These Shoes Were Made For Walking

And that's just what he does.  One of these days these shoes will probably walk right over me!

Sawyer is officially walking!  He started earlier than Colin but he didn't master it as quickly as Colin.  As with all of Colin's milestones, he decided he was going to do it and he did it.  The key being he was ready.  My mom and I often wonder how long he's able to do something before he actually does it.  Maybe he has a little of his momma's perfectionism and wants to make sure he's got it down just right before trying it for all to see.

Sawyer is a different story.  He falls, he gets right back up, and he tries again.  He started pulling up about a month ago and then took his first steps when Amanda and her gang was here on July 17th.  Since then he's gradually worked up his confidence but within the last 2 weeks, he has really taken off.  He walks across the room with his little arms out to the side for balance and giggles to himself to show his pride.  He still falls and he still does the one-leg crawl but he's really over the toddling stage.

I dug out these shoes from Colin's hand-me-downs.  Sawyer was eager to put them on but then acted as if each shoe weighed 400 pounds.  He sat there paralyzed trying to figure out what to do.

He eventually got the hang of it but I don't think he was sold on the shoes.  Understandable, considering he hasn't worn shoes 1 day of his 13+ months of life!  But they're just so darn cute!

Not to be outdone, someone else had to make an appearance.  Why do I bother buying toys?  My children clearly prefer the unconventional items.

Weekly Recipe: Watermelon, Feta & Pepita Salad with a Sweet Lime Vinaigrette

There are a couple of fruits that remind me so much of summer, watermelon being one of them and peaches being the other.  I think it's because you can't get 'good' watermelons or peaches any other time of year except in the summer months.  There's nothing better than a sweet, juicy watermelon (or peach), dripping liquid summer down your chin.  

Watermelon is so good on it's own that it's often forgotten when it comes to cooking.  You can tell chefs and home cooks are getting bored of the norm because unconventional recipes are popping up all over the place for otherwise forgotten food items.  Watermelon is not forgotten but most people think of it in terms of a big ol' unadorned slice.  

This recipe caught my eye because I'm often looking for new inspiration to jazz up an otherwise routine dinner salad.  I love adding greens to the meal with a salad but I also get bored of the same old cranberries-nuts-feta routine.  This recipe did not disappoint.  I encourage you to try this recipe before the delicious summer watermelons slip away.

Watermelon, Feta & Pepita Salad with a Sweet Lime Vinaigrette

adapted from Cheeky Kitchen 

1 box fresh organic spinach
2 cups watermelon, cubed
1/4 cup feta cheese
3 T. roasted & salted pepitas
Juice of 2 limes
2 T. honey or sugar
1 shallot, very finely diced
5 T. light olive oil

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss together the spinach, watermelon, feta cheese, and pepitas. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, sugar, shallot, and olive oil. Top the salad with the vinaigrette just before serving.

This week I'm linking up to This Chick Cooks,  Lady Behind the Curtain and Remodelholic.

Healthy Eating Part 1

In my attempts to declutter my little world and enjoy each day a little more, I'm beginning to realize the things that mean the most to me.  Besides my family, I can pretty much sum up my favorite pastime in one word - FOOD!  Some may think that's silly and that's just fine.  Different strokes for different folks.  I love to cook, read and search for recipes, and most importantly, sample.  I've learned a lot over the course of developing this love and I decided I wanted to share that with you.  We'll see where this goes but one of the many thoughts rolling through my mind right now is to do a series of "Healthy Eating" posts.  I'm not sure where it will lead or how long it will last, some will be of interest to you, some will not.  I just want to share my passion with you.

This all hit me this weekend when Colin and I attended another childrens cooking class.  We sat with a mother and son who were learning more about healthy eating because of a recent discovery about behavioral food allergies.  I'll get into that more later but the part that struck me was when the mom said, "I knew we should be eating fruits and vegetables but processed foods were just more convenient, easy, and normal for us." 

Those words haven't stopped replaying in my head ever since.  Eating healthy is not a new phenomemon, it's one that has gotten swept under the rug with our hectic lifestyles, but it's all our grandparents and great grandparents knew.  I don't expect everyone to revert to the olden days but I would encourage you to model your eating habits off our pre-cancerous, longer-living great grandparents.

The following are some of the topics I hope to talk about in this series:

1)  "If it was good enough for my grandmother, it's good enough for me." - the basics of organic foods and costs associated with them

2)  The Search is On - deciphering and selecting recipes

3)  Meal Planning 101 and Grocery Shopping 101 - an in depth look at weekly meal planning and formulating grocery lists to prevent waste

4)  Kids can cook...and eat! - learn about kids involvement in the kitchen and their ever changing taste buds


5)  Eating to Live - the importance of nutrition

I know more topics will come to me as I go along but these are the basic foundation for eating healthy through my eyes.  I don't expect everyone to agree with everything I write but I do encourage you to read with an open mind (and an empty stomach!). 

Exercising, Cereal, and A Giveaway!

Isn't that title a real audience grabber?  I thought so too.  What can I say, it's rainy and gray outside and I'm trying to make sure I haven't left anything off my grocery list.  Exciting times. 

So the grocery list got me thinking about a recent cereal I was sent to try from Fiber One.  I never, I repeat, NEVER ate cereal growing up.  My mom got up every morning and cooked us a hot breakfast (I didn't learn until recently that was because my dad told her to!).  So while my friends at school talked about their favorite flavor of Crunch Berries, I mulled over whether I preferred biscuits and gravy or pancakes and bacon - both equally lovely in their own right. 

I'm not sure when I had my first encounter with the crunchy bags of goodness but I think it was probably in the sorority house where cereal was a common commodity.  Thank goodness we had a cook who prepared 2 meals a day or I think we all may have sustained on cereal alone.  I can't remember what my first taste was but I'm sure it was something loaded with sugar and void of all nutritional value.  And I'm sure I ate it with gusto and probably even went back for more, wondering why my mom had deprived us of this for so long.

I've come to love cereal.  I'm not one who likes to eat the same thing for breakfast everyday, much less the same cereal.  I like to spice it up a bit and sometimes I'll have hot oatmeal, sometimes overnight oats, sometimes a smoothie, and then sometimes cereal (weekdays at least, weekends are when the cast-iron skillets and griddles come out!). 

I've become more of the healthy type.  Surprising, huh?  I prefer the kind that tastes wholesome.  I like to taste the grains, feel the crunch of the wholesome nuts in my teeth, and savor the lasting effects tastes of fiber.  So I was eager to try Fiber One's 80 Calorie cereal. 

While it's quite good, it was a little sweet for my tastebuds.  However, when mixed with a bland-tastic bran flake, it gives the bowl of cereal just the extra umph to sweeten it up a bit.  With 40% of your daily fiber intake being met with 1 serving, I'll gladly pop these honey-laded puffs all day!  It's actually kind of amazing that something that tastes so good could actually have some health benefits.  And the best part is that the added fiber helps it to stick to your ribs and keep you satiated longer to help squelch the Dunkin' Donut voice that sounds each morning as I pass by their store. 

For bonus points, to really get me enticed, MyBlogSpark and Fiber One sent me a lovely care package to make sure I wasn't just eating my fiber but also doing my part in the fight against obesity.  Okay, so that last part was all me, they didn't make me do anything else.  They just strongly encouraged it by providing me a pedometer and an arm strappy thing to hold a musical device.  Doesn't that equal get-your-lazy-butt-off-the-couch-and-exercise to you?  No?  Maybe you're deaf. 

So crank up the tunes, get your walk/run on and reward yourself with a sweet bowl of cereal, all courtesy of Fiber One 80 Calorie cereal (and MyBlogSpark).  I'll even help ignite the flame under your tush and offer up one prize pack just like the one I received and described above.  This could be yours, if the price is right.

Not really.  I won't be awarding this to the highest bidder.  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment answering the following question:

"What is your favorite cereal?"

All entries must be received by Tuesday, August 30th at 5pm EST.  The winner will be announced (hopefully) on Wednesday.  Happy crunching!

I Don't Know How She Does It

Holy cow, Hollywood!  You heard me and you acted so quickly!  I can only assume the check is in the mail and I should be receiving it any day now.  You're welcome for the inspiration for your latest movie.

I take this to mean I'm not the only mother out there struggling to find the delicate balance between my family, my home, my social life, and my career.  I have no doubt the producers, presumably men, will answer all of my questions and solve all of my problems in 100 minutes or less.  So, until September 16th, I'll continue on my quest for perfection.  Oh wait, I'm supposed to be recovering from that dirty word. 

Ultimately, the movie sums it up when SJP says, and I'm paraphrasing because it's the best my overloaded mind can do right now, "Life without you, me, and our children is nothing." 

Tot Spot

I have 2 tots and this post features both of them, one of them more briefly than the other, in the same location.  My baby is growing into a tot before my very eyes.  How is it possible that life speeds at such an accelerated pace once you introduce children into your world?  A very true cliche. 

Here's my tot in his spot, or at least working his way to his spot.

Seriously?  Mom, stop already with the snapping!

And my bigger tot, who provided the inspiration for the little tot, with an appropriate moniker on his shirt.

I would totally start referring to them as 'tots' if it weren't for the immediate association to Napoleon Dynamite where Randy asks Napoleon for some of his tots.   

Weekly Recipe: Fresh Corn Soup with Crab & Tomato Salad

First off, I want to thank you for your kind words of encouragement on my post yesterday.  While I wasn't seeking praise, it certainly was nice to read and also encouraging to know I'm not alone in my daily struggles for perfection.  You gave me reassurance that it's okay if I don't do everything and I'll try to go back to these words when I'm feeling bogged down and overwhelmed.  So, thank you again and again.  Cyber hugs to all of you!

On to something I love and will always make time for, food!  I love to cook but I also love to share great recipes with you so that you can enjoy them as well.  I was a bit skeptical of this recipe based on the short list of ingredients but boy, was I wrong.  When will I learn that long ingredient lists do not always equal great dishes.  Sometimes keeping it simple allows the flavors to shine on their own and you really get to taste the individual flavor. 

I'll eat corn any way you give it to me, so I really shouldn't be surprised that I loved this recipe so much.  It's light, creamy, and oh so flavorful.  I loved the garnishing crab and tomato salad, as it reminded me of the watermelon soup Wes had at Husk in Charleston.  Not to mention garnishing a soup just screams fancy to me, so I felt like I was cooking at a 5-star restaurant...for a minute. 

Try this out with some fresh corn from your local Farmer's Market.  I think you'll be happy you did!

Fresh Corn Soup with Crab & Tomato Salad
adapted slightly from Cheeky Kitchen


FOR THE SOUP:
1/2 T. olive oil
1/2 sweet onion
6 ears corn, kernels cut from the cob
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 cup almond milk (skim or soy would work too)
2 T. honey (or sugar)
salt to taste

FOR THE CRAB SALSA:
1 1/2 cups chopped imitation crab meat
2 T. bacon bits (I used fake bacon bits from my local coop grocery store)
8-10 grape tomatoes, diced
3 T. chopped fresh basil
1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

FOR THE SOUP:
In a large pot, heat the onions with butter or olive oil and cook until softened. Add the corn and cook over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the vegetable broth and milk. Transfer to a blender, add the honey and a half-teaspoon of salt (or so), then blend until pureed.

Return the soup to your pot and heat just before the soup reaches boiling. If you want the corn to be less like chowder and more like soup, pour in an additional 1/2-1 cup of milk or broth to thin it out.  Serve immediately topped with crab salsa.

FOR THE CRAB SALSA:
Mix all ingredients together. Spoon into the center of a hot bowl of corn soup.  Note:  For convenience, I made my salsa the day before and allowed the flavors to meld overnight. 

For more soup inspiration, pop over to Jam Hands for her Recipe Round-Up for August (Soup & Sandwiches).  With Fall knocking at our doors, I'm ready to delve into some new soup recipes!

Perfecting Perfectionism

After reading a couple of thought-provoking posts here and here about not being ashamed of who you are and not judging others, it really got me thinking.  Not so much about the judging others part but more in lines of the soul searching and being honest about myself.

Hello, my name is Danielle and I'm a self-diagnosed perfectionist.  That may seem harmless to some but for me, it's a giant thorn in my side, even crippling at times.  I wish to begin the 12-step recovery process but I honestly don't know how.

I'm not sure when this all started, this whole nothing-but-the-best-will-do mentality but it goes back as far as I can remember.  I can remember getting math tests back and reworking the problems that I missed to make sure the teacher did, in fact, have the correct answer.  I remember the process of getting ready in the morning and redoing my hair 3 times until I got it just so with not a single hair out of place.  I remember hanging my clothes in order, so as to not repeat an outfit.  Okay, now I'm starting to sound neurotic!

Now I've allowed it to rear it's ugly head in my parenting techniques.  I want to be the perfect parent with the perfect child.  I want my children to do exactly what I say, when I say it and feel I've failed if (when) that happens.  I know there's no such thing as a perfect parent but I continue to try to convince myself I can somehow achieve that unattainable title.  I have read numerous books to try to make the perfect child and be the perfect parent but wow, it's overwhelming.  For every book that says to do it one way, there are 3 more that say to do it another way.  Don't reward.  Do reward.  Don't try to figure out the why and just deal with the issue at hand.  Do try to figure out the underlying cause.

This rigidity creates a good deal of undue stress.  It manifests itself in ways I'm not even aware of sometimes.  Take for example at dinnertime when it's time to feed Sawyer.  For whatever reason, I feel I'm the only one capable of properly nourishing our child.  I know Wes is more than capable (and even does it on his very own during the day when I'm at work) but this crazy mind of mine leads me to believe my way of putting the spoon in Sawyer's mouth is somehow better than Wes'.  Is it that I put more or less food on the spoon?  Is it that I don't allow myself a bite in between his bites, so as to not allow any whining, crying, or whimpering?  Who the heck knows!  But I do know it happens every day and I do know the result is a stressful meal for me, created by me, and executed by me.

Or how about when someone offers to help me with nearly anything and I literally feel my stress levels rise because they don't do it exactly as I would have, never mind the fact the end result is usually the same.  It's just very hard for me to see that at the time and let go.  I usually interject and either take over for myself or resist asking for help in the first place.

I have a tendency to compare myself to others and I never seem to be satisfied with who I am or what I have.  I'm a very blessed person and while I understand and appreciate that, I always seem to want more.  I want to cook as good as Ina Garten, I want to blog as well as The Pioneer Woman, I want to be as fit as Jillian, I want to host parties like, well, someone who hosts parties, and I want to do all of these things while raising 2 sons, working full-time, keeping house, and being a caring wife and daughter.

I know the first step is admission, so I can check that one off.  But what is the second step?  Where do I go from here to change my incessant ways?  How do I teach myself that's it's okay if everything doesn't turn out perfectly, that it's okay if I don't scrapbook every single memory and document every single dirty diaper?  Some people enjoy those details and choose to take time to document them.  I get it and that's great for them.  Maybe those people don't cook dinner every night like me.  Maybe they do that while I'm watching reality t.v.  My point is, I get that it's okay that I don't have time to do everything that I want to and it's okay that others do things better or more efficiently than me, but how do I teach my mind to accept that and not beat myself up so much?  How do I just let it go?   

This blog only showcases the brag-worthy things in my life.  But I'm here to tell you it's not all sunshine and roses.  There is another, far less perfect person, who lives here.  For me to open up and reveal this about myself is pretty big.  Thank you for listening and if you have any advice or words of encouragement, I'm all ears.  I feel like I've just aired my dirty laundry but I also feel better letting you know that I'm not perfect.  Baby steps!

Those Eyes

I'm all about the Linky Links this week.  When I saw The Paper Mama's photo challenge this week was "eyes" I knew I had to enter these baby blues!

Look out ladies!  Word of warning, the eyes might be dreamy but he likes to throw fits.  You've been warned.

Soccer Star

Colin starts soccer next week and we are all very excited.  I'm excited to become a soccer mom, Wes is excited that his child is finally old enough to take part in a team sport (with an added bonus that it's one of his new found favorite sports), and Colin is excited probably because we're excited.  Now let's hope he actually participates and doesn't just stand in the middle of the field, sucking his thumb.  He'll be cute no matter what!

This weekend we purchased half of the equipment - everything minus the uniform.  He couldn't wait to get home and put his shin guards and cleats on.  I think he would have slept in them if I would have let him.  I totally would have but he already has enough bruises up and down his legs.

Here he is practicing his moves.  Between his stubborn strong-willed personality and Wes' lack of patience, I'm not sure how much learning is going to go on at our house.  Colin doesn't take direction very well from Wes and Wes doesn't take that so well.  It must eventually soak in because he's got the basics down.  In fact, he's got quite a leg on him and loves to kick the heck out of the ball.  

Wes asked him if he liked kicking the ball or keeping the ball away from the goal and he said keeping it away.  Looks like more bruises are in our future!

Score!

The reality of the first game.

I only wish I were that limber!

Celebrating Mom's Birthday with a Peach Cake with Peach Cream Cheese Frosting

Happy Birthday, Mom!  I love birthdays because it means I get to make a cake.  And I love my mom's birthday because it means I get to make a cake that I'll love as much as she does.  We have very similar tastebuds, so it makes the selecting (and tasting) very easy.

I love to surprise her but I also take requests.  This year I had found "the" cake a month prior to her birthday and didn't even give her a chance to make a suggestion.  One fruit that is synonymous with summer is the peach.  My mom loves peaches and rarely do you see a recipe for a peach cake.  So when I saw these Peach Cupcakes with Peach Cream Cheese Frosting, I didn't look any farther.

I knew I wanted to make a cake instead of cupcakes and I remember reading somewhere that 24 cupcakes would be about the equivalent to 2 8-inch cake layers.  Perfect!  I just adjusted the cook time slightly and it turned out perfect.  I did decrease the butter to 1 stick and as you can see in the photo above, I had to skimp a bit to cover the sides.  That really didn't matter because the cake was the star.  The peach flavor wasn't overbearing (in fact next time I'd add more pureed peaches) but it was subtle enough that it gave it a little richness.  The butter really shone through and it was light with the perfect crumb texture for me.  I like a happy medium between dense and light as air.  I like it to melt in your mouth and this cake did just that.

If you've got a peach lover, or even a peach liker, I'd highly suggest this cake.  The birthday girl agrees!

Peach Cake with Peach Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Week of Menus

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs

3/4 of a 1.75 oz bag of freeze dried peaches* (Target's Archer Farms brand), pulverized in a food processor
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/3 cup pureed fresh peach (I'd up this to the full 1/2 cup next time)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

*The original recipe notes that the pulverized dried peaches start absorbing the air soon after grinding, so be sure to grind right before you're ready to use them.

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 8-inch round cake pans by lining them with parchment paper and lightly greasing.

Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large measuring cup or bowl, mix together buttermilk, peach puree and vanilla extract. Set aside until needed.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl until pale, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in pulverized peaches.
Mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two batches of buttermilk mixture. Mix until just combined, scraping down bowl as needed.  Divide batter evenly between prepared can pans and smooth tops with a spatula.

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 23 to 26 minutes. Allow cakes to cool in tins for 10 minutes, and then remove cakes and place them on a cooling rack.

Peach Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
1/2 cup of butter, softened
8 oz of cream cheese, softened
Remainder of freeze dried peaches
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups of confectioners sugar

Method
In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and cream cheese and beat together until creamy. Add vanilla extract and pulverized peaches and mix. Add a cup of sugar at a time, until you reach your desired level of sweetness.  Frost cake.

I'm adding this to the Recipe Link Party at Remodelaholic, Jam Hands, and This Chick Cooks.  I just stumbled upon these linky parties and thought this would be a great recipe to get started with!  There are tons of good ideas and inspirations at all of these sites!

Weekly Recipe: Mushroom Fusili with Toasted Breadcrumbs

Did I have you with 'toasted breadcrumbs?'  That's pretty much all it took for me when I saw this dish in the most recent Rachael Ray magazine.  Well that and it was in the section where she gives you a grocery list and the recipes included in that section use up all of the ingredients on the list.  Perfect for a frugal-buys-only-what's-going-to-be-used-that-week kind of girl.  I love ricotta cheese but I hate that most of my recipes don't use the entire container.  Let me tell you, organic ricotta is too expensive to waste!

This recipe turned out to be really simple and quite tasty.  I loved how the ricotta just melted into the hot noodles and the toasted breadcrumbs, while yielding way too much, provided quite a tasty little crunch on the top.  You could easily play with the veggie combinations and even add some chicken or shrimp to the mix if you wanted to add some extra protein.

I served this alongside a grilled romaine salad.  Yum and yum!

Mushroom Fusilli with Garlic Breadcrumbs

adapted from Rachael Ray magazine, August 2011

1 box fusili pasta

½ container ricotta cheese

2 T. evoo

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/3 cup chopped basil

Salt and pepper

1 pkg. mushrooms, sliced

1 red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch squares

3/4 cup heavy cream

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente; drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.  Return the pasta to the pot and stir in the ricotta, adding the reserved cooking water to thin the consistency as desired.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 T. evoo over med-high heat; add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring often, until golden-brown, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.  Remove from the heat and stir in half of the basil; season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to a bowl and wipe out the skillet.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 T. evoo over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook, undisturbed for the first few minutes, until they have released all their liquid and are golden, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the cream.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Toss the pasta mixture with the mushroom cream sauce; stir in the remaining basil.  Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs before serving.