Celebratory Sweet Potato Waffles

Today is Mini Muffin's third birthday!  Everyone says it, but while the days can be long, the years truly are short.  Suddenly my little first born baby has grown into a little girl who is more preschooler than toddler, and is absolutely beautiful both inside and out.  She makes me laugh every day and makes me want to be the best mom I can be.  She's full of love, energy, joy and wonder, and I hope those characteristics only grow stronger with age.

This morning she woke up with a big smile on her face; she's been asking if it's almost her "Happy Day" since July, so it's been a long time coming.  After I finished singing Happy Birthday, her first question was "Where's my cake?".  Luckily I'd thought ahead, and had a great alternative available for her... waffles for breakfast!

My husband makes waffles almost every weekend, usually with Mini Muffin as his helper.  His version involves stiff peaked egg whites to make them light and fluffy and oh so delicious.  While I love them, I don't love the effort and extra dishes their preparation entails.  So last night I set about making my own waffle recipe and included sweet potato.  I will admit that with my husband out of town and my mom (who was staying with us to help) having gone home yesterday, I felt like a superstar when I got the kids to bed, did all my cleaning/straightening while the sweet potato was steaming, prepped the wet and dry ingredients (so all I'd have to do was combine them and cook in the morning), and still got to bed in good time.  This morning, I got up 15 minutes early to make sure I had time to get both myself and the waffles organised before my early rising Little Smiling Man got up for the day.  It all came together perfectly, Little Smiling Man "slept in" and I managed to take the last waffle out of the iron just as Mini Muffin woke up.  Hooray!

My sweet potato waffles are quite dense and slightly sweet, and as such I found them very satisfying.  I even took a left over waffle with me to have as a snack at work - it was tasty even unheated and without toppings!  As an added bonus, the texture of these waffles stands up really well to little hands so they make a great finger food.

Sweet Potato Waffles

Staying warm in the oven until the Birthday Girl awakes!

1c mashed sweet potato
1c 2% milk
1 egg
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp melted butter (optional)
1 1/2c all purpose flour*
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch salt

1.  Peel, chop and steam sweet potato until soft.  Mash well, minimising lumps.
2.  Combine sweet potato, milk, egg, maple syrup and butter**.
3.   Blend remaining dry ingredients.
4.  Pour wet ingredients into dry and combine to form a thick batter.
5.  Grease waffle iron and cook.  I found a lower heat setting to give fully cooked and lightly browned waffles - setting 2 of 6 on my iron.
6.  Enjoy with butter and syrup, fruit and whipped cream, fruit sauce, or on their own!

Makes 6 waffles

* Whole wheat flour and a small amount of gluten flour could be substituted for white flour; I chose white flour because the sweet potato makes these waffles pretty dense as is.
** In my bleary eyed state this morning I completely forgot to add the butter I'd planned to include - the waffles turned out well without!

Mini Muffin was thrilled at surprise week day waffles!  After I topped them with butter and little bit of maple syrup, she tucked in and I held my breath hoping she wouldn't notice that they weren't "normal" waffles.  Her first response was "Mmmm... mmmm...."; music to my ears! And about four bites in she added:

Mini Muffin: "Did you put cinnamon?"
Mommy: "Yes, I did."
Mini Muffin: "Does Mommy's waffle have cinnamon?"
Mommy: "Yes, it does."
Mini Muffin: "We like cinnamon!" (smiles)

Birthday Breakfast in Progress!

Sweet success to start my Friday morning.  I am one happy momma, and aptly so since as Mini Muffin says, a birthday is a "Happy Day".

Fantastic Family Fun

Mini Muffin is a big fan of soccer.  One day last year she suddenly proclaimed "I'm a Soccer Rocker!!!" and ever since she hasn't turned down a chance to kick around a ball.  I have no idea where Soccer Rocker came from, but it's now the official name of soccer in our home.  Not surprisingly Mini Muffin started ploughing through her dinner last night, giving us "Almost there!" updates after every bite when asked if she wanted to play Soccer Rocker after supper.  We'd decided to diverge from our normal weeknight routine of dinner, a few minutes of play and then bedtime; instead having a quick dinner so we could all go play in the backyard!  Mini Muffin ended up having a pretty big dinner, and before long we were all outside playing with a regular soccer ball, a mini soccer ball and a small net.

This was one of the first times we've been able to include Little Smiling Man in outdoor play.  Previously he'd be in the carrier or stroller watching from the sidelines, but now that he's walking he wants to be in the thick of it!  He spent most of the time toddling around on the uneven ground, trying to kick the mini ball, as well as picking up, carrying and throwing it.  When he got tired, he hung out by the shed watching, occasionally coming back into the foray to try and score a goal (or steal the ball)!  Not only was the fresh air good for him, but the activities were great for his gross motor skills.  Walking on grass is a lot more difficult than a smooth indoor floor, and his balance was noticeably improving by the time we headed inside.  And of course kicking and throwing skills are also great to practice.  I also liked that he got one on one active play time with each of his parents, as well as his sister and got to watch all of us interact as we played.

Mini Muffin was all over the place and loved every minute of it.  She chased down balls, dribbled and kicked both balls and was pretty shameless with using her hands to get the ball away from Mommy or Daddy.  She loved racing to get the ball from every corner of the yard as well; there was a lot of huffing and puffing!  Towards the end, my little Soccer Rocker was pretty tired so she turned her attention to throwing and catching the mini soccer ball.  Her catching skills are getting better, and she completely cracked us up when she missed catching the ball and would laugh saying "Silly Mommy!" or "Silly Daddy!".  As if it was our throwing skills that were the only issue!

My husband and I got to take turns playing with each of the kids, and we had some of our own soccer rocker battles full of laughter.  My husband is much better at controlling the ball than I am, so really all I could hope to do was deflect the ball, or kick it away from him.  In any case, we both managed to score a goal or two on each other, which was fun!  And, it was nice for me to clear out the cobwebs after a pretty dull and sedentary day at work. 

When bedtime was approaching we headed inside to give the kids a quick bath and tucked them happily into bed.  I really do hope that this kind of family time will form some the kid's earliest memories.  All of us having fun together, laughing and being active!

Sleep Update

Last night, I slept through the night!!!

This is not a milestone I expected to celebrate with one and (almost) three year olds, but a significant event it turned out to be. 

Here's why -

After getting his allergies under control in January, Little Smiling Man quickly got into a great sleep groove.  To recap, before we started actively managing his allergies, he was one itchy little guy.  He'd go to sleep pretty easily between seven and eight, probably due to sheer exhaustion.  Four hours later he'd be up, and he'd be up pretty much every hour until morning.  Sometimes it would take a good hour to resettle him, only for him to sleep an hour and be up again.  After nine months I was one sleepy mama!  Within a week of starting antihistamines, he went to bed even more easily, and was up maybe once a night.  Two weeks later he was able to sleep 11h straight most nights.  The change was amazing!

Then, two weeks ago my little guy got sick.  He had a nasty gastro bug that gave him tummy pains, and after three days that transitioned into less tummy distress with a high fever.  All in all, it was nearly a week of illness, and a week of him needing parental intervention from about 1am until morning.  He wanted comfort, to be held, to be rocked, etc.  It made for a very tiring experience for all of us, but he's been better for about four days now, hooray!

Breaking the nighttime comfort habit took a lot of willpower on my part.  We were all so tired from being up half the night for a week that the easiest thing to do would have been to give him what he wanted and spend the night dozing with him in a recliner so we all could get some rest.  But, instead we mustered up our strength and settled, and resettled and re-resettled him in his crib until he realised that the nighttimes of being held for hours are over.  The first night it took two exhausting hours, the second night it took one hour, then fifteen minutes.  Last night was golden - back to sleeping through the night!  Ahhh!

On the Mini Muffin front, bedtime continues to be a challenge.   I've previously written about our naptime power struggles, and her general need for comfort and having a parent with her to fall asleep.  We tried extending the strategy to bedtime, going through our routine and then letting her do what she wanted (so long as it was quiet and in her room) until she was ready to sleep.  It was an epic failure.  Mini Muffin really enjoys playing independently, so we ended up pulling the plug on the whole philosophy when after a week she was consistently still playing at 11pm when we'd go in and insist it was bedtime.  So, the bedtime process continues to be long (minimum of an hour, and often two) and full of frustration. 

My husband usually handles her bedtime, and they're pretty good at winding each other up, which also exacerbates the situation.  Last week, I interjected one night when it was becoming clear that my husband needed a break.  I tried something new and gave her a flashlight.  I told her that she could play with it until she was ready to sleep, but that she had to do it quietly and stay in her bed.  The consequence of not following that direction was that she'd lose the flashlight.  It's been almost a week now, and it's working wonderfully!  We do her bedtime routine of vitamin, pjs, teeth and face, good night to myself and her brother, stories with daddy ending with "Night Night Little Pookie", and then lights out.  We ask if she's ready to go to sleep (one night the answer was actually yes!), and if the answer is no, she's offered the flashlight.  My husband then leaves the room.  When she's ready to sleep she calls for one of us, and we put away the flashlight, tuck her in, start some white noise, and hold her hand for a few minutes until she drifts off.  Without an audience, and being fairly still and in the dark, flashlight time seems to help her settle down more quickly.  Without the frustration of sitting with Mini Muffin while she mucks around the tries to keep herself awake, we all have less frustration.  And since no one is getting frustrated, the calmer atmosphere seems to really help bedtime progress more quickly.  It's still a bit more of a production that I'd like, so there's still work to do, but overall we're all happier and Mini Muffin is sleeping on average half an hour earlier than she was!

I still find it amazing that my kids are so different in their sleep habits.  I did a few things slightly differently between them, but I think most of it is due to nature as opposed to nurture.  I continue to learn a lot along the way, and while our sleep situation (with Mini Muffin in particular) continues to have its moments of frustration, we really have come a long way!
  

Shrek Juice

Today we practiced what seems to have become a weekly ritual.  Today was our official try-to-sneak-green-food-into-your-strong-willed-and-picky-toddler day.  So far I've been having the most success with putting greens into beverage form, and have previously posted about some of our favourites (Shamrock Mock-shake and "Chocolate" Thick Shake).  This time, I decided to revisit a favourite of Mini Muffin's that I haven't made for a few months; Shrek Juice.

Gloriously Green - Shrek Juice!

The recipe for Shrek Juice came from Homemade Smoothies for Mother and Baby by Kristine Miles, that my husband picked up for me on a whim at the grocery store about a year ago.  It's been the source of a couple of good ideas for kid friendly smoothies, a few good mama smoothies and, well, a few flops along the way.  From those we've tried, Shrek Juice is a definite gem!

So, without further delay -

Shrek Juice

1 1/2 c coconut water
Large handful of baby spinach
2 dates
1/2 avocado
1 ripe banana
Ice

1.  Soak dates to soften.  I like soaking them overnight to get them as soft as possible.
2.  Add spinach, then dates, then coconut water to blender.  Blend well (no chunks should remain).
3.  Add banana and avocado, blending until smooth.
4.  Add ice, blend and enjoy!

I find this smoothie to be very well suited to the toddler/preschooler pallet.  The banana and avocado make it creamy, the banana and dates make it naturally sweet, and the banana flavour does a great job at hiding the taste of all the other ingredients.  And of course it's a wonderful shade of green that could only be favoured by ogres!  I also like that it gives Mini Muffin healthy fats from the avocado, electrolytes from the coconut water and of course a good helping of spinach! 

Since it's been a while since I've made it, today was Little Smiling Man's first Shrek Juice experience.  He's not as tough a customer to please as his sister, but he greeted it pretty enthusiastically and screeched for some of mine as well.  Mini Muffin eyed it up, then she eyed me up, then conceded to try a sip.  Happily, that sip turned into her drinking her cup.  I think Shrek Juice is officially back in my rotation!

Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins - A Hit!

A couple of months ago I started cleaning my fridge out every Friday.  It's made a huge difference; reducing fridge clutter and food waste simultaneously.  It gives me a good view of what I have, what I need, and what I need to use up in the very near future.

This past week, I realised that a jar of unsweetened applesauce had been open for a while, and needed to be consumed quickly.  Instead of trying to feed my kids a lot more applesauce than normal, I thought I'd turn it into muffins.  My quick recipe search was uninspiring; oatmeal applesauce muffins galore.  Then, I found a fantastic recipe for whole wheat carrot muffins at 100 Days of Real Food.  Now this was a recipe I could work with!

So, after a few tweaks to meet my family's tastes, here's my version:

Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins

Still warm and ready to be enjoyed!

1 1/2c whole wheat flour
1 tsp gluten flour (optional)*
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
pinch of salt
1/2 c butter, melted
1/3 c honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 c unsweetened applesauce
1 c grated carrots


1.  Preheat oven to 350F and prepare muffin tin (grease or use muffin cup papers).
2.  Combine whole wheat flour, gluten flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Mix well.
3.  Add grated carrots and mix until carrots are coated.  Create a well to receive wet ingredients.
4.  In a small bowl, combine butter, honey, egg, vanilla and applesauce.
5.  Add wet mixture to the well in the dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined.
6.  Divide among muffin cups and bake 22 - 24 minutes.

Yields 12 muffins

* Gluten flour is an optional ingredient and was not included in the original recipe.  I find adding a bit of gluten flour to whole wheat baked goods results in a more tender texture.  Essentially you get all the goodness of the whole wheat flour without the toughness it sometimes yields.  Gluten flour is available in bulk stores, as well as in the health food section of many grocery stores.

I am so pleased with how these muffins turned out - I will absolutely be making them again!  They're moist, lightly sweet, and have quite a delicate crumb.  Mini Muffin ate an entire one with gusto for her "sert" (aka dessert) last night.  And while each muffin only contains just over a tablespoon of grated carrot, I'm in full support of any extra little bit of veggies that my kids can eat - and enjoy!

My kind of Saturday morning...

This morning, we broke from our usual Saturday morning routine of waffles, play, and then Mini Muffin's gymnastics.  Instead we had breakfast and playtime, my husband started switching over to our summer tires, and then he took Mini Muffin to gymnastics solo.  Little Smiling Man and I packed up and headed to a mom to mom consignment sale instead!  Now, I've previously sung the virtues of my favourite consignment store, but now it's time to heap praise on how amazing mom to mom sales are!  I seriously recommend checking out what's available to you locally; there are great deals to be had!

The sale I attended was an annual one hosted by our local multiple births society.  The vendors aren't exclusively twin parents, but many of them are which means that there are lots of good quality items... in multiple. Last year I had some great scores on everything from potties to swim gear to sippy cups.  Pricing is often better than consignment stores since the sellers want to be sure they sell everything they've brought, and there tends to be lots of variety.  My strategy for these sales is that since you never know what you might find, go with a shopping bag ready to fill with treasures and an open mind (e.g. no shopping list). 

Little Smiling Man and I arrived to a packed parking lot about an hour after the sale had started.  Once I finally got a parking spot, I popped him in the carrier and headed in.  After my first survey of the tables I mentally sighed that you win some, you lose some.  I was not inspired.  Most tables were almost exclusively clothes, and as you might recall I really dislike sifting through second hand clothing looking for gems.  Many had the same pricing as my consignment store, so I figured I may as well sift through well organised racks at my leisure, as opposed to heaped tables in a crowded gymnasium. 

Then, I found it - the table designed just for me!  The seller must have had boy/girl twins because everything was being sold in the same sizes for boys and girls.  Her organisational scheme was fantastic; Ziploc bags with three of this, or five of that at super low prices.  I didn't get to see exactly what I was buying, but at $1 for three 4T skirts, I didn't have much to lose.  So, I stocked up on great finds for Mini Muffin this summer, and for Little Smiling Man a year or two from now.  All I can say is $29 can go a long way... and that includes the $2 entry fee.

Here's what I came home with:

• 1 pair size 9 girls rubber boots

  

  The Haul - I love a good bargain!

• 1 pair size 9 girls water shoes
• 1 pair size 4 boys sandals
• 2 insulated sippy cups
• 1 straw cup
• 1 gender neutral tshirt
• 3 size 4T skirts
• 5 size 4T girls tank tops
• 2 pairs size 4T girls pjs
• 1 size 4/5T girls Columbia brand coat
• 3 pairs size 3T boys pants
• 2 size 3T boys dress shirts
• 1 pair size 3T boys dress pants
• 6 small toy trucks

All in all, I'm feeling pretty pumped about my finds.  I love that they're all good quality, and they're all things we need and will use.  And, I love that they were a small fraction of full price.  What a great way to start the weekend!

Simple Kitchen Sink Quiche

When I’m home with the kids our daily routine sometimes seems to revolve around food – breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner – and everything else needs to fit into the gaps.  With the responsibility of nourishing small, growing people my own eating habits have definitely shifted.  I eat more fruits and vegetables, fewer processed foods, and certainly eat more regularly than I once did. 

Since my return to work some additional changes in my eating patterns have been necessary.  On a work day, I’ve generally finished my breakfast by 5:30 (as opposed to the leisurely 8:00 I enjoy when at home).  With nearly six hours between breakfast and lunch, a morning snack is more of a necessity than ever!  And, let’s call a spade a spade; because my morning is so long, my morning snack is more like a small meal than a quick bite.  With that in mind, I’ve been trying to make sure my morning snack is a) enjoyable, b) varied from day to day, and c) packs a nutritional punch.

This morning I snapped a picture of my morning snack since it was looking so good, and thought I’d share the recipe!  This quiche can be whatever you want it to be; mine changes every time based on what I have in the fridge and want to use up!  It’s simple and quick to make, can help to reduce food wastage, and as I’ve learned this week makes a great snack or meal for young children and mamas alike!

Simple Crustless Kitchen Sink Quiche

Simple Crustless Kitchen Sink Quiche

4 eggs
1c 2% milk
1c self raising flour
1 medium zucchini*
2-3c of other veggies, meat and cheese, finely chopped or grated** 

1.        Preheat oven to 350F, and grease a casserole dish or baking pan (approx 10” square).

2.       Grate zucchini and combine with other finely chopped or grated ingredients.

3.       Add self rising flour and mix well.

4.       In a small bowl, whisk eggs and milk.

5.       Add eggs and milk to zucchini mixture and stir until just combined.

6.       Transfer to prepared pan and bake until firm in the middle and lightly browned around the edges; approximately 40 minutes.  Time will vary based on size of pan and thickness of quiche. 

* Grated zucchini is a key ingredient for this dish – it gives the quiche its final texture and helps hold it together.  I do not recommend omitting zucchini from this recipe.
** You can plan this quiche (e.g. broccoli and cheese), or use it as a kitchen sink dish to use up odds and ends in your fridge like I do.  The quiche pictured contains – 1 zucchini, 1 carrot, 1 seeded tomato, 2 green onions, handful of leftover cooked broccoli and corn, cheddar cheese and peameal bacon.

To dress your quiche up, consider laying asparagus spears or tomato slices on the top before baking.  A quick spray with a non-stick cooking spray or oil atomizer will also help brown the top.

Little Smiling Man and I have been enjoying this quiche for a couple of days now.  It’s quick and easy to add to his dinner, and he really seems to enjoy it.  Plus, it's firm enough for little fingers to pick up easily, yet still soft enough to be easily eaten before any molars come in.  I’ve had it both as a packed lunch with a side of spinach, or on its own as a snack.  It holds its shape well, and reheats nicely, so it’s a great work day dish!

Enjoy!

Healthy "Chocolate Thick Shake"

I had a major mommy win last night. Since shortly before my return to work, Mini Muffin has been kicking the picky eating up a notch.  A lot of it, I think, is around the changes in our routine and that's leading to her retesting boundaries and trying to exert control over what she can - in this case whether or not she eats.  It's been a huge struggle as she's been rejecting foods she loves, and generally eating like a bird, which in turn makes her cranky, and well, you know the drill.

One of the significant challenges I've had are vegetables.  I've been struggling to get any form of veggie into her, and it's so frustrating!  Last night I tried something new, and was so happy that it worked!  I found a recipe in a smoothie cookbook I have, gave it some pretty significant tweaks, and the result was a "chocolate thick shake" that when served in a coloured straw cup to hide the green tinge, went down like a treat!  Mini Muffin of course has no idea what a thick shake is, so took to calling it her chocolate drink.

Mini Muffin's Special Chocolate Drink

Large handful of baby spinach
1/2 med or 1/4 large ripe avocado
1 1/2 c coconut milk
1 banana
2 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Ice

1.  Add spinach, avocado and coconut milk to blender, and blend until smooth.
2.  Add banana, cocoa powder, honey and cinnamon.  Blend until smooth.
3.  Add ice, and blend.  Adjust consistency with extra avocado and/or ice to make thicker, or extra milk to make thinner if desired.

Makes two servings. 

I made and served this drink while Mini Muffin was out of the room, since it does have a bit of an odd colour to it.  However, once she tasted it, she was pretty intent that it was all hers!  She drank about half of the recipe (so a big glass full), and Little Smiling Man and I split the rest.

I totally did a happy dance behind her back as she slurped it back!

Kid's Books We Love - The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes

Today was an exciting mail day - a book order I placed a few weeks ago arrived.  I'm pretty excited, so even though it's seasonally late, I had to share!

Growing up, our go to Easter book was The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Du Bose Heyward.  It was originally published in 1939, and our copy was probably from the 1950's; worn and full of character.  Sadly, it disappeared when my sister and I became adults, and we didn't think much more of it.  That is until this Easter.  I remembered it as I was reading a bunny board book to Mini Muffin, and decided to see if it was still available.  It turns out that it was recently reprinted for its 75th anniversary!  I was able to order a copy for my family, as well as one for my sister.  And, while late for this Easter, it'll be ready to go next year.

Available for purchase from Chapters (and other great retailers)

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes is a great, warm and fuzzy Easter children's book.  It tells the story of a country bunny who dreams of being an Easter Bunny, but feels her chances are lost when she has a family.  She puts her whole heart and soul into raising her family, and lets her dream go.  When the time comes to find a new Easter Bunny, the hunt is on and all the well-to-do and speedy bunnies gather to strut their stuff.  However, it takes more than being clever and swift to be an Easter Bunny!  Grandfather Bunny, who is responsible for Easter Bunny selection, values those characteristics but also believes that an Easter Bunny must be kind, wise and hard working.  You can imagine what happens next! 

The edition I purchased (pictured above), is beautifully illustrated with the same illustrations as the version from my childhood.  It's an older style of illustration than many books today feature, and is vivid and warm, adding to the story's magic.  It's definitely on the longer side, so is appropriate for preschoolers, or young school aged children. 

Now that this is written, The Country Bunny is being tucked away for next year - I'm already excited to share it with my family!