Amanda's Quick Bite for Healthy Living

Mexican 7 Layer Dip

2012-02-05T16:03:00.003-05:00

The Roman Numeral Installation outside of my office building.

Georgia Street – constructed in time for Super Bowl.

Minced black olives make the flavor more evenly distributed.

All 7-Layers complete

Today is Super Bowl Sunday! It's been such a fun time to live in Indy. Aaron and I work on Monument Circle and our company, ExactTarget, has been enjoying the festivities and helping take part in the marketing efforts. We took pictures in front of the roman numeral installation and we had a fun company party last Wednesday. All three of us had fun!

The entire city has been enjoying the Super Bowl Village and NFL experience. The zip line has been the major attraction along with the temporary party tents and outdoor live concerts. The Host Committee has also added breast cancer awareness and even the first ever lactation room in the village. It's been wonderful that they have planned for families!

We're heading to a friend's house to watch the game and I just made Mexican 7-Layer Dip. It's a recipe that my step-mom made when I was growing up for all the pool parties we'd have with the neighbors. I make it in a casserole dish so it serves a crowd. The dip has lots of flavor and the difference is taco seasoning is mixed in the sour cream.

Mexican 7-Layer Dip
Serves a crowd

Ingredients:

1-14oz can refried beans
1-16oz container sour cream
2 cups prepared guacamole
1 small packet of taco seasoning (or use a blend of chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cayenne)
3 tomatoes, diced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1-14oz can of whole black olives, minced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Spread refried beans, guacamole, in the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Mix taco seasoning with sour cream and spread on top of the guacamole.
Add diced tomatoes, green onions, olives, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Serve with tortilla chips. The dip is so dense, it works best to offer a serving spoon for guest to scoop out the dip onto their plates.

It's really easy to make and the dip is always a crowd pleasure!

Cauliflower-Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

2012-01-29T21:50:00.000-05:00

Last January, we went full force into the vegetarian lifestyle. Around October, we started to eat a bit of meat. Aaron eats meat more than I do, but I eat some meat. I'd classify myself at 95% vegetarian. I really craved bacon when we weren't eating any meat. So on occasion, I've eaten bacon, fish, or turkey on Thanksgiving. But our family meals at home are still vegetarian.

I changed the way that I cook and stock the pantry. I buy whole grains and dried beans from the bulk bins at Whole Foods. Ava loves to help out with shopping at the bulk bins! I've learned to cook dried beans easily in the slow cooker. I typically cook a big batch of beans every week in the slow cooker for many different meals. We often cook pinto beans which are great whole or refried for burritos. I also like to make chickpeas for curry, felafel, and hummus.

This curry recipe is something that I threw together one night and it ended up in our regular rotation. I like this dish because it's hearty with all the veggies, beans, and rice, and I take a short cut with store bought curry sauce. I add milk to the sauce to stretch the sauce since there are so many vegetables and it boosts the protein factor. It's relatively easy to make because you just have to chop the veggies and let the curry simmer on the stove top. As a busy working mother, I really like the meals that I make in stages so that I can walk away from the kitchen. I tend to cook in "bursts" now.

If you don't live near a Trader Joe's to buy this curry sauce, substitute your favorite curry sauce. The sauce has a spicy punch, but adding the milk cools it down enough for children. You'll need about 2 cups of liquid to simmer the vegetables. The sauce has quite a bit of sodium, so be careful not to add to much salt. I cook the chickpeas myself so I add a bit of salt to season since the beans don't have any salt.

Serving suggestion: The curry is great served with warm naan bread and fresh seasonal fruit.

Cauliflower-Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry
Serves 4 (main dish, 6 side dish)

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 medium sweet potato, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp olive oil
3 cups cooked chickpeas
1 jar Trader Joe's Yellow Curry sauce
1 cup milk
1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
1/2 tsp salt *if using unsalted home-cooked chickpeas.
1 cup jasmine rice

Preparation:

Chop vegetables. Preheat a large dutch oven or pot to medium heat. Drizzle olive oil. Add diced onion, sweet potato and garlic. Saute until onion is translucent.
Add cauliflower florets and sauce. Pour milk in the empty jar and put the cap back on. Shake the jar so that the milk loosen the thick curry sauce and pour the contents into the pot with the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add cooked chickpeas.
Cook jasmine rice according to the package directions.
Simmer for 30-45 minutes for the flavors to combine. Add frozen peas in the last 10 minutes of the simmering process. Vegetables should be tender.
Serve curry over hot cooked rice.

I made this curry for my in-laws and my mother-in-law really liked it. She suggested that I post it onto the blog. Enjoy!

Lellow

2012-01-25T22:28:00.004-05:00

Now at 22-months, Ava is really interested in art projects more than ever. When I work from home a couple days a week, we have mornings together before she goes to daycare for a half day. I can easily entertain her by offering her crayons, paint, chalk, colored pencils, or markers. She likes to draw on coloring books, blank paper, and on her art easel. She is obsessed with stars and the moon. When she draws, she likes to make a big circle and say "moon." It's really cute!

We're working on learning colors with her now! As I've mentioned before, Ava's verbal skills are really great! She can say all sorts of words and clearly! Even harder words like caterpillar sound pretty clear. So I tried to work with her on identifying colors. Her favorite color seems to be yellow, which she says "lellow."Ava usually picks yellow crayons and markers for her projects. "Lellow" is her go-to color that she guesses first when I ask her to tell me the color of an object. She says red, pink and blue really well and green is "geen."

I've discovered that if you focus on a new concept like colors from a toddler's eyes, anything can be a tool for teaching. Clothing, towels in the bathroom, cloth diaper covers, stuffed animals, pictures in books, animals outside, cars on the street, or even food at mealtimes can be an opportunity to discuss different colors. Ava's brain is always busy from one activity or thought to another, but when I see her searching for something else when she's restless it's fun to help direct her into something she enjoys.

In the bath, we have splash cards that are different colors with objects on the front. They're made out of foam so you can stick them on the bathtub when they get wet. At bath time, Ava and I talk about the different colors and items on the splash cards. Even her cups are different colors, sizes, and decorations on them. I bet there are other parents start looking at every day objects as a multipurpose learning opportunity. It's actually pretty fun!

Daycare Stories

2011-12-28T13:07:00.001-05:00

Ava painting her lion's face.

Last August, we moved Ava to hear new daycare to give her some more learning opportunities. I'm so thrilled with the transition. She loves her new daycare because of the activities they have for the kids. They have many art projects based on a weekly theme, which keeps their day interesting. The caregivers are very sweet and the other toddlers in her classroom interact well together.

Ava goes to daycare when I work from home for a half day two days a week. Those days are harder than when I drop her off early on the days when she's there all day while I'm at the office. She's very attached and when we have the morning together, it's hard. But when I'm back to pick her up, she's very happy and tells me or shows me what she's done while she's there.

Ava loves the tunnel at daycare!

When I arrive to pick her up, she says "Hi, mama" and runs to me so we can nurse in the rocking chair. Then I gather up her daily paper that shows what she's done all day. My favorite part of the daily paper is her note from one of her teachers. They tell a story about Ava's day about an activity that she enjoyed. She really enjoys her time at daycare so it helps make me feel relaxed while I'm working. As a working mom, I'm relieved to leave her in a place that she's growing and having fun all at the same time!

Here's a peek into some recent daycare stories from Ava's teachers:

"Ava had a good afternoon. She enjoyed listening to Christmas stories and dancing to music."

"Ava had fun playing with gift boxes, wrapping paper, and bows. They liked hiding toys inside."

"Ava had fun talking to herself in the mirror today and seemed to be rehearsing a wide range of emotions (A budding actress?)"

Hi, Mommy!

"Ava had fun learning to laugh like Santa Claus today 'Ho, Ho, Ho'." --She had fun saying Ho, Ho, Ho during Christmas with her grandparents, too!

"Ava ate pretty well at lunch. I haven't seen her eat that well before." -- Yah! She ate ziti, applesauce and bread and butter.

"Ava is eating better and was full of energy"

"We went outside briefly today to try out our coats"

"Ava was entertaining us. She had a book and was singing and moving her around. It was funny."

"Ava had fun making a snow man out of paper shapes today. "We're talking about sizes (small, medium, large circles)."

"Having lots of fun shaking our jingle bells to the holiday songs lately. Also lots of painting projects."

"Ava likes to climb up on chairs and help whenever I try to decorate the bulletin boards" --She is a big helper at home too!

"Ava loves listening to the Nutcracker. She likes to conduct the orchestra."

"Ava thought it was exciting to stand on the window sill until she couldn't get down by herself."

"Ava had a good time copying her friend today. She wanted to do everything he did today."

"Ava has been determined to walk sideways on the window sill every chance she can get. At first she was scared." --I'm glad to see her be more daring!

"Ava had enjoyed painting and drawing. She sticks with it longer than the boys did."

I love these short vignettes and insights into Ava's day. It's fun to capture these to watch her grow!

Christmas Cookie Tradition

2011-12-24T16:46:00.001-05:00

Ava loves playing with flour.

Add sprinkles to a cookie before baking.

Holiday baking is a fun tradition for many families. We made these cut-out cookies on Christmas Eve, using a recipe that Aaron's parents have made when their kids were growing up. Even though they have been a long-standing tradition, it's been a few years since my mother-in-law has baked them. They have been missed for sure! Ava, at this age, is very interested in helping out in the kitchen so we took the time on this quiet Christmas Eve afternoon to bake. Ava loves to help in the kitchen so she enjoyed it! She helped for the entire process.

The cookie dough is made out of cream cheese and butter so they make very moist and thick cookies, than the traditional crisp cookies. I don't usually like sugar cookies, but this recipe is so good. And my mother-in-law says that dough is easier to work with than other recipes because it's not too fussy and easy to work with compared to others. We decorated the cookies with sprinkles and buttercream frosting.

You can use any shape for different holiday occasions.

Easy Shape Christmas Cookies
Serves 2 dozen

Ingredients:
3oz soft cream cheese (12oz*)
1/2 cup soft butter (2 cups)
1/2 cup brown sugar (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt (2 tsp)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4 tsp)

Stir by hand until well blended

Add 1 2/3 cup (or 6 2/3 cup) flour until dough forms into a ball. Knead 1-2 minutes, adding flour as needed until not sticky. Roll onto a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick, cut with cookie cutters.

Bake on a 350 degree oven until edges are brown (about 15 minutes). Cool on a wire rack.

Refrigerated dough may keep for up to 2 weeks.

Helping Grandma collect the dough to roll it out again.

Tips:

My mother-in-law always makes a quadruple batch of these cookies for her family because there are large gatherings. I noted the quadruple amounts on the ingredients list for your convenience.You can use any shape to make these cookies for other occasions.
We made a butter cream frosting and added green food coloring to decorate our Christmas cookies.
Some people like them without frosting so Michele directed me to leave some plain. That's a good idea if you make them. Ava didn't care for the frosting either.

Tasting the freshly baked cookie.

The cookies don't expand much so you can pack it on the baking sheet. They just puff up.

Frosted with sprinkles.

Place on a wire rack to cool.

Holiday Wishes from the Berkey's!

2011-12-22T15:02:00.000-05:00

Sitting on the side of the house on a chilly December afternoon.

Smiling!

Looking like a little girl, more than a baby these days.

A serious face.

The holidays are among us! Wasn't it just Halloween or Thanksgiving? I've never experienced such as fast pace of life until I became a mother! Life is so busy, fun, and sometimes stressful. But at the end of the day when we're all together as a family, it's the most precious time. So many people look back so fondly at the time when their children were young and I'm hoping to enjoy every stage as much as possible.

We're leaving for Aaron's parent's house to celebrate Christmas with his family in Northern Indiana. We're going to see his grandmother, sisters and their husbands, our nephew, and close family friends.

But first, I wanted to share some family photos that we took a couple weeks ago on a chilly afternoon. Our friend, Shawn, takes all of our family photos and since he sees Ava often, she's really comfortable with him. She was in a playful mood, which helped. Shawn waited for the perfect moment for the sunset and he got a great shot of all of us.

Happy Holidays from the Berkey's!

Her favorite book right now is the Charlie Brown Christmas book with sound buttons. It was given to her by Grandma Anna.

Ava loves books.

Happy girl.

Ava loves her kid-size rocking chair.


6 years of marriage have flown by!


Aaron had a good idea to take photos of just us.

Our family in the front yard just as the sun was setting.


Last photo of the shoot.

Winter Squash Bars

2011-12-12T23:05:00.000-05:00

Ava helping me make the Winter Squash Bars.

If you follow my blog, you know one of my favorite cookbooks is Simply In Season using the fresh seasonal produce in healthy, multicultural family meals. I highly recommend getting a copy of the book! The cookbook is made as a companion to your community-supported agriculture subscription.

Autumn is my most favorite time for cooking in season! I love squash, root vegetables, apples and the warm spices in the fall season.

I've made these Winter Squash Bars from Simply in Season a couple times recently with the butternut squash we've received in our produce bin. I use an entire squash in each recipe. Ava likes the bread for breakfast and snacks and it's great for sharing at a potluck or a surprise for your coworkers. The snack bread is very moist, fluffy, and light. You make a pan of the bars and freeze portions of it for later. I haven't tried it, but the book says that the recipe freezes well.

Roasting squash is really easy.

Preparing the squash / Make Ahead Step: Slice in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and membranes. Cook in a preheated 350 degree oven on a cookie sheet for 30-40 minutes until tender. Let cool. Using a spoon, scrape out the cooked squash. Puree in the food processor. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Winter Squash Bars (Makes 24)

2 cups winter squash or pumpkin (cooked, pureed) *I used a whole medium butternut squash
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat together in a mixing bowl or stand mixer

1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix in. Pour into greased 11x7-inch jelly roll pan or 9x13 casserole dish. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

*The original recipe is 1 + 1/2 cups of sugar, but I think 1 cup is plenty.

Little ones in the kitchen: Ava loves to help in the kitchen and when she helps me, I let her beat the eggs in a bowl before putting them in the stand mixer. And you can see in the picture that she likes to spread the batter in the casserole dish.

Enjoy!

Getting Crafty

2011-12-12T18:00:00.000-05:00

Before I became a mother, I was really into crafts especially making greeting cards and paper crafts. I have missed the creative outlet and stress relief of making crafts. But life with a toddler is so busy that I rarely have time to blog so making crafts is usually bottom of my list.

But recently, Ava has been really interested in coloring and crafting herself! Because I have so many supplies, I often pull out my colored pencils, stickers, and papers for her to play with and I'm thrilled that it captures her attention for quite awhile. Sometimes, she will spend 20 minutes sitting at the table and it helps her hand eye coordination! I consider working on crafts a stress relief activity, especially on a weekend afternoon when you want to decompress from a busy week.

A couple weeks ago on a cold Sunday, I decided to make some monkey puppets from a kit that I got from Paper Source during a recent trip to Chicago. There are 5 different patterns in the kit and Ava picked the astronaut and hula dancer. She had fun with a big box of crayons while I made these puppets.

While I worked on the puppets, I gave her the extra scraps of paper and she drew on a page for a memory book for a daycare staffer that was leaving.

Ava has been enjoying looking at the puppets. I gave them to her to play with and she wanted to pull off the flowers from the hula monkey. Funny girl!

I look forward to many years to come with sitting at the table crafting together!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-27T21:44:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving weekend was so much fun and relaxing at the same time. I took Tuesday and Wednesday off from work leading up the holiday so it was great to have time at home to take care of errands, household chores, and organizing. I took Ava to daycare those days for half days so that I could focus on my projects, while she followed her routine. We were looking forward to spending four days with the Berkey family and friends.

We drove up to Aaron's parents lake house on Thursday morning since we had a small gathering and our larger traditional Thanksgiving on Friday with my mother-in-law's side of the family. Our friend, Mathew drove in from Northwest Indiana with his young daughter. The first hurdle is always the two and half hour drive. Ava does not like long car rides and rarely falls asleep in the car. She is much better with air travel than car rides because she is stuck in the carseat. Flights are so much easier because she likes being on my lap. We just got a new portable DVD player to help keep her entertained on long drives. It really helps! She doesn't watch much TV so she totally zones out watching Elmo or any other kid DVD we borrow from the library. It buys us sometime, then she gets really antsy. So we try giving her snacks, water to drink, books, puzzles, an iPhone with baby games to play. And just as she was starting to lose it just south of Fort Wayne, Grandma called and she entertained her by talking on the phone. It really helped! We were planning to stop in Fort Wayne (2 hours into the drive) for a quick nursing session and refueling the car. Nursing helps because she get a break from the carseat and give her some snuggle time. When Grandma had to go to finish baking her pies, she recruited Grandpa to help, but that's when she had enough so we stopped. It was fun to see Ava talking on the phone. She was mostly listening and heavy breathing, but she laughed and sang. It was really cute!

About to lose it in the drive to Grandma and Grandpa

Talking to Grandma. Laughing, singing, and heavy breathing. Grandma loved it!

Homemade cranberry sauce is simmering.

Fun on the piano.

When we arrived at the house, I made homemade cranberry sauce for the turkey on Friday. I looked up my favorite recipe from Cooking Light that I have made for several years and I was so excited that they featured my recipe review in their Reader Favorites section for the cranberry sauce. It's really easy and tastes so fresh and delicious. I got some fresh cranberries from my weekly produce bin and I added to it with another pint that I froze last year. You simmer the sauce with orange juice, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and allspice. It naturally thickens. I like to make it the day before to chill in the refrigerator and let the flavor deepen.

Ava had a blast visiting with her friends and playing with Grandma and Grandpa Berkey. Aaron's grandmother and aunt and uncle came over on Thursday afternoon for a steak and baked potatoes meal. Some years we do both Berkey and Parmenter family gatherings with turkey, but this year, they opted for steak. Aaron and I had chili beans on our baked potatoes instead of the meat. I was excited that Ava enjoyed Great Grandma Berkey's fresh cranberry salad with oranges, celery and walnuts. It's really tasty! She also loved the pumpkin pie! She ate a thin sliver all by herself.

Later that evening, we visited with Aaron's best friend and his family. Ava loves playing with Zac and Christy's 3-year old son, Colt! They're going to grow up like cousins because the Bollingers are close friends of the Berkey family, which is great because Aaron and Zac are the brothers that they never had, being in a family with two sisters each.

Early Friday morning, Aaron's sister Megan and her family came over. Ava had fun playing on a push cart with her cousin, Colin! They did a great job sharing and taking turns doing the ride, letting Grandma push them around in the cart. Ava and Colin are only 4 and 1/2 months apart, which is fun that they're in the same stages together. The Parmenter family started to arrive for the Thanksgiving meal and we had so much fun visiting and catching up. My mother-in-law is one of 8 siblings so we're used to very large gatherings. But this year it was very quiet with only a handful of the family in town, but it was really nice that you could talk to everyone longer. You can tell the grandparents loved having both their grandkids in the house together that day!

Being silly with Grandma Berkey.

Cousins sharing Grandpa's lap.

Later Friday night, we headed over to visit the Black family. Chris and Betsy have 3 kids and their youngest is only 5 days older than Ava. They're the same height, but he has 6 pounds on Ava! We had fun visiting them and Aaron's friend, who was in town from Turkey to get his Visa and spend the holiday with his family in Indiana. Ava didn't sleep a wink on the late drive home and thanks again to Dora the Explorer for saving us from a complete toddler meltdown at 10pm for a 20 minute drive! She fell asleep instantly when we got back to the Lake.

Reading old school story books with Daddy.

What I love about the Lake house is that we have our bed there so we always have a place to sleep. We keep our things there so it's easier to pack on our regular visits. And our room faces the back of the house with the trees. Bill and Michele have a huge bookshelf with the books that Aaron and his sisters enjoyed as children. Before Ava's nap one day, Aaron read her a story and I enjoyed the sweet moment. She's really interested in keeping tabs on Mommy and Daddy is all the time, especially with all the family and friends in the house. This trip, Mom B. gave Ava her Daddy's baby quilt! We put it in her bedroom for her to snuggle.

Digging Grandma's pumpkin pie!

Relaxing morning.

Nursing a toddler with Bena on my lap.

On Saturday, the house was really quiet since all the family had gone home and it was just the 5 of us left to relax. We all just relaxed and ate leftovers. Ava loved the pumpkin pie and asked for it when she caught sight of it on the kitchen counter. She got a hold of a measuring cup, one of her favorite things to play with at home too! She likes to transfer things from different bowls and cups, especially standing on a step stool to help in the kitchen. Zac's sister, Hilary, dropped in for a few minutes with her 3-year old son, Kaine, and 6-month old daughter, Kendall. Ava loved seeing the baby and gave Kaine lots of high-5's.

Last night, Chris and Betsy and the kids dropped by again for another short visit. Their baby, Sam, and Ava had fun sorting sea shells. Bena was snuggling on my lap for awhile, then Ava decided she wanted to nurse. I pulled her into my lap, then they both settled together while Ava nursed. It was really sweet! Usually Bena freaks out sharing a lap, but she wouldn't budge. I bet it was because of all the activity. And Ava didn't mind for sure. Toddler nursing is so different! She nurses often, but briefly during the day and longer for naps and in the evening. I'm happy to continue nursing since it has protected her health so well. Some kids in her daycare class have been sick for weeks. It's really comforting that she's thriving. I know that it won't last forever and she'll soon outgrow the need for nursing, but for now, we're enjoying it.

Big girl used the potty to pee 2 mornings in a row!

Another new thing is Ava is starting to use a potty! She started to get really curious about the whole bathroom experience. She is very aware of her wet and dirty diapers. Since we're using cloth, she can feel the wetness. Also, with cloth, I empty her dirty diapers in the toilet and then put them in the diaper pail by the toilet. It's all related to each other. Compared to when we used disposables, you keep the diaper pail in a bedroom and toss the whole thing away. It's kind of a mental disconnect that I never thought of until now. In general, she is very curious about the toilet. So last week, I bought her a potty. She was so excited and curious. I got a potty that has different phases that grows with the child. The seat comes off and attaches to the big toilet and it always doubles as a step stool. I love using her leg warmers and cloth diapers because the velcro closures on her diaper covers are so easy for her to remove herself and the leg warmers keep her warm now that the weather has cooled off.

I noticed that she usually pees in the morning after she wakes up. So the first morning after we got the potty, I asked her if she wanted to sit on her potty and she nodded. I sat her on it and she decided to stuff her PJ bottoms and washcloth inside. I told her that she can't put anything in there because that's where she pees. And a few minutes later, she did! I was so proud of her! She was excited, but it also seemed so natural to her. Later that day she sat on it, but didn't pee in it. But then Thursday morning, we did the same thing and she peed! I was so excited! Aaron said she was a little surprised when she peed in her potty. It's a new sensation for sure.

At the Lake on Friday morning, she stood outside the bathroom and told us that she had to go to the bathroom. Grandma noticed it so I rushed over to take her diaper off and asked her if I could hold her on the big toilet since we left hers at home. She said no, because she didn't feel comfortable that way. But she peed on clothes since I took her diaper off. But, I was SO excited that she told us and that she knew she had to go.

I'm surprised that she's interested at 20-months, but I know lots of babies that start potty training at this time. I'm trying to follow her lead and not trying to force the issue. I don't want her experience to be negative. I'm thinking that we'll offer her to use the potty in the morning as a new routine and go from there. I'm thrilled with our decision to use cloth diapers. I remember hearing that potty training is so much easier for cloth diapered babes and so far, it seems to be the case for Ava. Obviously, it's still the very beginning, but it's big first step!

Chicago Visit

2011-10-30T23:22:00.001-04:00

Mom's Caesar salad turned into a baby's adventure.

Last weekend, Ava, Bena, and I drove up to Chicago partly for my work trip and then we stayed for the rest of the weekend to visit family and friends. Aaron was out of town all weekend for his annual canoe camping trip in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with his two best friends, Zac and Chris. They're totally off the grid all weekend, even without cell service.

We left on Thursday morning starting out on the 3 1/2 hour drive to Chicago. My work meeting was at 4pm and I booked a hotel room for me and Ava to stay in downtown in the Loop near my client's office. The leader for the Chicago user community is a mom too and she offered to hook me up with a babysitter, which was a huge help. The only catch was that we had a very short timeline because the babysitter goes to high school on the far north side of the city and I had to pick her up and get them settled at the hotel before I left for my meeting. I dropped Bena off at her old daycare kennel for the night since couldn't stay in the hotel with us. She had a blast playing withe dogs while she was there.

Ava didn't have an afternoon nap that day so she was exhausted to say the least. When I left for my meeting, Ava was really upset. The babysitter was really sweet and tried to play with her and even put her down for a late nap. I went to the meeting, but I couldn't stay for the happy hour. I got a text from the sitter that Ava couldn't stop crying. I headed back to the hotel and she was a mess. The poor thing was all red and really upset. I finally got her settled and then we ordered some dinner. It's really hard to be a working mama sometimes. My clients were really understanding that I had to miss the social hour, but it was worth it that I could go for the meeting part.
Friday morning, we got up early and picked up Bena from her doggie daycare, then went to visit our friend Viviana and her 4-week old baby, Valentina. It was so great to meet her baby and see her transformation into mommy-hood. Vivi is such a good hostess that she insisted on cooking breakfast even though I was hoping to cook for her so she could sit and relax with her baby. When I held Valentina, I put her in my ring sling to show Vivi how to use it. Ava got really jealous and when I picked her up too, she pulled at the sling because she wanted the baby out of HER sling. I guess she is not ready for a sibling. Wow!

We had a nice visit, then we headed to Aurora to my sister-in-law, Megan's house. Later that afternoon, Ava got to play with her cousin, Colin. That weekend was also Colin's 2nd birthday so we brought him a bag of fun art supplies. I wish I could have gotten a better picture of Colin and Ava, but these two tots move so quickly! I asked Ava if she wanted to hug Colin and she went in to hug and kiss him and he turned away. I guess he was too shy. It took them awhile to warm up since they hadn't seen each other in awhile. Then later that day, Megan had some pizza on her plate and the kids were interested. She fed them pieces like baby birds. It was so cute! Colin and Ava will have fun years ahead at Grandma and Grandpa's lake house!

Trying to hug her cousin.

Hug attempt #2

Playing in Colin's high chair.

Tranquility for a toddler's afternoon nap.

Homemade greeting cards.

Early Saturday morning, we left the Gingerich's and headed back to the city. My friend, Valeri, arranged for us to take a Paper Source holiday craft workshop in Evanston that morning. She asked her sister to watch Ava while we went to the class. Vanessa was great! She put Ava in the stroller and had Bena on the leash to head to the park while Val and I headed to the class. They had a blast in the park. Bena got squirrel crazy and Ava got swing crazy! When Ava sees a swing she says "wee, wee." She even feel asleep for a nap after the park and a snack. I was relieved because of how badly the previous babysitting experience was for that trip. Val and I had so much fun at Paper Source. We used to take the workshops back when I was living in Chicago. We stamped, glued, cut, embossed, glittered, and you name it. I got some supplies for holiday greeting cards, tags, and a fun paper baby monkey puppet craft set to make for Ava this winter when we spend our days indoors.

Later that afternoon, Val, Ava and I headed to the Andersonville neighborhood for a quick visit with our friends, Lauren and Dave. It was fun to catch up and hear about their recent travels. We're hoping to host them in December in Indy.

At Val's that night we had pizza and her mom's Greek salad, then watched a movie. Ava fell asleep in my arms while we were watching TV snuggled up in her blanket. Ava loves the city so much! The sights and sounds are so interesting so she stays awake, fighting her naps. Even on the long drive she doesn't sleep very much either. Thankfully, my friend, Lisa, lent me her portable DVD player. I borrowed some DVDs from the library for the drive. Ava loved the Elmo and Dora videos, which really saved me because she didn't sleep much.

We left on Sunday morning for the 4 hour drive. Val lives on the far north side of Chicago so the drive is about 4 hours. I stopped halfway through on Sunday afternoon to perk up with some iced coffee and I got some french fries to share with Ava. We only get fast food when we're on a road trip so I don't feel too bad, although I don't want to make it a habit! It was a very busy weekend, but so worth it!

Stroller ride in Andersonville

Driving home with a treat and DVD.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-30T22:37:00.001-04:00

Before we say goodbye to October, I had to post these fun Fall pictures from our Sunday afternoon carving the pumpkin that we brought home from the pumpkin patch. We have been so lucky this season to have a gorgeous sunny days and the colorful leaves. We live in a wooded area so there's no shortage of leaves. Aaron raked them into a pile and we put Ava in it while were carving our pumpkin. Bena jumped in too!

We told Ava to throw the ball into the pile of leaves so that Bena could sniff our the scent to find her ball. It's a fun challenge for a hunting dog!

Before we carved the pumpkin we put the funny pair in the grass.

Ava loves silverware. She swiped the spoon that I was using to scrape the insides from the pumpkin. Aaron carefully carved the jack-o-lantern and my job was to clean out the inside. We roasted the pumpkin seeds in butter and sea salt.

There's Bena posing for her beauty shot. Bena's favorite season is Fall too. She blends in with the colorful leaves and grasses, which is perfect for hunting birds. She likes the cooler temperatures. Even though Vizsla's don't have an undercoat, they get very warm because of all the running around that they do. Bena loves to catch the ball in the backyard and seems to go forever in the Fall.

We placed the pumpkin at the front door and Ava had to check it out!

Aaron carved Ava's name on the side of the pumpkin for her.

The line-up....

Love that ruffle butt.

Our little family after our pumpkin carving afternoon.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-09T16:41:00.000-04:00

Playing with the fallen leaves in the backyard.

Blocking a dog kiss from Bena.

Last weekend, we took advantage of the perfect Fall weather to visit the pumpkin patch. The weather was clear, warm in the sun, and the leaves were every shade!

Aaron went to an ExactTarget employee golf outing and got home just in time for us to go to Stonycreek Farm in Noblesville before they closed for the day. They have a Fall festival the whole month of October and have activities like bounce houses, straw maze, hay ride, carnival rides, and Autumn foods like kettle corn and apples dipped in caramel. We got there a bit too late in the afternoon so we went straight for the straw maze since it was easy for Ava to do on her own. It was perfect for a toddler! We helped her climb to top of the straw pyramid.

Straw maze

Are you following me?

Ava on top of the hay pyramid at the Farm.

On the hay ride with Mommy and Daddy


Our walk through the pumpkin patch. They're growing Christmas trees too!

Then we took a hay ride to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkin. When we started to get inside, I didn't realize you sit on real hay in the wagon behind the tractor. It was a surprise! It brought out the city-girl in me! Ava got right in the wagon with Aaron and sat on his lap. They dropped us off at the pumpkin patch. I was surprised to see the pumpkins growing along side the Christmas trees.

We walked quite a bit with Ava at our side to pick out our pumpkin. We found a nice pumpkin with a deep orange color and Aaron carried it back to the wagon pick-up location. Ava liked walking through the pumpkins and trees!


Snuggling with Daddy looking at the pumpkins.

Trying to decide on a pumpkin.

Snuggling with Mommy. Drool on her face from her teething.

Helping Mama bake butternut squash cake in the kitchen.

On our ride back the sun was starting to fade and we relaxed on the hay ride back to pay for our pumpkin. We had one of the best days in a long time! I'm so glad we went!

Later that afternoon, Ava helped me bake some butternut squash cake. I pulled up the step stool to the counter so she could reach. She loves to use the measuring spoons and transfer the ingredients to the bowls. I showed her how to crack the egg and beat it with a fork. Now she wants to help with the eggs. She also likes to stir! Later when we put the cake in the oven to bake, she pulled out her cooking toys and started to continue to play!

October is my favorite month of the year! I'm glad we can start new family traditions to celebrate Autumn while Ava is small so she can remember all the fun from the season when she's older.

We're about to carve that pumpkin today! We'll roast the pumpkin seeds in the oven for a yummy snack. I'll post pictures on the blog!

Ava's 18-months!

2011-09-26T22:36:00.002-04:00

I'm ready for bed, Mama.

Ava has grown up so much in the past few months!

Height: 33 1/4 inches
Weight: 23lbs 4oz
Shoe size: 5

Ava continues to be very tall for her age and her feet and hands are very slender. Even though she's slightly more than average weight, she looks thinner because of her height. I was a bit worried because she still eats so little. I'm so thankful that Ava is growing so well on mama's milk! We just went in to her doctor's office for her 18-month well-baby check and she had one vaccination and a flu shot. I'm hoping her healthy streak continues this winter! She did so well last cold and flu season with the breastmilk antibodies protecting her from the nasty bugs.

Ava's Fall art projects from daycare last week about apples and apple trees.

She is a very busy toddler! Ava enjoys music and loves to sing and dance to all types of music including nursery rhymes. She likes to hum and sing songs. You can definitely make them out! Her favorites are Row Row Row Your Boat, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Itsy Bitsy Spider, the ABC song, and Thumbkin.

We transitioned her to a new daycare last month and she absolutely loves it! The smaller class size is very good for her and it gives her the chance to do lots of activities during the day. She has bonded well with her new teachers and likes to sit on their laps and she asks them to read her a story. Ava plays with her new friend, Amy, who is just a couple months older than her. They have a screened porch and a playground with a fun slide.

Last week Ava's class focused on apples and apple trees. She brought home these cute art projects on Friday afternoon. Then during our family pizza movie night, she started to say Apple. She said A-a-ple, then said Apple very clearly! I realized it was because of all the apples they discussed in class! She loves it!

Look who's walking Bena

Ava really loves to be outside. She often asks us to take her on a stroller ride on our street when we get home from daycare. With all the trees around our house, we're talking about the leaves changing and falling to the ground to prepare for winter. She likes to play with the leaves on our walk. The other night, Ava insisted on holding Bena's leash as we walked. Bena is very strong, but since she knew Ava was holding her leash, she was very gentle. It was very cute! Thankfully, our street has only local traffic so it's great for walking with the baby. The weather is cooler and the leaves have changed to orange, red, yellow, and brown. This is my favorite season!

Enjoying an evening walk with Mom, enjoying the Fall leaves.

Snuggling with Mommy before the walk.

Munching on granola bars before the 5k walk.

Ava talks a lot! Her language is developing well. Sometimes she launches into a big story and I have no idea what she's saying, but some of her words are very clear and she's starting to make simple sentences.

Ava's favorite words:

No (she loves to say that really loud to show her independence!)
I did it!
Go!
Apple
Animal
More (she pronounces it "moi")
Mama
Daddy
Bena (Nena)
Baby
Bye-bye
Corey (her friend) she loves him! When we went home after visiting Corey last weekend, she said "Bye-bye good boy, Corey." So cute!
Colt (her friend)
Cup
Yah!
Wee - when she goes down a slide or down the bed to the floor
Woh - when she's excited
Row, row - to sing "Row row row your boat"
Um - something new she says all the time when you ask her a question. Silly!

We taught Ava to slide off the bed on her tummy and she loves it! Since she sleeps with us in our bed a lot, we wanted her to learn how to get down safely. She is an expert stair climber now, taking her time up each stair. We give Ava simple instructions and she responds.

Hanging out with her friend Corey!

Go Bears!

Last weekend, we went to the Corporate Challenge event and did a 5K Fitness Walk for ExactTarget. It was 55 degrees and cool. We were glad that it didn't rain and stayed warm with the exercise. We carried Ava in our pack and it was great. I had to switch her to Aaron because she was asking to nurse when I had her in the pack. She was a little anxious by the end, but we entertained her until the end.

Ava is a big helper. She likes to help in the laundry room, except folding clothes is a challenge because she wants to snuggle with all the clothes! In the kitchen, she likes to measure the ingredients with spoons and cups. She's pretty good at transferring ingredients to bowls without spilling too much. Ava likes to stir and even sprinkle chocolate chips on brownies before they go in the oven. I let her play with the beans that are soaking in the water before I turn on the slow cooker because she loves the texture.

My last picture is Ava with her Chicago Bears cheerleader dress that we randomly found last summer at a secondhand store. She's a young Bears fan and when Daddy was watching the game she clapped! It was very fun!

Tomato-Zucchini-Feta Focaccia Bread

2011-09-18T21:51:00.000-04:00

Last month, I made this focaccia bread for my La Leche League study group meeting that I hosted at my house. Since the group was coming over mid morning I decided to serve brunch foods. I made this focaccia bread, blueberry-oat muffins, and served sliced apples. Here's what was left of the bread after the moms, babies, and kids left that day. The night before, I made the focaccia bread, but we forgot to set the oven timer and it burnt to a crisp. So the next morning, I woke up early and make it again. I think it's better that way because it was fresh for when my guests arrived. My only regret was baking it on a cookie sheet instead of my pizza stone. It was a bit over done on the bottom from the cookie sheet in the convection setting of my oven.

The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks Simply in Season. I used tomatoes, zucchini and feta because it's what I had on hand. You can experiment with different combination of toppings.

Focaccia Bread by Simply in Season
Serves 6

1 cup warm water
1tbs active dry yeast
Combine in a large bowl, stirring until yeast dissolves.

1 cup whole wheat bread flour
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
Mix in, stirring until smooth.

1 3/4 cup-2 1/2 cups bread flour
Add enough flour to make stiff dough. Knead 8-10 minutes until elastic (I used a stand mixer). Place in a greased bowl, turn to grease both sides, cover with a damp cloth, and allow to rise until doubled in size, 45 minutes.

Pat and stretch to fit a greased 10x15 jelly roll pan. Lightly rub top of dough with olive oil. Cover lightly with a damp cloth. Let rise 10 minutes. Top with the toppings below.

Topping:
2 tbs olive oil
Sea salt
1/4 cup feta
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup grape tomatoes, havled
1/2 cup zucchini, thinly sliced
Fresh or dried herbs. if desired (I used dried oregano).
Sprinkle with sea salt. Gently press toppings on the surface and sprinkle with cheese and herbs.. You can drizzle more olive oil on top if you'd like.

Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees until the crust is lightly browned, 12-20 minutes. If the bottom is down before the top is down, finish under the broiler. Serve immediately.

State Fair Visit

2011-09-09T07:52:00.000-04:00

Ava was afraid of the calf

Sharing pizza

Since we moved to Indy, we started a tradition of going to the State Fair. It's only 20 minutes from our house and with all the animals, it's fun to explore on a weeknight when it's less crowded and hot.

I love the State Fair because I never went to Fairs growing up in California. Last year, we took Ava when she was only about 5 months old and she loved it! This year, she was more tentative of the animals. We took her through the animal barns and she got to see horses, sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle up close! Aaron tried to get Ava to pet the sweet sleeping calf, but Ava was too afraid. She didn't mind the sheep or goats, probably because of their smaller size. The horses scared her quite a bit when we tried to get her to touch them through their cages. I'm surprised by how close you can get to the animals.

Heading home after a fun night!

We shared a buttery ear of corn and slices of pizza for dinner. And for dessert, we shared an elephant ear with cinnamon sugar. You can guess that Ava loved it! We decided against taking her in a stroller for more freedom to move around the Fair. She likes riding in the baby carrier or on Dad's shoulder!

Sadly, we parked right by the site of the stage collapse that happened just days before our visit. That was sad to think about the horrific accident. They kept the stage in tact due to their investigation. It was eerie to be there only a few days after the accident, but we were glad to take advantage of the Fair since it's only once a year.

Our nursing picture at the Lactation Station

During our visit, we stopped by the Lactation Station to nurse and I was happy to see that it was very busy. There were three other moms and baby pairs using the Lactation Station while we were there. Ava felt refreshed after a short nursing session and then we met up with Aaron for one last walk through the Fair before we headed back to our car. At the Fair this year, our nursing picture was featured in the main Lactation Station. We posed for the photos in April and they will use them across the State of Indiana for breastfeeding awareness and education programs.

Enjoying the State Fair is a fun family tradition to look forward to every August. It will be fun to see what Ava enjoys next year!

Zucchini Brownies

2011-09-05T22:39:00.000-04:00

Zucchini is a tricky vegetable in my house. Aaron doesn't like squash so I'm always thinking of ways that he will eat and enjoy it. I usually cook it as a side dish for myself, but this time I wanted to experiment. Ava won't try summer squash since I started offering it to her in the whole form. So I pulled out one of my favorite cook books last night for some inspiration. Simply in Season is based on cooking with seasonal produce. The summer section is the largest because that's when most of the produce is plentiful from your neighbor's gardens and local farmers. The authors created Simply in Season honoring their Mennonite heritage of being mindful of earth's resources and sharing with others. I like the Mennonite traditions of multicultural flavors in the cooking and this cook book is a perfect companion to my weekly seasonal produce box.

And last week, I received two local yellow zucchini in my produce box. I made Zucchini Brownies, which is a popular summer treat here in the Midwest because zucchini is plentiful. I was hoping that Ava and Aaron would enjoy the brownies. When Ava woke up from her nap, we mixed the brownies and she enjoyed sprinkling the chocolate chips on the batter before it went into the oven. And after dinner, we offered her a small piece and she loved it! This dessert is sure to please the whole family, even though it's not too sweet. The nature moisture from the zucchini gives the brownies a soft and springy texture. So if you're finding yourself overrun with zucchini, you may want to give this a try!

Zucchini Brownies - Serves 18-24

1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Combine in a large bowl

2-3 cups shredded zucchini
Stir in

1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
Combine in a separate bowl and beat with a whisk. Stir into zucchini mixture. Spread evenly into a greased 9x13 inch pan.

1/2 to 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Sprinkle on top of the batter. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F degrees until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (35-40) minutes. NOTE: Convection 25 minutes.

#NexusCafe Twitter Chat at the Indiana State Fair

2011-08-23T09:28:00.005-04:00

I started a Twitter chat for digital marketers through my work Twitter account last year as an experiment to highlight some of our partners. I was inspired by some of the Twitter chats that I participate in such as #bfcafe and #healthychild in the mommy-blogger world. I found a kinship with moms even though the chat is only once a week, the hashtag was a great way for people to connect throughout the week. Marketers are a lot like moms. They like to share ideas and learn from each other, so I pitched the idea and my colleagues and manager were really supportive.

Now #NexusCafe Twitter chat is an exciting part of my week! The chat is every Thursday at 11am EST and we discuss different digital marketing topics each week. My role is to moderate the chat via our @ETNexus Twitter account. With my role changing to the user community manager, I'm now integrating the chat in the customer community as a whole. Two weeks ago, we hosted a #NexusCafe chat with an ExactTarget client and my favorite non-profit, the Indiana Mother's Milk Bank. The IMMB supplies donated human milk to hospitals and out-patients for babies in need. The antibodies and highly available nutrition in human milk helps sick and premature babies recover fast and help rehabilitate faster than artificial infant formula.

As a donor mom who has shared 24 gallons of milk, I've had the pleasure to work with the program manager, Dane Nutty (@milkbankguy), who is a gem! He was the mastermind behind their annual initiative to organize three Lactation Stations at the Indiana Sate Fair along with his team of summer interns. The Lactation Station offers a place for a nursing mother and child to take a break from the heat and hustle of the fair. They have cold water and a place to change your baby's diaper. The stations are staffed by lactation consultants, La Leche League leaders, and experienced breastfeeding mothers for moms to ask any questions. They work with local organizations such as La Leche League of Indiana, March of Dimes, Indiana Perinatal Network, and others to help educate the public about breastfeeding. The IMMB is also able to find potential donor mothers by the awareness campaign. They use the ExactTarget application for their program to organize the volunteer network to staffing the Lactation Stations for the 17 days of the fair.

On the day of the #NexusCafe chat, I organized a tweet-up at the Lactation Station. I tweeted with Dane and Sarah from the Indiana Perinatal Network. I had issues getting on the WiFi network so I had to hook up directly to an Internet LAN cable that as dangling from the side of the 4H building, which is why we did the chat sitting on the grass. We sat in the mid-day sunshine which made our computers feel like they were on fire by the end. Even with the ants crawling on my legs, it was still worth it! Our chat was successful and we had great ideas shared and many marketers "show up" on the Twitter hashtag. I'm excited that I could combine my personal passion with my work in a single day.

Check out my #NexusCafe recap blog post about non-profit digital marketing.

Flashback! Last year, Ava and I volunteered at the Lactation Station and here's my post about our experience.

This year, instead of volunteering a shift at the Fair, I hosted the Twitter chat and posed for some nursing pictures which the milk bank used in their main Lactation Station. Some of my friends who were at the fair told me that they recognized me and Ava in the picture hanging at the Lactation Station! Our pictures will be used for breastfeeding education programs throughout the state. I'm so honored!

Family Photos Summer 2011

2011-08-14T13:11:00.010-04:00

Last weekend, we took family photos downtown Indianapolis at the Canal. When we arrived Ava was sleeping, but she woke up in a great mood. She loved seeing the ducks swimming in the canal. We walked in Military Park and then down on the Canal path. Our friend, Shawn, does our photography for us. His philosophy is to follow us around and let us play with Ava. He is a father and knows Ava so the pictures are so natural.

Ava just turned 17-months on Friday. She's getting so big this summer. Ava is really into giving kisses right now and makes the "mmmm" sound when does it. It's very sweet. Most of the time, she is really into singing. She sings the ABC song, making up the letters but you can hear the melody. She sings "row, row, row" quite a bit after our trip to San Francisco because Grandma sang it to her that week that we were traveling. And Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is another favorite including the hand motion.

We're moving her to a new daycare in another week. I'm really excited for her. The new center will provide her more one-on-one interaction and fun learning activities. They have an art room that they kids rotate through and a big auditorium with a stage to play dress up. I took her Friday morning to meet her new teacher and have some time in the new room. I'm planning on taking her a couple more times this week before she starts full-time next Monday in order to make her transition a bit easier. It takes her some time to warm up to a new care giver.

We're going through so many transitions this summer. Aaron and I both started new jobs. I took a new position at my company as a user community manager focusing on forming user-to-user groups in local cities. And Aaron just left Nuvo to work also at ExactTarget in Corporate Sales. We won't work together, but we're enjoying working at a growing company together. ExactTarget has a progressive work culture and surprisingly has many other couples working there. All three of us have changes under foot, which makes life at home interesting as we're settling into a new rhythm.

And last Saturday, Ava and I helped set a world record of simultaneous nursing celebrating World Breastfeeding Week. We got together in Broad Ripple Park with 57 nursing pairs. With all the family members we had 160 people attend. We also had the local news join us. What a great way to show support to families around the world sharing the health benefits through long-term breastfeeding. As I continue my journey in becoming a La Leche League leader, Ava is with me the whole way. I gain my experience with her nursing so it makes sense.

We're looking forward to Labor Day weekend at the Lake house!

Vegetarian Spring Rolls

2011-07-21T21:41:00.003-04:00

My favorite cookbook, Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair, impresses me all the time. The philosophy of the book is cooking with whole foods for the entire family. It's my go-to cookbook for some of our favorite dishes such as whole grain bread, polenta and black bean casserole, steelcut oats and dates, tempeh bacon for sandwiches, and spinach-feta quiche.

This week, I decided to try my hand at making the Fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls. They were so tasty! I've never rolled my own spring rolls before so I wasn't sure if it would be hard to do, but they were surprisingly easy. I made the spring rolls with avocado, thin slices of carrots, fried marinated tofu strips, fresh basil, spinach leaves, and a touch of lime. These little rolls were packed with flavor and a slight crunch from the carrot strips. I dipped the rolls in the Trader Joe's Gyoza Dipping Sauce, since I didn't have time to make my own sauce.

The recipe makes 10 rolls and they won't stay around long! I brought a roll to work for my pregnant friend and she thought it was a filling and delicious snack!

I found the spring roll skins at Meijer in the Asian foods section, but you can also find them at your local Asian market.

Fried Tofu: Slice the block of firm tofu and drizzled tamari over the slices on a pie plate. Preheat a large skillet. Add coconut oil to skillet. Fry the marinated tofu making sure both sides are golden. Let cool. Then cut the slices into thin strips. Use the leftovers for a stir-fry or sandwich.

Fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls (from Feeding the Whole Family)
Makes 10 rolls

Ingredients:

1 medium carrot
I medium zucchini (I omitted)
2 lettuce leaves (I used spinach leaves)
1 medium avocado
10 rice wrappers
1 lime
Optional ingredients: fried marinated tofu, grilled chicken, cooked shrimp, fresh basil, mint, or cilantro leaves.

Preparation:

Julienne carrot and zucchini. Set aside washed spinach leaves. Half the avocado and score it in thin slices and remove the pit. Half a lime.
Set up a metal cookie sheet upside bottom side up for a flat surface to work.
Fill a round pie plate with water. Soak rice wrappers, one at a time, for about 15 seconds until soft but still firm to the touch. Remove from the water and lay it flat on the surface.
On the top third of the wrapper, layer: avocado slices, a squeeze of lime juice, carrot, zucchini, tofu strips, basil, and spinach. Try not to over stuff.
Working quickly, fold the edge closest to you, then the sides inward as you roll it closed. The finished roll will be about 4 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Repeat for all 10 rolls.
Place in a dish, cover, and refrigerate until you're ready to serve. Don't stack on stop of each other because they will stick.

I served the rolls with a simple stir fry with bok choy and edamame over brown rice. They are also good as a snack or in a lunch box!

San Francisco

2011-07-15T13:00:00.001-04:00

I was just out in San Francisco with Ava and my mother-in-law, Michele. We had an awesome time! It was a business trip, but since I'm from the Baby Area, I wanted to bring Ava out to spend time with family and friends. It was my first trip since she was born and with her newly walking, I was a bit nervous. I was thrilled when Michele said she was available to come out with us. She watched Ava during the work week and they ventured out in the city together. Michele flew with all of her kids as young children so I felt confident going with her for our first inaugural flight! It worked out perfectly! We flew out on Saturday and came home on Thursday. I wasn't sure how Ava would adjust to the 3-hour time difference, but she was very flexible. Here's my post on toddler travel ti ps.

We arrived to the hotel at noon on Saturday and we decided to unpack and let Ava stretch her legs. We walked to Whole Foods to pick up supplies for the week. For dinner, we grabbed Chinese takeout from an excellent place that specializes in Dim Sum (but we didn't get go back the next morning to try it). We Skyped with Aaron so he could say goodnight to Ava. She whimpered when she saw Daddy on Skype, but was very excited to see Bena on the computer! Aaron said that the house was very quiet without us and that Bena was a little off while we were gone.

Sunday was an amazing day! We met up with family and friends at Crissy Field Park, which has gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge. We had sunny weather, though it was a bit cool with the breeze. Ava got to spend the afternoon with all three of her Grandmas! My stepmom (Meme) and my brother, Braden, drove in from Sacramento for the afternoon. They were so excited because they haven't been to visit us in Indiana so they were dying to meet Ava. They picked us up from the hotel and drove us to the park. My mom (Grandma Anna) and her boyfriend, Bernard, drove up to see us. My mom hadn't seen Ava since she was 5-weeks old! Ava fell asleep at the park on a blanket and Meme got to hold her for a bit. James, Kelly, and their son, Ethan came up from San Jose and then Romeo and Jeff drove out from Sacramento too. We had a bring your own picnic lunch and it was so relaxing! I'll never forget it!

I worked in the office Monday through Wednesday, but it was close enough to walk back at lunch to nurse Ava. It was hard to leave her for both of us because she cried for a few seconds when I'd leave. Grandma called herself the "Granny Nanny" on the trip got pretty creative at distracting Ava while I was leaving. They spent a lot of time in the lobby of the hotel walking around. Ava was just learning to walk that week so it was fun to stretch her skills on different surfaces like grass, cement, tile, and rugs. That was a big day for Ava and Grandma because they took a cable car ride up to Nob Hill and then Grandma carried her back in the pack through Chinatown. Michele was exhausted by the end, but they had fun and Ava fell asleep in the carrier. What a surprise! We grabbed dinner together on Monday night after work in the Ferry Building at a burger place. Ava was obsessed with the birds and seagulls! She practically yelled and pointed when she saw them. When we walked around the city, she looked up at the buildings and the people walking around. I could tell she really enjoyed seeing new things.

On Tuesday it rained ALL day! It was chilly too. So Michele took Ava on a stroller ride inside the hotel and they went swimming at the hotel pool. She's very creative. I guess you can tell she's done it before! Grandma let her walk around the empty dining room of the restaurant and Ava had her first taste of Fruit Loops. She wouldn't eat the orange ones.

On our last day in San Francisco, Michele took Ava (in the stroller this time) to the Legion of Art Museum. They had a great time! Even though it was on the other side of the city, Michele got directions with the bus and they spent the afternoon looking at fine art. They saw the Rodin sculptures. I love the pictures that Michele took with Ava walking all around the courtyard and by the art. That evening after I was done with my work meeting, we walked to a Thai restaurant for dinner. Ava was tired from the day, so we had to eat fast. We distracted her by putting an orchid in her hair.

Our flight from SFO was at 7:45am so we woke up very early. We had plenty of time to get to our gate. The airport security let us through faster since we had a baby and we had a bit more time to let her walk around. Ava got a bit antsy on the longer flight to Indy, but we entertained her. She nursed a lot and slept on my lap. Grandma sang and read to her. Aaron picked us up and it felt so great to be home! We missed each other, but it was great to know that Ava is a good little traveler and she enjoyed seeing a new city! What an amazing trip!

Toddler Travel

2011-06-26T13:06:00.007-04:00

Hello from San Francisco! We arrived yesterday afternoon after a two flight travel day. I'm traveling here for a business trip and Aaron's mom and Ava are with me. It's a mix of business and pleasure since they are with me and Michele is watching Ava during the work week while I'm working in our Social Media Lab office in downtown San Francisco.

Michele is calling herself the "Granny Nanny" which is funny! I packed and organized two nights before our trip which took the pressure off of the night before. Our flight departed at 8am so we had to leave the house at 6am, which meant I woke at 4:30am to make sure that I had everything ready. Packing took a lot of thought because I had to take stuff for my business trip (work clothes, laptop), baby stuff (clothes, diapers, medication, my breast pump and supplies), not to mention own personal things. I had some great advice from friends who have traveled with their small children and babies. Since Ava is younger than 2 years old, she can fly for free on my lap, but I had to bring her birth certificate for documentation at check-in. Thank goodness I read that ahead of time because we wouldn't have been able to board our flight without it.

I am by no means an expert on toddler travel, but here's what has been working for us:

Nursing at take-off, landing, and in-between: With the air pressure changes of air travel, nursing helps the baby's ears normalize. Not to mention, nursing is a baby's comfort and when they're in a strange place, their mother's breast is the safest place they know. I brought a familiar small blanket from home, which was helpful.

Pashmina scarf keeps you and baby warm: I have a large wool pashmina scarf, which is perfect for wrapping up the baby while nursing or carrying her around.

Your favorite baby carrier: I love my ring sling and used it on the plane to loosely wrap around Ava while we both slept on the plane. I didn't want to let go of her while I slept and risk her falling off my lap so I adjusted it so she was secure, but cozy. I used my soft structured carrier (in the picture) for walking on the city streets and the airport. It's very nice to have your hands free and your baby close and lower profile than a stroller.
Lightweight carseat: we just got a second carseat for Aaron's car that is safe, but light. We were able to easily place it in the cab to head to the hotel and it's also fun for Ava to play in. Kids love playing with buckles! We were planning on putting it away, but she's having so much fun with it in the hotel room. A friend lent us a backpack that holds a carseat, which was very helpful because of all the luggage we had to haul.
Lots of snacks: I packed some containers with Ava's favorite non-perishable snacks like dried cranberries, puffs, yogurt melts, and pretzels. My downfall is that I wished I packed a protein snack for me to keep my energy especially being vegetarian and nursing.
Smart packing: I tried to scrutinize everything that I packed to see if I really needed it. I packed enough outfits for Ava to have fresh clothes and kept a change of clothes in our carry on with extra socks just in case we lost them on the way. I packed my bottle brush, small sample sizes of dishwash soap will come in handy to wash Ava's sippy and the bottles that I pump into.

Diapers for 2 days: Our family is now a cloth diapering family, but on this trip we're using disposable. Cloth diapers take a lot of physical space and time to wash the diapers. It would be fine for car trips or weekends, but 5-days on a business trip, disposable diapers are much easier. I picked up a small pack of diapers at the store when we arrived. I carried a few diapers with a small wipes container on the plane and stuffed extras in my other carry-on and more in the checked luggage. It's good to have extras in case of delays. I packed extra wipes in a resealable bag for refills.
Bring baby pain reliever, diaper salve, and sunscreen: A friend brought up a good point that it's hard to find baby items (especially your favorite brands) when you're at a hotel or airport. I packed these items, which have come in handy.

Buying supplies at arrival: Before our trip, I scoped out a nearby Whole Foods store. We walked to the store and stocked up on food that you don't have to heat up for breakfast and snacks such as bread, peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, and soy milk. We also grabbed plastic utensils, paper plates, and napkins for the hotel room, which have been very handy.
Refrigerator in your hotel: The hotel housekeeping brought one up to our room since our room didn't have one. We are keeping Ava's milk and our food in the fridge. Our only wish is if our hotel had a microwave to reheat leftovers.

Fun new toys: Aaron stopped at the dollar store and got some fun toys for Ava to play with on the plane. He got some Sesame Street flash cards, which she liked. We used the "barf bag" for Ava to put things in and take them out. At her age, this is very entertaining!

Low key plans on arrival: I didn't make any plans on Saturday because I wasn't sure who we'd feel with a long day of travel. The only plan was to settle into the hotel and go to the store to buy our supplies.

Adjusting to time zones: A friend suggested that I try to reset Ava's home schedule for naps, based on the time that she wakes every day. It has worked for us so far. We usually go with the flow with her natural nap schedule anyway.

Today we're meeting family and friends today in the park near the Golden Gate Bridge! I'm excited because my step-mom and brother haven't meet Ava yet! And my bio-mom hasn't seen Ava since she was 5-weeks old when she came to visit us in Indy. We have some of my oldest friends coming to visit us for our bring-your-own picnic fun this afternoon.