Fat Actress

well, like renee and charlize before him, henry is in the business of needing to pack on the pounds.

i took him in to the peds office this week because he has another respiratory virus with some wheezing (=nebulizer treatments again, considered "pre-asthma" at this point AND getting 3 teeth right now, poor fella) and he isn't gaining as much weight as he should.

the pediatrician isn't very concerned- he's in constant motion, burning calories at a high rate. he eats fairly well, but obviously not enough/the right stuff to catch up with all that activity. so we talked about ways to get more fat into his diet. she was very encouraging about the dairy-free vegetarian thing. i was ready to scrap all of our health platforms and get the kid a cheeseburger asap, but she didn't think it was necessary.

i did, however, go directly to trader joe's and buy chips and guac, cookies, and chocolate covered bananas. we've started making him these super high fat, high protein smoothies that he happily slurps down, and are giving him fried eggs, coconut everything and avocados constantly. we're avoiding nuts for now, at least until he's 18 months for the potential allergy. i made a healthy, fatty vegan alfredo sauce tonight with pasta that he liked.

covered in chocolate and chip dust #getinmybelly

but in truth, all he wants is fruit. all the time. we have to eliminate all sightings of oranges and bananas in the room before he'll eat anything else. and if there's even the merest mention of a blueberry? forget it. i've taken to dipping strawberries in sunflower seed butter. and 'buttering' (coconut oil) anything and everything. he's going to grow up thinking all foods are slippery and must be wrestled into submission. we're being creative to get in the needed fat and protein and everything. but i am glad he likes fruit.

the gall of us asking him to eat not fruit.

from what i've read about vegetarian, dairy-free diets, kids on them can (and should, often do) get huge from this plant-based, whole-food diet. i just think we haven't been focusing enough on the fat. so now we're gonna fluff him up like a Christmas goose! or, you know, Christmas tofu-goose. here is a great blog post from a vegan mom on the subject. 

this is the kind of thing we eat regularly- dinosaur kale wraps w/ quinoa and beans plus lots of veggies and a sesame sauce. henry can totally eat this kind of thing, we just have to roll it in cake mix and deep fry it first. :)

How We Do Chocolate Mousse, Vegan Style, Yo

yum. so i got this cookbook called "the complete guide to vegan food substitutions" by steen and newman. it's pretty good. (uses peanut oil a lot, but can obviously be subbed for allergies).

i was leafing through it the other day and henry went "mmmmmm" and pointed when he saw a picture of BBQ beans. so i made them. and made a whole summer meal around them (with dill capers tater salad, vegan coleslaw, and veggie burgers). needless to say, beans of anticipation turned out delicious but were too spicy for monkey and they were spit out among so many tears of unfathomable sadness. in the same leafing through cookbook episode, we BOTH went "mmmmm" and pointed when we saw a pic of chocolate mousse.

so i made that, too. henry won't eat it, either. but that's no judgement on the mousse. it's more because he's boycotting food because his face hurts and he's trying to give me an ulcer paired with a psychotic break.

anywho....where was i?

oh, right? mousse.

here's the recipe. quick, easy, healthy and vegan, allergen free and so freaking good.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

ABC Mousse Topper page 244 (sweetened w/ fruit and no added refined sugar, other than what's in the chocolate....this can be used as a cupcake frosting, or chilled, as a mousse. i served it like mousse with some vegan whipped cream on top).

1.5 cups bittersweet chocolate chunks
1/4 c coconut milk
2 large ripe bananas, sliced
2 small ripe Haas avocados, pitted and peeled
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp rum extract
1/2 tsp pure orange extract
1/4 tsp pure coconut extract
pinch sea salt

i did not have all those fancy extracts, so i just kept adding more vanilla until it tasted right. i did add a titch of maple extract, because i had some and i was feeling left behind.

1. melt chocolate in microwave/on stove.
2. put milk, nanas, cados, extracts and salt in food processor and blend until smooth
3. add the melted chocolate and process until smooth, scraping sides occasionally (here the recipe recommends only putting in 1/2 the chocolate, so that you can later swirl the remaining in to make threads of melted chocolate that will get crunchy as it cools---i like smooth mousse, so i just dumped it all in).
4. transfer to large bowl or individual serving dishes. chill before serving.
5. again, we just gobbled it up, but by the next day after being chilled over night, i could see how it could be a great frosting for cake. will try at some point.

He's That Kid (Again) and Growed Ups Only Beach Vaca

so apparently all the super fun games we've been playing with henry where we steal something from him and say "mine!" to make him laugh weren't maybe the best thing to teach a toddler.

he's been saying it at daycare. a lot. and applying it to all the things he covets/takes. and he's teaching the other kids.

next week he'll be telling all the other 1 and 2 year olds about how sex works and the week after that, that there's no santa clause.

(if you're reading this, kristen or robb, i'm just kidding. there is definitely a santa clause, honey).

in other news, robb and i got away for an overnight to the beach while my (wonderful, awesome, amazing, superb, generous) parents watched the monkey.

it was bliss. we talked about henry a lot and gazed at cell phone pics now and then, but we didn't pine for him or leave early to come back or anything. and really it was just grand to be just the two of us for a while. and it wasn't 'like the old days' because i think we didn't take one second of it for granted (like we would have before we knew better). we just talked and talked and laughed and swam and drank and all things whilst not listening for anyone to wake up across the hall. we even slept a whole consecutive 8 hrs.


this was our first time away together. we didn't really mean to wait this long, it just happened. and henry did just fine without us. of course he's getting molars now, so he's in beast mode all the time, but he and my parents survived each other beautifully. our 10th anniversary is in the fall. we're thinking of traveling sans baby monsters again.

what else is new? temper tantrums a 'plenty. full on fists bunched, howling, boneless to the floor. now that he's officially walking (video soon), he wants to walk ALL the time and woe unto anyone who tries to pick him up. he also just started giving kisses. he blows kisses when leaving and kisses his stuffed animals audibly. the only kisses i get are still all open mouthed with teeth and tongue (eww), but we're working on it. :)

toodles for now!

Flying Monkeys? Not This Time.

well, this is sort of our month of vacations. long weekend up north last weekend with family and friends- we had the most funnest of fun times. beautiful weather, great company and happy babies. we were on the river in a peaceful cabin in the woods and hiking around a gorgeous island...bliss.

then this weekend we were SUPPOSED to be flying to seattle to visit family and friends and see the cool city, but robb's back is in bad shape from a herniated disc (fall off a bike at high speeds whilst training for a race) and cannot tolerate the time in the plane. he can stand, he can lie down, he just can't really sit.

so between the threat of robb getting jumped by concerned citizens for constantly leaving his seat on the airplane and the threat of henry monkey having a 5 hr long meltdown on the plane because he also can't get down and walk, making us those people with the crying baby on the plane, and all of it giving me a nervous breakdown...we canceled the trip. we might reschedule in the fall. we'll see. i really want to get out there. i'm pretty disappointed.

so, instead we're staying home and making the most of it. robb and i had a sushi lunch today and i'm getting a massage in a little while. and then we might go to a museum. and then later in the weekend to the beach for a little r & r in a b & b. we realized we (dumb, so dumb) haven't spent a night away together since having henry. so it will be nice to have a meal where no one is throwing avocado in our hair and to be able to sleep in a bit in the morning. :)

mr. man candy is BUSY lately! he's pretty much walking now. he can clear a room, but still stumbles if tired or crabby or realizes people are watching him. he's having more temper tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants (which, by the way, is totally random stuff- like he points at something on the table and i offer him the toys, the fruit, the books...NO NO NO...in desperation i give him the bottle of mustard. and he's satisfied. wanted to mustard all along, naturally). and he's jabbering away. when we go on a walk, he throws his arm up in a wave and yells "HI!" to anyone who passes on foot or in car. he is also now saying "mine" to everything that he has or covets.

it's so cool seeing his little person come out of that baby face. i love these developments. they're also making me want to drink. :)

Pesto Chango!

so cool. my grandma and aunts went to an 'herb class' while on vacation and came back with this pesto cheat sheet that they passed on to me. easy, quick pesto with all kinds of options, enabling you to be allergen free (NUT FREE! DAIRY FREE!) and use whatever you have on hand.

so, after we got back tonight from our own mini vaca, i used what i had from the garden and leftover in the fridge and made this: Basil Sunflower Seed Pesto with Peas and Spaghetti Squash.

here are the instructions provided by the herb class. what i used for mine is bolded.

1. choose an herb- with food processor running, drop 2 cloves of garlic in feed tube and turn off machine. add 2 cups packed fresh herbs, any of the following.
-basil, parsley, tarragon/oregano/mint/rosemary (cut all of these last four with parsley or something because they are very intense)

2. choose a nut- add to food processor bowl 1/3 cup toasted nuts
-pine nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachio, pecan, cashews, sunflower seeds

3. select a cheese- add to food processor bowl 2/3 cup shredded cheese
-parmigiano reggiano, pecorino, provolone, asiago, (or dairy alternative- i just mixed a little coconut milk cream in to make a creamy pesto sauce)

4. add an oil- turn on food processor and pulse several times to chop and blend above ingredients. while running, add 1/2 cup oil to form a paste
-EVOO, sunflower oil, safflower oil, almond oil, walnut oil

5. flavor your pesto- add one or several seasonings to taste. pulse several times to mix thoroughly.
-lemon zest, salt, pepper, cracked red pepper, oil-packed sundried tomatoes, green olives, capers

6. i then sauteed it for a while with the (already cooked, left-over) peas and spaghetti squash and served hot sprinkled with some nutritional yeast (yummy nutty cheesy flavor packed with B vitamins and other good stuff). if i'd had the time and the stuff on hand, spinach, onions, mushrooms, and other squashes all could have been good, too. i served it over the spag squash instead of pasta, although lately i've been using quinoa and brown rice pastas and feeling good about serving/eating it.

Mediterranean Vegan Feast

inspired by cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas) i had in the fridge that needed usin', as well as some tempeh i had on hand....

-Salty Hummus. see, the thing about hummus is that you can make a million varieties, with the same process and ingredients. what is hummus? bean dip. what does it contain? cooked chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and tahini (sesame paste). i just sort of throw it all in a food processor until it looks and tastes right. you can blend it until it's sort of chunky-pasty or until it's smooth like frosting. up to you. i tend to like a lemony salty version...i wee bit over salted last night, but...eh.

-Red Pepper Apricot Pine Nut Tapenade- this was inspired by the "eat well enjoy life" hummus line. i first sampled them at costco. they are SOOOO good, i wanted to keep changing clothes and putting on fake mustaches so that i could go back through the sample line a thousand times without the lady noticing. anyway- was making my own stuff from scratch last night, so here's what i did....i sauteed, in olive oil, garlic and onions and red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. i then added diced fresh red peppers and then diced fresh apricots and pine nuts and sauteed it until it was all still a little chewy, but cooked through. i served it on top of the salty hummus.

-Mediterranean Tempeh- i followed this recipe, from the inventive vegetarian, exactly- using fresh thyme i had on hand, and agave nectar, when given the choices. flavor and texture were both pretty good. i sauteed just because i don't really have a grill right now, but that would have been great, too.

-Fattoush Salad- i just used the veggies i had on hand- romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and red onions and then toasted some pita and crumbled it on top and used this salad dressing recipe from allrecipes.com.

everything was really good, and really healthful. and made for great leftovers for lunch today. but put the dressing on the fattoush within 30 mins of eating it or it'll be muy soggy.

clockwise from top- fattoush salad, tempeh, and hummus with apricot red pepper pine nut stuff.

Sweet Thirteen, Jellybean!

sir bubsalot turned 13 months yesterday. 

he is chattering away non-stop these days, with inflection and volume fluctuations (mostly loud to louder) and pointing to everything.

he'll also take 8 steps very solidly until he notices that he's walking, and then he collapses. he hits his head so often that whenever anyone says "OUCH!" he clutches his head and repeats "ouch!" even if it was a foot that was injured. even if it wasn't his.

he is eating like a champ. favorites right now are blueberries (like a cup at a time, i'm afraid he's turning violet, violet!) and avocados. he loves flavor. last night he shared mediterranean tempeh and hummus with us (see details in next post) and tonight it was fairly spicy thai food.

8 teeth and counting. i think molars are on there way. he drools so much it looks like he sprung a leak.

we  had an amazing weekend with my family on a big lake. it was so peaceful and relaxing and fun. he had two second cousins there- girls, 8 and 10, who had a ball with him. they got him practicing his walking and rolling a ball and neither of them cut his hair or put any makeup on him. i consider it a win.

the youngest took this pic on my iphone. the other 40 pics she took were of herself making a variety of silly faces and of awkward angles and compromising views of my aunts and uncles.

and now for your viewing pleasure...henry laughing and tormenting the dog, with the assist from the daddy.

Since We're Weaning, Are Henry and I 'Weanies' or 'Weaners?'

things are going....well, slowly.

the goal, originally, was to nurse him for a year, if able. and we made it! and i'm thrilled.

but i'm also not feeling a lot of urgency to stop any time soon. he's down to 3 milk feedings/day (nursing first thing in the morning and one bottle at school and nursing again before bed). but i'm still pumping 4 additional times/day...that's the part that's getting old. i'm freezing the left-over so that when i do stop, we'll have some reserve.

and i'm kind of hanging on until we fly to seattle in a couple weeks because i want to have the ability to soothe him (shut him up) on the airplane if he's screaming and the passengers are considering tossing him out one of the tiny windows.

and he is showing less interest than he used to. he nurses for less time and sometimes not at all. but other times it really seems to give him some peace. he doesn't really need it for nutrition any more- he's eating lots of good foods. but it's still good for immune system function and vitamins and all that...which is why i want to have a little available frozen to give him daily once we're done.

but the BIGGEST reason i'm still nursing, if i'm being totally honest, is for me. i will miss the closeness. the snuggling. he's so rarely still anymore, nursing is one of the only times he just cuddles. and i think i'm worried that the thing that makes me so important to him, what is MOM about me to him, is that i smell like milk and can offer him that comfort and food. what if he doesn't need me as much when we're done? what if he no longer likes me most? :)

i believe this is one of the first natural steps toward independence that parents struggle with and are relieved by, both. and it might certainly be good for robb if henry doesn't need me as much as he does now. and the time it will free up! not having to always be aware of my next pumping/feeding! the real bras i can wear! all the boozes i can haves! there are positives, too.

i'm just more emotional about it than i thought i would be.

now it's just a matter of figuring out how to do it, and doing it. day by day...