away from being able to fit all of my old jeans/trousers/pants now and I have less reservations about investing in new clothes. Woo hoo! Happy friday :)