Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal

Summer is finally here and we are loving it!  For the past few weeks my garden has really gotten going, so I've had lots of fun as Mini Muffin has enthusiastically observed our seeds sprouting and growing into every bigger plants.  Not only are the veggies coming along nicely, but my rhubarb is up and producing like mad!  It's a good thing because I certainly do enjoy rhubarb!

While searching for ways (other than delicious pie) to use rhubarb, I came across the idea of rhubarb oatmeal on eatingwell.com and just had to give it a try.  So this morning, we broke from our usual mid-week breakfast routine and tried something new - Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal.  Yum!

Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal

1 1/2c 2% milk
1/2c orange juice
1c old fashioned rolled oats
1c chopped rhubarb
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
1c chopped strawberries
1tbsp maple syrup

1.  Chop rhubarb into ~1cm pieces (or finer if making for baby).
2.  In a medium saucepan, combine milk, orange juice, oats, rhubarb, cinnamon and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3.  Reduce heat until gently bubbling and cook, stirring often, for three minutes.
4.  Add chopped strawberries and cook an additional two minutes or until most liquid has absorbed.
5.  Cover and let rest for five minutes.
6.  Stir in maple syrup, adding additional to taste if desired.

Makes ~3 cups

Little Smiling Man and I both enjoyed having oatmeal with a sweet/tart twist for breakfast.  Since strawberry rhubarb is a common combination the taste was familiar, but somehow completely new being in oatmeal form.  It definitely made for a delicious and unique dish!

The oats held their shape very well, so after having some from a spoon, Little Smiling Man decided to turn it into a messy finger food and enjoyed feeding himself.  For younger babies, I would consider puréeing the final product, but for older babies ready to explore texture this is a great dish! 

I also took some to work for my afternoon snack.  It wasn't quite as satisfying for my sweet/tart cravings as rhubarb pie, but it was definitely a better choice and kept my energy levels steady through until dinner. 

With more rhubarb ready for harvest, I suspect there'll be some more recipe experimentation this weekend.  Stay tuned for more rhubarb goodness!

Fitting It All In

Life has become so busy in the last few weeks!  With my husband working out of town during the week, two littles and a home to care for, and work in full swing it doesn't feel like there's room for much else.  Or so I thought... until I volunteered for the daycare board of directors, and started a fitness challenge at work.  Now I really think there isn't room for much more!

The fitness challenge in particular seems to have taken over my life.  It's a 100 day step count challenge, run by an external company.  And does the company ever know what they're doing!  It doesn't matter what motivates you, they have something to spur you on.  There are lifestyle scores that go up as you walk more, there are targets and challenges.  There's your team egging you on, and your personal stats versus the other 340,000 people participating, your team stats versus all other teams, or versus your organisation.  Seriously.  It's taking over my life.  All we talk about at lunch are steps.  We're all starting to move towards our target weights because we're so busy walking we don't have time to snack.  Literally, I'm usually a terrible evening snacker, and now I hardly have a bite after supper because I'm busy walking.  And walking.  And walking.  The amazing thing is that I'm much more active than I was, having nearly doubled my daily average in the last twenty days.  Hooray!  I am absolutely loving it, and feel great about my new activity levels.  I especially love that after 100 days, being active will be my new norm and I'll be able to dial it back to something a bit more sustainable but decidedly more active than my before challenge state.  It is however a bit daunting to think about how much stepping the next 80 days holds...

The thing about the fitness challenge that has been most challenging is fitting everything in.  I really want my weekends to be about family time, but Mini Muffin is too old to want to ride in a stroller for long and is too young to go any great distance on foot or bike.  Running around in the backyard or park help, but really only contribute a couple of thousand steps to the total (which doesn't get me where I need to be).  And once the kids are in bed, I have the opportunity to zip out for a walk or run leaving my hubby at home, but I also want to spend time with him.  Fitting it all in is just so tough!

Yesterday however, I came up with a master plan that did fit everything in.  My husband needed new running shoes, and the store was in an area of town we don't often go to.  We all went along, and when we got there I popped Little Smiling Man into the stroller and sent Mini Muffin into the store with Daddy.  Little Smiling Man and I spent the next half hour or so walking, and met up with Mini Muffin and Daddy at the end of a trail up the road.  We then went on a gravel, wooded path and enjoyed hearing the wind in the trees without cars around.  Mini Muffin ran ahead, looked at all sorts of things that interested her, and we all talked and enjoyed ourselves.  When she got tired, she got to ride on Daddy's shoulders.  At the end of the walk, we all piled back into the van and headed home.  So, all in all; my husband got his runners, Little Smiling Man got a stroller nap in, Mini Muffin got a nature walk, fresh air and exercise, we all got family time, and I got 6800 steps! 

It definitely took some planning, but working to fit it all in was so worthwhile!  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another couple thousand steps to get in before bed...

Toddler Friendly Juicer Recipe!

So, we're back from our weekend in Ottawa!  It was a lovely weekend, and my sister's wedding was just beautiful.  The kids did a great job as flower girl and ring bearer, and we managed to keep them and their clothes clean and uncreased until pictures were over!  Once they didn't need to be spotless, they enjoyed playing outside at the venue, dancing, and generally just being their wonderful selves while the reception unfolded around them.  I can also say from experience that just like it takes a village to raise a child, it definitely takes a village to get through a wedding (that happens during nap time) and a reception (that starts at bedtime) with one and three year olds.  I am so grateful for my family and my sister's inlaws for their help, patience and willingness to have fun with my little ones.  It really was a great day for everyone.  As a cute side note, Mini Muffin refers to Little Smiling Man's tux as his "bear suit" since he was the ring bearer!  Adorable.

Now that we're home, I wanted to share a juice recipe I tried for the kids tonight.  I don't normally share recipes requiring special equipment (i.e. a juicer), but when Mini Muffin's exact words were "This juice is delicious.  I really like this juice!", how could I not share?

Romaine - Apple - (and other stuff) - Juice

2c roughly chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 cucumber
2 stalks celery
2 apples (I used Macintosh)
1 orange (or 1/2c orange juice)


1.  Add all ingredients to juicer, starting with romaine and ending with apples.
2.  Stir in orange juice.
3.  Serve cold

Makes 4 toddler servings, or 2 adult servings.

Source: Juice Recipes for your health



In all honesty, the only reason I tried this recipe was because I happened to have all the ingredients in the fridge.  Who knew it would be so tasty?  Or that Mini Muffin would drink her entire serving and ask for more?  I must say, it was a pleasant surprise, as well as a great and refreshing way to round out our dinner!

Vanilla Pear Dessert Muffins

Last weekend, I had marvelous visions of using up a few pears to make a delicious looking pear upside down cake that I saw on Guilt Free Sparrow.  That idea was derailed by the large quantities of fresh rhubarb in my garden that were just begging to be made into a pie; and so I found myself with two firm but very ripe pears looking to be used up.

I found a yummy looking pear muffin recipe at allrecipes.com and made my usual tweaks to suit my tastes.  I kept this version sweet, so it's less for the kids and more for grown ups with a hankering for a little treat.  I hope you'll enjoy them; I certainly did... apparently I was so busy enjoying them that I forgot to take a picture...

Vanilla Pear Dessert Muffins

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 tsp gluten flour *

2/3c white sugar **

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

1/2 c plain 2% Greek yogurt

1/2 c oil of choice (I used vegetable)

1 egg

3 tsp vanilla extract

2 pears, peeled and diced

1.  Preheat oven to 375F and prepare muffin tin (line with muffin cups or grease pan).

2.  In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3.  In a smaller bowl, combine yogurt, oil, lightly beaten egg and vanilla.

4.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until just combined.

5.  Fold in diced pears.

6.  Divide batter among muffin cups and bake 22-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Makes 12 muffins

* Alternatively, substitute 1/2c all purpose flour for whole wheat (so 1 c whole wheat flour and 1/2 c all purpose flour).

** You could probably cut this down to 1/2 c and these muffins would still be a sweet and tasty dessert!

My muffins are not generally sweet, so these dessert muffins have been a nice change from the ordinary!  I packed about half of them into the freezer so that I'll be able to enjoy them at their prime in the future when I'm looking for a quick and easy something sweet. 

I think I'll leave it there for today - we're leaving in the wee hours tonight/tomorrow to drive to Ottawa for my sister's wedding, and there's a bit more to be done between now and then.  It'll be a fantastic and busy weekend with Little Smiling Man as Ring Bearer, Mini Muffin as Flower Girl, and myself as Matron of Honour.  I'm really looking forward to it, as well as a bit of downtime afterwards!