Salad Savvy: Peach and Roasted Vegetable Salad

Thanks Ashlee for this recipe hook up!  I made this recipe as a side to accompany this equally delicious entree for a few friends that came over for dinner last week.  I opted for quinoa as my grain of choice, but I could see this salad holding up a few more days with cous cous or farro or a sturdier grain.  The peach adds a sweet, summery kick that was delectable!

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25,000 Mornings

I saw this article on another blog and thought it was too good to not repost.  Did you know you have approximately 25,000 mornings in your adult life.  The author of this piece talks about her realization that she'd let far too many mornings slip by being hurried, hustled, or frantically trying to get out the door.  Time for a better, happier morning routine. 

Having a 9-month old, my morning routine varies day to day with an infant; though it usually involves a cup of coffee, a bowl of cereal, and a few pajama-clad cuddles.  But with my kickoff to summer vacation and stay-at-home-mommyhood, but I'm definitely eager to start some new routines to simplify and maximize my mornings.

What's your morning routine?  

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10 Reasons Why I Love You: 7 Months

{7 months old}

1. You have discovered that your tongue is quite the object of amusement.  Sticking it out while blowing raspberries makes for quite a wet kiss, but you love doing this on repeat!  On our flight to LA, I was afraid our neighboring seatmates might get an unwelcome spray from your noiseblowing antics! But instead they smiled and played along and even let you catch a glimpse of Frozen on their laptop.

2. You ride in the stroller like a big girl now, no more of this backward facing carseat strolling, you are facing outward and taking in your world!  Of course, in typical fashion, you kick your feet throughout the entire ride, occasionally getting a squeak or two out of Sophie (or Sophie #2 since we lost one at Greenlake).  It’s amazing to see how interested you are in the world around you, you are in awe of everything; from kids running to loud noises, everything is bright, shiny, new, and exciting...it’s truly amazing to watch.

3. Speaking of strollers, you’ve now recognized how the stroller and carseats work, unhooking equals your release.  Now you gladly outstretch your arms, inviting us to pick you up the second that button releases.  It is so cute, your whole body leans forward as your arms outstretch, elbow locked, eager to get out of the seat and climb our body for a better view.

4. You’re such a happy girl, you’ve discovered the magic of clapping your hands!  It was such a delight to see you clap your hands for the first time.  You clap out of happiness, to simply make noise, and in appreciation of your grateful parents :)

5. Babbling up a storm, dadada, mamamama, babababa, we love to hear you talk!  You babble and squeal.  Sometimes you seem so calm and mellow and then you let out these squeals, talking in your own little language.  I so wish I knew what you were saying!

6. You’re latest new toy - a stuffed sea turtle compliments of my godmother Judy.  This turtle is rotund, round with soft fuzzy flippers.  While I’m getting dressed in the morning, you nestle in the middle of our bed, and reach enthusiastically for the turtle, grasping, reaching, leaning, and eventually plop...faceplant.  You’re much more eager to risk the chance of falling on the soft bed, but it’s a great place to learn. Your latest trick is to nibble the poor guy, if we swim turtle in for a kiss, you open your mouth and playfully gnaw on his fuzzy fins.

7. Drum, drum, drumming!  Daddy will lay on the mat with you and slap his hands against the floor mat tiles, and you willingly join in the musical charade.  Pretty soon you are tapping and slapping together to a beautiful beat.

8. I guess you’ve decided back sleeping is boring, and felt necessary to mix it up in the crib.  First, you somehow rotated 180 in crib, making your body perpendicular to the length of the crib.  How you did this exactly is still a mystery, though I’m confident some was fueled by kicking your feet high up on the crib sides and pushing off, which simultaneously landed you wedged in the width of the crib, somewhat stuck.  Oh dear!

9. Our adventures in solid food have continued: kale, spinach, butternut squash, cottage cheese, carrots, peas, asparagus, among others.  Sometimes, mid-meal you decide to pop your thumb into your mouth, which we affectionately call “squash...with a side of thumb.”  

10. You had your first experience with a babysitter that wasn’t a family member for Aunt Katie and Uncle Greg's wedding - and for two nights in a row at that!  Mom was a little nervous (not gonna lie), but the sitter took good care of you and your pal Myles.  Truth be told, Mom ended up enjoying herself a little too much on her night off…  And as always, you were a lovely little peach.  

Dinner Last Night: Salmon with Crispy Kale and Coconut Rice

I've had this recipe pinned for a while now and now that school's out, I have zero excuses left.  I was pleasantly surprised that this dish ended up being quick and easy to make - for real!  

Preheating the oven aside and prep time included, it took just 15 minutes start to finish.  In addition, it's  healthy, dairy-free, and Paleo too (just in case anyone was keeping track).  The recipe calls for sweet potatoes but I didn't have any on hand, and honestly the rice, kale, and salmon still made for such a filling, complete meal, I don't think the sweet potatoes were even necessary.  We ended up pouring the extra sauce few tablespoons of sauce/marinade over the salmon after baking which added a satisfying Sriracha-sesame oil kick to the fish.  

YUM!

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School's Out For Summer!

Today is officially my first day of summer vacation…and it's wonderful!  The sun is shining, the sky is bright blue dotted with fluffy white clouds, and I get to spend all day with my baby (on repeat).  Cue the happy song!

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Salad Savvy: Fig, Feta, and Mint Salad

With her latest favorite food is feta cheese - naturally I had to use the extra abundance of feta on hand for a salad for mom too.  Enter my new favorite foodie blog, French Foodie Baby, which conveniently had a simple, bright spring salad - Fig, Feta, and Mint salad.  In a word - refreshing!  The kick of the feta really complements the sweetness of the figs and the mint adds that pop of lovely color and freshness for spring.  Will definitely be making this again!

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Thank You Very Much!

This article sums up a pet peeve of mine -  people who don't write thank you notes!  While it may be old fashioned, I always notice when a friend or relative sends a thank you note.  Of course, many things don't merit a thank you note, but the gesture is always appreciated in my book. Perhaps I feel so strongly about this because mom instilled this habit early on.  Even before we could write, she'd ask us "sign" a thank you card with a fantastic scribble.

Anyway, THANK YOU Huffington Post for a last ditch effort to revive this lost art of etiquette.  

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Dinner Last Night: Roasted Spring Vegetables with Goat Cheese Toasts

Man, I am on a roll!  2 for 2 from this Real Simple article, sweet! This was another winner.  Of course I didn't have all the vegetables on hand, so I substituted a little, but ultimately it came together in one delicious vegetarian dish.  YUM!

image/realsimple