Coconut Pineapple Curry

A fabulous Monday! Yes, they can exist! Before leaving for work, I prepped the crock pot with two frozen chicken breasts, half a can (don’t judge the can) of sliced pineapple, half a carton of coconut milk, and ¼ cup of brown sugar. I topped it off with a little bit of Bombay Curry - a staple of mine from Market Spice - and a little salt and pepper. I left the crock pot on “low” all day in hopes of coming home to some tasty Coconut Pineapple Curry Chicken. The day was a bit of a blur, it’s been rather busy lately but luckily office meetings at work meant that I got to pick up lunches for our guests. I naturally, and probably rather selfishly, chose Crusty Tasty for some yummy sandwiches and pasta salad. No pictures to share - I gobbled that bad boy right up! After work I picked up Mack. We immediately went home and changed into outdoors clothes. I popped some frozen veggies into the crock pot, stirred a little, and turned it up to “high.” I also started the rice cooker and crossed my Mackenzie and I took the doggies for a quick walk through the neighborhood while the veggies incorporated themselves in with the curry. We returned to the lovely smell of coconut and curry goodness.

While Mack was watching his beloved Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in preparation for bedtime, I did a little yoga/weights/stretching routine. I incorporated aspects from my prenatal yoga class (including the block, leg swing) and also some poses from this sequence. I did minimal weights: Using 5 lb weights I did a combination of bicep curls, tricep lifts, full arm extensions, and overhead press - 15 of each. Not much, but it got the blood flowing and worked out a few kinks in my shoulders. I am really having a problem with my right hip, so I’m focusing on poses that are “hip openers.” However, after doing this routine, I was in so much pain I could barely stand on my right leg let alone do the stretches to work anything out. I ended up going to bed with a thick slathering of Village Naturals Muscle Therapy lotion on my lower back and hip. This stuff is better than icy hot and it melts away any muscle tension, pinches, etc. I keep it in the house at all times.

Here’s to a good night’s sleep and a happy Tuesday! Italian starts tomorrow!

Dessert Dash Results

The results are in! I don’t yet have the final numbers for Friday’s Auction - but I do have the results from the dessert dash. The highest bid cake went for $700 and the dash as a whole raised $8,359 (last year raise, $6,600.00 - I must have gotten that $12,000 number from the Cocoon House auction which is much more funded) Here are just a few of the beautiful cakes for your viewing pleasure:

A big thank you to everyone who donated, helped pick up/drop off, and everyone who was there bidding! $$ raised supports Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County

http://www.dvs-snoco.org/index

Past and Present

Compared to yesterday, we were off to a whiz-bang start on Sunday morning. Nick was up at 4am. Mack and I got up at 6:30 - watched a little cartoons in bed - Mack brought us cereal how cute is that?! Around seven, the sun was coming up over the mountains and I was itching to get outside. Mack and I worked in the yard for a little bit - each of us with our respective hot chocolate and cappuccino :) It turned a little chilly and Mack told me was ready to go inside for some soup! Of course, because everyone wants “curly noodle” (AKA Progresso’s Chicken Noodle) soup at 8:30 in the morning! After soup, we headed out on our grand adventure to pick up my dad and go to Seattle for the day. Now, I don’t need a “reason” to go to Pike Place ever. BUT, I had a secret mission for my trip and that was to go to the Panama Hotel’s Tea Room. I just finished reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and I really wanted to go see the place that kick started the idea for this novel. The Panama Hotel served as a storage place for several Japanese families that were sent to internment camps during WWII. That stuff was just sitting in the boarded up hotel until 1986 when the new buyer uncovered all of it. That’s more than 40 years that these things were there and no one knew, eerily - no one ever returned to claim these items either. I’m sure that most people assumed that the items had been destroyed. At any rate, the woman that bought the hotel has preserved all of those items, even going so far as to create a tea room to display several of the items in. The women, Jan, sounds like a very interesting woman based on what I read in this article. Our first stop, however, was the Market. After loading up on fruit rolls, raspberry bear claws, a copy of the Financial Times, and a bouquet of tulips, we were ready to head into the International District. During the time that the book takes place, there was no ID, just China Town and Nihomanchi - Japan Town. Now of course, there are Vietnamese, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, even Slavic and Mexican shops in the ID. Our first stop was to Uwajimaya for some staples like seeing the fish in the tanks, picking up some pocky, rice candy and wasabi peas, and looking at all the beautiful dishes. Our next stop was to Viet-Wah. This store is on the other side of the freeway from what I would call the “American-ized” ID. On this side of the freeway, nothing is in English and you had better know what it is you are looking for because there won’t be any sort of indication to help you should you get lost or confused. I’ve been to this store several times with my dad. They have an amazing pharmacy - complete with a relic of a medicine man. He sits behind the counter with apothecary drawers full of herbal supplements, resembling very much a yard waste bin. He also has a very large book in which he looks up his remedies. I can’t get enough of that. My dad has been coming here for years to get a special type of ginseng and for bee pollen “shooters.” Our final stop was to the Tea Room. When we got there, I was surprised just how packed the place was. After ordering a glass of White Peony Tea, we sat down and took in our surroundings. Turns out, the owner was there giving a tour - to about 20 people - and that’s why it was so crowded. I have to say I was a little bummed to A) not be on the tour and B) not have the place more to ourselves. This just means that I’ll need to go back. I did manage to snag a few pictures, including one of the original wall paper which is still exposed at the top half of the walls, a photo of a layout of the old Nihomanchi District, and my dad got a picture of Mack enjoying the ritual that surrounds lose leaf tea. Back in the car, we realized we were pretty hungry and decided to head out to Alki for some lunch. Mack kept calling it dinner, which I suppose is fair given that he had breakfast at 6:30 and lunch at 8:30. No trip to Alki would be complete without a walk on the sand (even if it is drizzly and grey) and the chasing a few seagulls, ahem, pigeons. After the long drive back home, we settled in to watch a movie and make some popcorn. Look who made popcorn all by himself! And a majority of it landed in the bowl! All in all, it was a great day. Ready for Monday!

Ukranian Eggs!

Saturday was a lazy day - especially for Mackenzie. That little bugger slept in until 10:40. I think between staying up late for swimming on Thursday night, and our somewhat late night (for him) on Friday - his little body was just exhausted. Luckily for me, this meant that I got to sleep in a little myself. Nick was insane and got up at 6! After I woke up around 7:30, Nick decided to go for a run with, drumroll please…. Tucker! That little fatty is doomed to get his exercise in! Even if we have to drag him along on the leash :) While Nick was out running (he came back and swapped Tucker for Muffin so that he could do his long loop to Grand Ave and back) I did a little yoga on demand. I really like the Namaste Yoga that I recorded from DirectTv. My only complaint is that you get really into the sequence and then BAM blaring load commercial. They always offer a great workout - and even though they are only thirty min (less any commercials) they sure do pack a punch! Once Mackenzie finally got up, we had a light breakfast and then hit the road for my number one goal for the weekend of purchasing the crib set for baby Bowsher’s room. Success! We were in and out of Just for Kids in no time. Although, I have to admit that I did try on a pair of roller blades - every pregnant lady needs a pair of those right? Unfortunately, those were way too big, for even my swollen pregnancy feet. Next up, we were off to the beach house to do Ukranian Eggs. Nick’s family has done this over the years but this was my first time doing an egg. Mack was still super out of it and he lay/slept on the couch the entire time we were there. We finished up our eggs for the most part, except Nick’s mom was going to use lighter fluid of all things to remove the remaining wax and to polish the eggs. We’ll get to pick up our eggs later in the week. The rest of our Saturday was pretty lazy. Once we were home we just lounged around with Mackenzie who was a real bump on a log. I think all the sitting around wore me out! I ended up taking a nap around 6:30 and never really got up again. I did watch a movie with Nick though after he got Mack to bed. Poor Nick! Here it is his last day at home and we’re all super exciting!

Rebecca Black has Ruined Fridays

It’s Friday, Friday - gotta get down on Friday! Ha, literally had that stuck in my head all day - from the moment I told Mack “It’s Friday!” See why annoying, simple lyrics are so catching? Today was a busy day of work. I was helping a lady at a school district (not Everett) who stepped into a job that wasn’t being done very well prior to her working there, and now she was trying to clean up a mess caused by the previous employee. Why does this sound familiar? At any rate, I was glad to be able to help her and get her the info she needed right away, even if that meant that my own projects are moving along at a snail’s pace. It was also a busy day of cakes being dropped off here at my office and then me delivering them over to Comcast Arena for the auction tonight. I love seeing all the creative things people can do with CAKE. I wish I was that talented. I’m not a very good baker. I think I’m a pretty decent cook but when it comes to baking, I always mess things up. In another lifetime, I’d love to go to classes and the whole gambit. It was such a sunny day that I was thinking it’d be nice to go for a walk by the river after work. I was also thinking it’d be fun to cook up the tempeh I had bought at the co-op on Thursday during my lunch break. Nick however, had VERY different plans in mind. When I mentioned going for a walk he actually laughed at me and said “you can only see out of your building in one direction, wait til you get outside.” Outside, I looked to the East and there were black storm clouds rolling in over Everett. I much preferred my “view to the West” which was nothing but blue skies and sunshine. Ignorance really is bliss. I had no idea that storm had been brewing. Here I was with the door open, enjoying the fresh air and the birds chirping. As rain was falling just a few blocks away. Nick also had plans for dinner which were just about as opposite to tempeh as you can get. He wanted steak. Luckily, once steak is mentioned, I’m on board - no need to convince me! We hopped on over to QFC and picked up three big steaks in a family pack - which was buy one get one free! Yay six steaks! While Nick was picking out the steaks I happened to notice there was a big seafood sale. I decided to splurge on some Dungeness crab! Then while I was waiting in line for my crab, Nick noticed there was a wine tasting going on. We ended spending about 40 min at QFC. I picked up a bottle of Fre, which is a non-alcoholic Cabernet Sauvignon. We’ve bought a bottle of this once before and I knew I liked it. I don’t think it’s something I should be having on a regular basis, but steak and crab without red wine is just wrong. Gary had picked up Mack from school early (after helping me deliver cakes to the arena - thanks Gary!) and they were already at the house busy playing. When Nick and I arrived home, we all got busy in the kitchen. Mack helped me make Brussels sprouts with butter and garlic, Nick used his awesome indoor grill (Christmas present!) and I started some water to boil for the crab. Nothing was done at the same time. We had a meal in courses, steak first, then Brussels sprouts, and then crab - wine throughout. Carrot cake for dessert. My mom had made a carrot cake for the dessert dash and had made a tiny, loaf sized cake just for me. She knows it’s my favorite. I was nice enough to share my dessert with everyone. What a great meal! Because we had spent about two hours eating, it was Mack’s bedtime before we could even believe it. Movie time for mom and dad!

Co Op Lunch

For lunch today, I decided a nice walk in the sunshine was the best thing for me. This morning, Beth brought me this: She knows the way to my heart!

Gruyere cheese and Braeburn apples have been my staple throughout this pregnancy. Between the apples/cheese and my usual morning snacks, I wasn’t incredibly hungry come lunch time - but I knew I wanted to at the very least have a smoothie. I headed out towards the co-op and ended up getting a smoothie called “Tropical Fusion” - coconut milk, pineapple, and a bunch of other things I can’t remember. I also picked up yet another “we’ll see how this ends up” lunch. “Spicy spelt with Tofu.” Both were delicious. Spelt is a type of wheat and is 17% protein. This little concoction included spelt berries, chopped red cabbage, chopped red and orange peppers, chopped scallions, tofu, a light drizzling of what I assume was sunflower oil and some sort of spice that had a little kick but not too much heat. I loved this so much that I saved a little for Nick to try. I really liked the texture of the spelt also. While I was there, I also picked up a box of quinoa (never tried it!) and a package of uncooked tempeh. I really loved the “Leek Roasted Carrots with Tempeh” I got from the co-op deli last week and I want to try cooking with tempeh at home. Let me tell you, it looks disgusting raw. I’m just hoping I can get Nick over the grossness of the look and description of tempeh long enough for him to taste it. I know he’ll like it once he tries it!

Yoga and Cake

Tonight was a pretty boring night for food - I had to rush home and get changed for my first night of prenatal yoga! The boys had PB&J as a quick dinner because they were also on their way out for an adventure at the pool with Eric, Melissa and her daughter Jenna. Prenatal yoga was a blast. It was great meeting other women in the same boat as me - the majority of which are about my same age. We are all very close in due dates, I’m the earliest, at June 11th - but the latest is July 8th. So we are within a month of each other. There were five other women in the class, plus the teacher. I really enjoyed the sequence that she had put together. We did several new poses, including “windmill” which I will be incorporating into my daily stretching routine, and also a move where you stand with one foot on a block and swing the other leg in a straight line forward and backward, as high up as your hip will allow. Hip openers are my favorite! And since I can’t do pigeon pose right now, this is a great replacement. We also did shavasana in an altered pose, using two bolsters. This was the most comfortable I’ve been since entering my second trimester. All in all, it was a great relaxation sequence, but I also felt invigorated and energized afterwards. Perfection! After class, I had a few errands to run for the dessert dash which was the next day. I work with two different auction groups here in Everett, one for Cocoon House and one for Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County (DVS). Friday’s auction was for DVS which provides shelter and temp housing for women who are fleeing violent homes/relationships. They are an advocacy based program which basically means that they offer a support system around the multi-faceted government programs available to these women such as DSHS, Everett Housing Authority, the Prosecuting Attorney’s office, and the school systems (Everett School District for their children, Everett Community College and other certification/degree programs for the women themselves). DVS works with the women to create a plan with them, not for them, to establish new lives for themselves - whether that means legal advocacy to file restraining orders, council for pulling a child from the school and transferring to another, help attaining the resources to get a GED or to get into a cert/degree program and learn a new job skill, etc. Most of these women have always been SAHMs and do not know how to be self-sustaining. The problem is a big one - the women that do eventually find the courage to stand up to a violent husband are then forced to go back because they have no way of supporting themselves or their children without the man’s income. Obviously, the issue can swing both ways and I don’t mean to be anti-male in this explanation - it’s just that this particular organization only serves women victims and as such, these are the issues they are dealing with. You can find out more about DVS by visiting their website. This is just one of the gorgeous cakes I was able to procure for the dash:

This cake was a chocolate/mocha cake with raspberry filling. I want this for my baby shower!

How the dessert dash works: Every table receives a “bid card” for dessert. The desserts are all located on a large table and they are available to “view” during the silent auction prior to dinner. During dinner, every one puts down what they want to contribute towards their dessert on the bid card. Each table then chooses a “runner” to be the one to go and choose a dessert when their table number is called. The bid cards are picked up and calculated while dinner finishes up. When it is time for dessert the auctioneer announces the table with the highest collective bid and their runner then gets to choose their dessert first. After calling the first few highest bidders, the auctioneer will then just start calling off the rest of the tables faster and faster. This way, there is an actual “dash” to get a dessert and people are racing all around. It’s very fun. This auction is my second one for DVS - but last year, one of the cakes I donated was the very first cake to go - it went for $700! And the dash as a whole raised $12,000. I can’t wait to see what we raise this year. After picking up several cakes, I decided to stop by the pool to see how everyone was doing. I was immediately greeted by a big smile from Mackenzie who was riding around on a yellow noodle. He quickly scooted his way over to the pool’s edge, said hi to me, explained that this was his yellow sail boat, then “see ya!” and off he went! This kid LOVES being in the pool. I really want to get him signed up for swim lessons. Several books and tv shows have made fun of moms frantically waiting in line to sign up for swimming lessons. I always thought this was an exaggeration and that they just used the scenario to highlight how ridiculous parents can sometimes be. That scene is for real. I’ve tried for the past three sessions to get Mack into the class (there are about 25 classes of 10 kids each session) and every time, without fail, the class is full only an hour after online registration opens. I feel like there is a secret to getting in before registration opens. Tricky moms! Mack wasn’t ready to leave the pool yet and I had cakes to get home, so I headed home on my own. After the pool, they all went for McDonald’s - Mack came home with a Happy Meal for him and a big hug for me. Gotta love the simple things in life. Arriverderci!

Popsicles to the Rescue

Wednesday night!

Even though I got into work late today, I couldn’t help but get an itch to get out of the office given how sunny and springy it was outside. For some strange reason, entering 6 months worth of data (that I’ve already entered into one system) into a new system is not the most exciting thing to dedicate my days to. I am however, making good progress. Once I was able to break free from the office, I threw on my sunglasses and headed out to pick up Nick from work. Then the two of us picked up Mack from preschool.
Nothing is a worse start to the evening than picking up your kid bloody and crying from preschool. It was just a fat lip - he was pushed on the playground and probably bit his lip as he fell down, but the TEARS would suggest to you that his injuries were fatal.
Luckily, firework popsicles came to the rescue!
Talk about a perfect distraction and an make shift ice pack. Two birds, one stone, ahem - popsicle. Mack loved the idea of having a “treat” before dinner and as soon as he had that bad boy, life had returned to happiness and we were ready for some kite flying adventures.
This morning on the way to preschool Mack told me that because the sun was up, it was a good day to fly his kite. He has literally been begging to take his kite out for weeks: when it’s pouring down rain or pitch black outside. Every single time he’s asked, we’ve told him that when it was sunny, we’d take his kite out. So, as soon as he saw the sun over the Puget Sound (we have an AMAZING view from his preschool) he was all over that promise we’d made.
Kite + Popsicle = Mackenzie in Heaven

Then This
Luckily, it was pretty cold out and Mack was over it before the kite got stuck in the tree. Dinner time!

I really love crock pot meals. When I can come home to an amazing, already cooked meal, I feel like I’ve cheated the world. Here, I have extra time on my hands and I get to eat something delicious.
For tonight’s meal, I did a little throw back to 8th grade when we had a family reunion in Cannon Beach. We had most of the hotel along with a beach cabin that we’d have dinners at each night. One night my uncle made a boys scout recipe from when he was a troup leader (is that what they are called, troups?). Anyway, every now and then I get a strong desire to have this meal again - but I’ve never made it. I decided to give it a go - with only the memory of asking him how he had made it when we were eating it (that’s what, more than ten years ago…).

I put three frozen chicken breasts, two cans of petite diced tomatoes, about ¼ cup of brown sugar and a little salt and pepper in the crock pot - on “low” for about 6 hours. When I got home, I asked Nick to make rice because clearly I can’t do it right.
This meal was fantastic! So incredibly easy to make, and so, so good.
On the side, we had some sweet corn.
Please note Nick's fancy plating for this photo. As opposed to my "give me the food!" photo below.


Today was the last day of my President’s Challenge, so I needed to get in at least 30 min of workout. I decided to try out one of my prenatal DVDs from the library.

This workout is ridiculous! Besides the 80’s throwback attire - full body leotards with leggings and high tops - the music is phenomenol. I was cracking up the entire time I was doing this aerobics routine. At one point Mack and Nick came upstairs and they both just started laughing hysterically. Mack joined me for one set of the aerobics.

I’ve included the links to the highlights of this video for you here and here. ENJOY! Seriously, worth your time - the laughter alone is a great workout :)

To be fair, the workout was great - got my heart rate up, I had a blast and I felt like I really worked out. A “real” workout is very hard to come by in the prenatal sections, so I will definitely be doing this again - and soon!

A presto!

That Family That Does Yoga Together....

Stays together? Is that the saying :)
A Tuesday night without Italian?! Feels so weird. I love Italian but I have to say that it has been nice being home every night of the week and being “present” during the times I’m at home - rather than studying for this quiz, or that test, or even just thinking about all the things I need to get done and the constant feeling of a to-do list running through my brain.
The goals for last night: Pick up my on hold items from the library, make a dinner that wasn’t terrible, hang out with the fam - AND, if the mood strikes, get some laundry done.
Success!
After waiting in line at the library behind a family of ten children, each with their own library card and a minimum of $12 in late fees each - I was finally able to check out the items I put on hold earlier this week. I found three workout DVDs that I wanted to give a go.
At home, I got dinner going - Grilled Chicken, Roasted Carrots with Broccoli, and Rice-a-Roni! Seriously, who doesn’t like Rice-a-Roni? It’s the San Francisco treat!
While dinner was cooking, I asked Mack if he’d try out this new video:

This video is super corny but I love the idea. It’s called Yoga for Families and it has basic yoga moves (warrior 2, cat/cow, downward facing dog, front bend, etc) combined into 3 different 10-15 min sequences. They do use some of the traditional pose names (traditional, as in western, not Sanskrit) but for the most part they say things like “be an elephant and wag your trunk all the way to the floor” instead of “front forward fold” or what have you. It took a couple minutes, but we eventually got Mack into doing it - so it was Mack, Nick and I doing our silly animal poses before dinner. I love it! I am by no means suggesting that Mack “work out” on any sort of schedule or as a “need to do” basis, but I think introducing him to the concept is great. I definitely remember watching my mom work it out to Jane Fonda on VHS along with the FIRM and how cool I thought I was when she let me workout with her. My mom is undeniably an amazing example of eating right and staying fit. I hope to look as good as she does when I’m forty - let alone sixty! (she’s going to kill me for putting that, but I think it’s a compliment that my mom is about to turn 60 this year and she looks better that a lot of (if not most) mid forty year olds. Be proud of your age mom!)

Back to dinner, being that I got distracted with our family yoga session, then playing catch with the dogs, and setting the table with Mackenzie - I almost ruined my second dinner in two days! Luckily, I was able to rescue the meal right at the last moment and everything was delicious. No leftoevers = everybody loved it.

After dinner, we watched an episode of DuckTales (remember that show?) with Mack and then read a book, played pillow wrestling, and all the other pre bed time activities. Let me also say that Mack’s bike is now ready to be picked up at the store and even though he did get a sticker last night - he still has a little over half way to go towards earning his bike. Here’s what’s in store for him at the end of the sticker chart:
Nick and I are debating picking this up tonight and showing it to him - he’d still have to earn all his stickers before getting it - OR, if we should get it some other time and hide it in the garage until the chart is all the way full. I’m sure seeing it will be a good motivator, but I also don’t want to introduce a huge battle of “I want it now!” for the next 17 stickers. Not sure what’s the best choice here.

Quick baby recap: I had my diabetes and hematocrit tests done at the doctor’s office today. Good news! I don’t have diabetes! I am however, extremely low on iron. No real surprise here, I’ve been anemic for most of my life. I have a “prescription” now for some special iron that is supposedly easier to absorb. Also, this is supposed to make me have more energy. I’m all for that!

After the doctor, I stopped at home to toss a quick dinner into the crock pot, whip up a smoothie and enjoy some time in the sunshine with the pups. For some reason, Tucker is willing to run and play catch outside but will not do it inside unless I put Muffin away. Playing outside was a nice little workout for Tucker - and a much needed one at that! Fatty!

Into the blender: Ice, frozen strawberries, kiwi, and Protein Plus juice - don’t judge it by the pukey color - it’s a great smoothie base.

Wha la!

Tonight things are flip-flopped a bit. I’m picking up Nick from his work - rather than vice-versa. So we’ll get home a little later than usual, hence the need for crock pot dinner.

See ya later

Burrito Dog

Yesterday was a long and boring day at the office. Lots to do - BUT, I was immediately cheered up when I got home to this:


Tucker has been wrapping himself up his blanket at night and apparently he’s started doing it during the day now too. The thing is, he’s really good at wrapping himself up like a burrito, but then he gets stuck. Today, he had chewed a hole large enough to stick out his head and front legs, but because he’s so stinkin’ fat - the rest of him was still stuck in his burrito wrap up. Ha ha ha! I took a video of him walking around like this before I was kind enough to come to his rescue and unravel the rest of the blanket for him.
With that, the tone for the night had been set - light hearted and full of laughter.
Immediately after, we had some visitors. We got to hear a fabulous story involving the procurement of medical marijuana to the horror of a grandparent present at the time of prescription. You’ll just have to imagine the details :) That makes two family members now who have had marijuana suggested to them as an established medical treatment - no body has taken up the offer yet.
I had decided earlier in the day that I’d make salmon for dinner (Nick’s favorite!) and I got started on prep right away.
Also, I had Nick pick up some parsnips because I’ve wanted to try parsnip fries for a while now. They keep showing up on different things (like here and here) and I’ve been so intrigued!
Turns out, parsnips are kind of like weird carrots. In fact, they smell exactly like carrots - although the taste and texture is a bit different, not to mention they are white and not orange.
Here’s what was on the menu:

Lemon Grilled Salmon
Lime Cilantro Rice
Parsnip Fries

AND, I managed to botch all three! The salmon was taking FOREVER to cook and then I ended up OVER cooking it just a little (a sin in the eyes of Nicholas). The rice cooker, I overfilled with rice, so the rice to water ratio was all wrong and we had rice that was the texture of a kindergarten craft gone wrong. And the parsnip fries, I over oiled - making them super mushy AND I over seasoned - making them a little too spicy. As we were cooking them, Mack said “oh, I love French fries!” (what? He doesn’t need to know they aren’t regular French fries - much less - healthy French fries). After he tried one, Mack spit it out and said “I do not like THOSE fries.” He was so disgusted he didn’t even want the remainder of his fry so much as touching his plate. Little bugger!
Nick and I both agreed that the parsnip fries could be good and that we just needed to work on our (ahem, my) fry making skills. As for the rice and salmon, there’s always next time.

Flash forward to lunch time today! I decided to hit the gym for a session on the circuit. It was a good opportunity to don my new workout duds from Saturday’s mission.

New pants!
I also enjoyed a lovely apple from the CSA that delivers to my gym and a nice cup of tea. I know that seems like a pathetic lunch, especially being that I’m pregnant - but you must have missed the memo about me eating a giant serving of lasagna circa 10am. Baby doesn’t care about “lunch time!” He eats when he wants! And so do I! :)

See you for dinner!

Quidam!

Monday - Monday, Monday…. Always comes too soon eh? Not that I have any complaints, this weekend was filled to the brim and even though we had a memorial service to attend yesterday, I can honestly tell you it was a very fun weekend.
Gary picked up Mack from school on Friday so Nick and I could watch the Husky game. We immediately went home after work changed into our Husky gear and headed over to our friends’ house to watch the game. I’ve been a little MIA from our friends group lately, so it was nice to see people and be a human being again! It also makes for a great evening when your team wins a great game!
Saturday morning we were up and at it pretty early. Mack doesn’t understand the concept of “weekend” well enough to go back to sleep - his body is used to waking up at 6am like he does for school each morning. For him, sleeping in is somewhere around 6:10. Yep, ten whole minutes of freedom! Ha!
We’ve come to rely on having the TV set up downstairs so that when he comes and wakes us up, one of us can quickly turn on a Mickey Mouse and get him set up with some breakfast before coming back to bed and snoozing a bit. Call us terrible parents, it’s how we keep our sanity!
I had a special mission for Saturday morning - two, actually. The first was to go to Costco and get some new workout gear. They are currently carrying some of the new Adidas women’s line for spring. Having bought Nick’s running gear at Costco a few months ago, I knew that if I could find my size, it’d be worth my while to get it from Costco. As it turns out, they sell bottoms in my size - but the matching tops were only available in XS - which is too small, even for me. The irony is that I was also trying to find stuff for my dad and then men’s selection had the opposite problem, his stuff only came in gigantic size. Weird. At least I got my pants, for less than half the normal price. AND, we live super close to the Adidas outlet, which I plan on visiting very soon to complete my “outfits.”
Mission #2 was not so successful. I’d been looking for a dress to wear to Cirque du Soleil for a few weeks now and Saturday was THE DAY to get it done. Let me tell you, it’s hard enough to find a decent dress when you’re twenty something and a mom (everything is either super frumpy or super slutty and short), BUT add to the fact that I’ve got a big ol’ belly and it’s that much more challenging. So…. I didn’t find a dress. I ended up wearing my high school homecoming dress, no joke. Thank god for stretchy fabric!
I did, however, find some great steals on maternity clothes. Seriously, who wants to spend $40 a pop on shirts/pants that you only fit in for about 2-3 months anyway?! Second hand is the way to go! I also snuck in a trip to Plato’s Closet to drop off some clothes that don’t fit anymore and I scored $20. The maternity shop I was at also does consignment, but it’s for store credit, and they only accept clothes m-f. I found a crib set I really liked there, so I’m hoping I can turn in the rest of the stuff Plato’s Closet didn’t buy and have enough store credit to get the crib set - the rest of my stuff is destined for Goodwill!
I spent the rest of the afternoon getting a manicure and then getting ready for Cirque. Quidam was my very first Cirque du Soleil show and I loved every single moment. The set, the lighting, the costumes, everything was incredible. I really wish that Mackenzie could have gone with us, he would have loved it. Next time I’m making sure he gets to go.

I almost feel guilty about enjoying the show knowing he didn’t get to go. We went out to one of our favorite Thai restaurants before the show with some friends - always nice to catch up with college friends. AND, I know have some pretty awesome leftovers to look forward to on my lunch tonight.
Sunday started with an early morning Husky game and we had Kyle and Erin over for breakfast/to watch the game. I think that’s the earliest I’ve ever watch basketball. It was a good game, up until the last few moments when we really just gave it away to North Carolina. Such a crappy way to end our tournament play. After the game, I was off to Edmonds to meet up with my long lost friend Eli! I haven’t seen Eli in ages! He finally lives a reasonable distance from us and so I figured it was darn time we got back together. I met him for brunch (don’t judge me for my two breakfasts!) in downtown Edmonds and we went to a cute little restaurant called Red Twig. I wanted to try out Red Twig because online said they had great crepes, there were also terrible reviews for this place, stating it was overpriced and hoity toity. First of all, they didn’t have crepes except for chicken pesto, which in comparison to the whip cream and strawberries I was anticipating - was not going to cut it. Also, their prices are incredibly reasonable and the food was “normal” done well -- for instance I got a breakfast burrito and I almost got the muffin shaped quiche. I wouldn’t call that hoity toity. The lesson here: you can’t always trust the reviews on Yelp or Urbanspoon - in the end we each get to have our own opinion :)
After that it was time to head out for the memorial service. I can’t believe how many people there were, what an inspiration of touching lives. I hope that when I pass away even a quarter that many people will show up and be able to laugh and celebrate my life. It was a very good service.
To leave you on a happy note: This is what little baby Bowsher looks like at 28 weeks! Only 11 more to go…. Crazy!

Did anyone notice that I did absoluty no cooking this weeked?! Weird. The most action our kitchen saw was when Nick made waffles and scrambled eggs for the game. About that....I better start thinking about what's for dinner :)

Replacement Lunch and Mosquito Pie

Due to the catastrophe of my morning yesterday (overly dramatic much?), I ended up going out for lunch yesterday. This actually served two purposes. One, work is super stressful and mind cramping right now. The past couple of weeks, even when I’ve packed a lunch, I’ve wanted nothing more than to get out of the office and go chill out somewhere else. It’s not so much that I am unhappy at work as it is that I need to physically remove myself from the projects I’m working on in order to not continue to think about them. Even at that, my mind is pre-occupied with my to-do list. I’ve actually been dreaming about my task list at night - waking up in a panic that I’ve forgotten to do something. Yesterday, I didn’t feel super hungry when lunch time rolled around but I knew that I need to get out and go for a walk. Among other things, sitting at my desk all day is pretty hard on my body. I headed out the door with no real plan for where I was going, which you can tell from my hap-hazard route below:


I ended up stopping in at the Co-op to see what yummy things they might have in the deli case. Turns out, they had lots of things I wanted to try. I decided on Leek Roasted Carrots with Tempeh. Long name. I’ve been seeing “tempeh” come up on a lot of other blog postings and wondered what the heck it was. I asked at the co-op and no one was able to give me a straight answer, one guy even told me “it’s a combination of lots of things I think.” Concerning? I figured it was some soy based product that was similar to tofu based on the way I’ve seen people use it in recipes on their blogs, so I was willing to overlook that lack of explanation and try it anyway. I also got a cup of Chedder Tomato Cauliflower Soup - which came with a nice slice of freshly made sunflower seed bread.

I really enjoyed this lunch. The soup had so many veggies in it (potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, cauliflower, etc) and the cheddar was just a hint of flavor in the background. I felt super energized after eating this. But, the real winner was the carrots and tempeh. Turns out, I LOVE tempeh. I decided to Wikipedia this strange food, that has the texture of chicken and a kind of nutty flavor, and here’s the deal. Tempeh is a soy based food product - sort of a cross over between miso and tofu. I say that, because tempeh is fermented similarly to miso - except that it is left as a whole bean during the process. I was actually really interested to learn that tempeh is the only traditional soy food that did not originate in the Sinosphere - like tofu and miso did. You can read the awesome Wikipedia article here - if you are nerdy and care, like me :)
I will definitely be on the lookout for some tempeh recipes!

Coming up! This weekend is such a mish-mash of things and emotions. Tonight we are watching the Huskies with some friends, tomorrow we have Cirque du Soleil with a few friends, and Sunday is a memorial service for Nick’s uncle - who also was the minister at our wedding.
It’s a strange feeling to be both excited for the events of the weekend and also to feel a somber silence inside about the memorial service. Death is such a strange thing - I’m happy for him to not be suffering and I’m incredibly sad for the person who is now gone from his family and his peers. Grieving for the loss here on earth - but happy for the “next adventure” for Marcus whatever that may mean.

I will share a piece of the last email on Marcus’ condition I received before he passed away. I have minimized it quite a bit, but it was so beautiful - I want to remember it forever.

Laurie writes:
There is a fairy tale by E.E. Cummings titled The House that Ate Mosquito Pie. Do you know it? The story starts like this. “Once there was a house who fell in love with a bird.” After hearing an ethereal song in the clouds the house ponders, “{f}or the house knew (all inside of himself) that the song was looking for nobody but him, and that the singing floating flying person was coming to see him and nobody else, out of all the sunlight and all the air and all the world and all the sky… Nobody can suppose how happy the house was when all at once the tiny flying person alighted right beside him and said: ‘May I come to live in you?’ The house answered, very humbly and very happily: ‘Now I know why I have been very lonely for ever and ever such a long time-it was all for this day. Please live in me, and never stop living in me until we both stop living.’ And later the house asked the bird, ‘What shall we have for lunch?’ and the bird thought and thought. Finally she said: ‘Since you’re such a beautiful house and since I love you so much, I should like to fly out and catch some mosquitoes so that we can have a bit of mosquito pie!” After being visited by bothersome humans who the house scared away, “the bird flew out and caught mosquitoes until she had enough for a delicious pie, and she brought them all back and gave them to the house who cooked them with a good deal of sugar and made them into a pie; and so the bird and the house each ate three big helpings of perfectly delicious mosquito pie (and let me tell you that they felt very well indeed afterwards). Not only that-but no people ever bothered them any more and so they were as happy together as happy could be.”

He likes the idea of reincarnation better than heaven; a repeated theme since October. “I want to return as a river swallow. The river swallows,” he says, “skirt the top of the water looking for sustenance.” The air is clear and the scenery beautiful as they aerodynamically flit and dive. They sing simply and twitter to communicate during courtship. “Will you be a river swallow, too?”

Upon awaking from a nap one afternoon he said, “Where will I go when I am gone?” I responded, “You will be flying along the river as a swallow and will wait until I join you. I will build a nest for you and I will make mosquito pie.”

Alarm Bells Ringing

With my Italian final over and behind me, as well as this stupid kidney infection being nearly through, I was excited to have a nice night at home with the boys - no studying to worry about, no pain in my side - just some quiet time with the fam. Because a little birdie had sent me a link to a fabulous alfredo recipe here. I was craving some alfredo for dinner last night. I decided to whip up some garlic chicken with roasted bell peppers and thin spaghetti (side bar: what is the difference between thin spaghetti and angel hair? - is that some American thing we just made up?). I already had a jar of Bertolli’s Alfredo Sauce so I didn’t try out the recipe - but I will definitely be holding on to that for future reference.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts - sliced to thin strips
Orange and Yellow Bell Peppers - chopped
Garlic
Thin Spaghetti or Angel Hair Pasta
Alfredo Sauce

How to:
On medium to high heat, heat some olive oil in a skillet. Add chopped garlic - the more the better! Sauté for a few moments before adding in sliced chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill until chicken is nearly cooked through. Add in the bell peppers.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta to a nice al dente.
When bell peppers are cooked down a little, add the alfredo sauce and stir to really incorporate the juices from the chicken and peppers.
Top noodles with a spoonful of your chicken/alfredo mixture and enjoy!

So what’s the deal with the alarm?
Well, I packed myself a lovely lunch for today - cantaloupe, leftovers from last night, boiled red potatoes, and some granola bars for snackin. As I got to work this morning, I unlocked the door and the alarm started going off. No big deal, I have a key fob - EXCEPT, I couldn’t find it. It had somehow come off the key chain and I didn’t realize until the alarm was already ticking off the “grace period” - then the alarm really started going off. As I rushed to get the rest of the office opened up so I could get into my desk where I have a spare fob, tragedy struck. I dropped my lunch. This is the ONLY bad thing about my favorite tupperware - it’s glass. So, it shattered when I dropped it, meaning I now have shards of glass in my leftovers from dinner. The saving grace is that it was still in the plastic bag I had brought my lunch in, so I could easily just throw it in the trash without having to pick up any shards or worry I had missed some. The phone started ringing and it was the security company calling to see why the alarm was going off and why they heard a crash and breaking glass! Ha! It’s just me, not some rise and shine burglar. Whoops!

Interesting start to the morning. One of the lovely ladies from upstairs came in the office shortly after all this drama and brought me a decaf Irish Cream Latte in celebration of St. Pat’s - that definitely turned around the mood of the morning.

Check out the new page “Fit Mamma” which has my workout log. I’m realizing how important it is to share my workouts - they hold me accountable and push me to do more. Being a part of the President’s Challenge has also been a real motivator. I get to the end of the week and want to be lazy and then I realize “if I don’t work out today, I miss my pres challenge for the week!” It definitely keeps my booty off the couch, I’d hate for my efforts during the week to go to waste at the last minute just because I can’t put in thirty minutes; it’s really not THAT MUCH that I should EVER miss my weekly goal.

I’m off to get some work done! Happy St Patrick's Day!

Yes, We Are Still Alive! Just MIA

Wow, I skipped over the entire month of February. While February was hardly a stellar month for eating right, I am happy to report that it wasn’t a complete “fall of the wagon.” If you remember, our new year’s resolutions were to eat healthy and to live a healthy lifestyle, including getting up early enough to have a healthy breakfast. Well, I have definitely been eating healthy and substantial foods as well as getting up early and enjoying a nice breakfast. The real dilemma here is that we haven’t been making dinner at home nearly as much as we could/should be. The problem is just how busy we’ve been each and every night of the week. Without making dinner, I don’t have leftovers, and then - I buy lunch - which is a total waste of money. I have managed to eat some very healthy lunches, including my new love for Hungarian style cooking via Crusty Tasty Bakery which just opened on Colby. I was fairly good about going to the gym during February (I’ll get to the exception) and also I was very good about taking time to sit down in the mornings with Mackenzie to have a smoothie, breakfast and watch his show with him before heading off to preschool.
So here is the real killer: I got sick. Then, everything fell to pieces. Cooking a couple times a week, turned to not cooking ever - eating frosted shredded wheat for all meals of the day accompanied by lots and lots of tea. Nothing to blog about with that. I’ll spare you all photos of my numerous bowls of cereal :) Being sick, I also slacked off on my workout routine. To be fair, I was also screwed over last week because the gym and also water aerobics were closed for President’s Day - then Wednesday the pool was closed because of the snow. I realize how much I need those two stand-by workouts. My lunch break gym sessions are pretty hit or miss based on how busy the office is, how caught up on my homework I am etc. but those two water aerobic sessions are always there for me - or so I thought.
Last week, I started feeling better and was determined to get back to the healthy eating I was so desperately missing. And, I also wanted to get back to the gym. You can see my workouts on my new page - “Exercise Log” - I’ve also included my points (via the President’s Challenge which Nick and I are now doing with his dad’s Parkinson’s Awareness Group) and also the calories burned for each (via CardioTrainer on my phone).
I’ll catch you up on the highlights of February (ie: V-day and this past weekend) in separate blogs.
As for getting back to basics. Here’s the menu for the current week:

Monday: Piccolini with stewed tomatoes and roasted carrots. I added some cumin, cilantro and lime juice to make it more exciting - I highly doubt this would taste good if I wasn’t pregnant but it hit the spot.
Tuesday: Nick’s Pineapple Fried Rice
Wednesday: Margherita Pizza and Virgin Margaritas
Thursday: Coconut Seafood Stew - found a recipe I can’t wait to try!
Friday: Chicken with Ziti and Marinara
Saturday: Crock Pot Chili
Sunday: leftovers if we have them, or we can make something on the fly

Hold us accountable!

And really quick, I want to share my new favorite breakfast. I’ve been trying to eat more eggs (protein!) but there are only so many hard boiled eggs you can eat and not hate life. I switch things up with a fried egg sandwich a couple times a week. If you want to tell me that this has way more cholesterol, I don’t want to hear it! The baby wants this!

Here’s my recipe - if you can even call something this simple a recipe:

Thomas’ Everything Bagel Thin
One Egg, fried sunny side up, yolk is runny
Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese

Takes me about five min start to finish and leave me full for hours :)

Happy Tuesday!