Such a treat!

We love us some JOTI!

Teaching Scarly how to cook East Indian!

XO The cutest XO

She's so hilarious MOM!

Having Joti around once or twice a week is such a blessing.  As you can see, Scarlet loves time with her too.  I needed to feature this delicious vegetarian dish that she whiped up for dinner one night (and cleaned up afterwards too).  A spicy chick pea curry with flat bread and unfortunately, I have no idea what she called it, not Na'an, but something that starts with a 'p'.

Anywho, my mouth is watering just looking at these pics.  Fortunately, for someone who is currently being forced to watch GI levels and sugar, this was a fantastic dinner for me!  For those of you who were wondering from my last post about Joti - she is part time and does not live in with us.  She is at the house for a few hours and leaves us to have dinner on our own as a famjam even though I have asked her many times to stay.  She is just so amazing.  We definitely are one lucky family to have found her.

Basmatic rice - low GI
+

chick peas - perhaps some of the lowest glycemic loads
+

  salad on the side is also very low
=
Kate Can Enjoy!

  

I had one flat bread thing which was made with indian flour and spices so this was probably not the best for me, but they were tiny and I felt amazing after the meal, contrary to feeling dizzy prior to the testing.

Munchkin Meals

What does my toddler eat?

Hey guys!  I thought it would be fun to do a little write-up of what my 16-month old daughter Scarlet eats.  This is what a typical day of food looks like for her.  She is and always has been a very good eater and I personally have a theory as to why that is, but I'll explain later.  Here are a few pictures of what we give her almost everyday.  But just understand - we're not perfect.  We're only trying to give her the most nutritious and delicious meals that we can think of and come up with easily.  

Hope you enjoy!

BREAKFAST

Healthy time Oatmeal made with water and a heaping spoonful of full fat greek yogurt.  1/2 a banana on the side.  Carbs, healthy fats and protein.  Winning meal right there.  I should also mention the oatmeal is jam packed with toddler essentials.  You read the box and immediately feel really good about giving her this stuff.

She's a true morning person - I can barely capture her pic when she's eating because of how excited and happy she is.

As you can see there are some cheerios in front of her.  I give these to her to nibble on while I'm prepping our breakfasts and hers.  Unfortunately, most of the Cheerios end up on the floor because we 'share' with Milo who LOVES cheerios.  She feeds them to him almost everyday.  It's really cute.

SNACK #1!

Edamame - no salt.  

I usually break the round beans into two and give them to her that way.  I'm slightly paranoid about choking but thankfully still have a valid CPR training under my belt if it does happen.  HAHA!

She also loves these little Goldfish crackers.  I'm not a huge fan of giving them to her (because of the salt) but I usually hide them until she's had a good serving of veg.

Fuelled up and off we go again!

LUNCH!

Full boiled egg, 1/2 an avocado, fruit and cheese toast.  Yes - she will eat every single bite of this meal.  It's awesome to watch.  Strategically, I have to give her the egg first or she won't touch it after she sees the other food.  Fruit comes last and we call it dessert.

 SNACK #2 and Milkshake

 Organic Homo Milk with the other half of the banana and spinach blended in.  

Nate is allergic to Milk and really Lactose Intolerant.  I myself have had some milk related problems - psoriasis flared up and minor Lactose Intolerance when I was younger.   We as parents both struggled with giving her cow's milk at all; but after hearing doctor after doctor after doctor and reading article after article about WHY it's important for babies and toddlers to have homoginzed cow's milk I felt it was right for our family.  She gets half of what is 'recommended' because this is what I was most comfortable with.  We supplement other nutritional needs with foods and dairy such as cheddar, cottage cheese and yogurt as you can see.  This is the only time during the day that she gets milk (right after her nap) unless she ever asks for it.  If she does, we do give her more but it's rare.  

I feel like we are in a happy balancing act right now.  I will continue to regulate and watch her very carefully with cow's milk and the first sign of disrupted sleep, or itchy skin, or whatever - you name it, we'll be trying something new.  So far, so good so we'll stick with it!

cottage cheese and 1/2 a mandarin orange

DINNER!

Someone looks hungry!  

Scarlet is at the stage where she can eat what Nate and I eat for dinner (within moderation).  Tonight she had steamed asparagus, sautéed mushrooms and pasta with some of the Salmon her Daddy caught on his fishing trip with his Dad.  And yes - she ate the entire plate.  My theory is because she doesn't have the full 16 oz of milk 'recommended' she is not overly full of liquid and can take all of the food offered (and more).  I have a few friends who struggle with their kids eating, but see that they have bottle after bottle of milk and I wonder if that might have something to do with it.  I know after I have a latte I'm not super hungry anymore.  Who knows, I just think that what's going on in our pad is working well and Scar has consistently been healthy, no sickness yet (knock on wood) and within if not slightly under a healthy height and weight.  There it is!  Hope you enjoyed.

Our JOTI!

Our beloved Joti, but sometimes we call her Jasmine - only because she looks like the Disney character...not because she's East Indian.

Ok - again I went a little bananas prior to taking a picture of this absolutely delicious dinner and ate most of it.  I know I say this a lot because I’m such a food lover, but honestly, this butter chicken is the best Indian meal I have ever had.  Like - it totally trumps Moti Mahal (our all time favourite Indian restaurant that we’ve been going to for years).  It tastes like you’re eating the most delicious fancy meal straight out of the Taj Mahal in India, and you’re wearing a beautiful sari.  The rice alone!  I mean.  I’ve never had rice like this!  It’s like she puts a spell on it or something, or just lot's of fennel.  Ok, now I’m getting a little carried away, but seriously oh man.
 This dish and Joti are two very special treats in my life!

I had an entire plate and then realized - I DIDN'T TAKE A PICTURE!!!  So this is a little second helping.

We have Joti coming in about once or twice a week to help out.  She plays with Scarlet (so I can get a few things done around the house), cleans and cooks.  It is such a gift on the days that she is here.  I’m looking forward to next time as she has asked if she can do a vegetarian style dinner for us.  Ummmmmm, let me think about that…YUP! 

Kate 

XOXO

New family motto

GSD

(Get. Sh*t. Done.)

Sometimes, the hours in the day just absolutely disappear.  It can be 5:30 pm before I've even thrown a touch of make-up on.  Ok, full disclosure, it can be 5:30 pm before I even have 'real' clothes on.  It's amazing how little I feel I have accomplished in a day when all that I've done is run around.  Mommyhood is busy busy busy.  

It was getting to be really frustrating for a while because even though I felt like I was working, things didn't seem to be getting done.  Like, the laundry, or watering the flowers, or the dishes or getting groceries, or cleaning, or (GASP) my workouts.  

So, Nate and I have been using the motto: GSD for the last month or so to help us out.  It's been both really helpful and also a bit of a kick in the butt for us because at the end of a long loooooong day, we both feel the urge to chill out on the couch and watch Homeland or The Voice.  Instead we say to each other: GSD.  It mostly happens when Scarlet is asleep (starting at 8:30 or 9:00 depending on the day), or during her naps, or if I'm really lucky I can GSD myself while she's awake.  

Today was a prime example of the former.  I was feeling really 'fallish' with it being Oct.1st and the weather is getting cooler.  So I wanted to make a homemade soup for dinner.  So I GSD and did it.  

Homemade Black Bean, Tomato and Basil soup with Coconut milk and Quinoa.

It was extremely delicious and I'm totally going to do it again.  It was nice to cook a healthy homemade meal for the fam and obviously I'm proud of myself.  It's good to GSD.  

Check out W Diet for more of tasty meals that we've eaten lately.

  

1 DAY TILL DUE DATE! April 5th 2013

I've been chugging this stuff like nobody's business.  Supposedly, Red Raspberry leaf tea helps with labour contractions and to help bring it on before a woman goes over her due date.  According to Wikipedia: 

Traditional lore suggests that pregnant women use raspberry leaf tea, especially as an aid in delivery.^[1][2] However, scientific research has found no evidence to support this claim.^[3][4] While there is no evidence that raspberry leaf tea can help bring on labor, its nutrients have been found to strengthen the uterine muscles which could make contractions more efficient.^[5] Every Woman's Herbal claims that raspberry leaf tea will enrich the mother's milk, especially during periods when the baby is going through a growth spurt.

Anywho, worth a shot in my opinion.