Marcus Meals: Cheesy Pasta

Awhile back Marcus decided he wanted nothing to do with the pureed foods I'd been making for him. All the kid would eat was cantaloupe, puffs, bananas, and yogurt. Slowly, he began to explore different foods. He eventually got to the point where he thought he could eat whatever mommy and daddy were having.

Often I'll cut up what I'm eating (into very small bite-sized pieces) and let him munch away. But, I have this great infant/toddler/young child recipe/cookbook that I haven't really cracked since I halted pureeing.

I spotted a cheesy pasta recipe that looked like it would be a winner in this house.

This mac and cheese recipe is a great way to sneak in some veggies into any kiddos diet. Marcus loved it and has already devoured all four servings.

Cheesy Pasta

1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup boiling water
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup tomatoes, skinned, deseeded, and chopped
1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup mini pasta wheels

Place carrots in a small pan, cover with boiling water, cook until tender, 15-20 minutes.
In a separate pan, add tomatoes, and saute until mushy.
Remove tomatoes from heat and stir in cheese until melted.
Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to a boil, add the pasta and cook until tender, then drain.
Mix together the coked carrots with their cooking liquid and the cheese and tomato sauce.
Puree carrots and cheese sauce.
Combine pureed sauce with pasta wheels.

If your little one isn't quite ready to feed him/her self use a smaller pasta, such as stelline or orzo and spoon feed.

Enjoy!

Source: Karmel, Annabel. First Meals: Fast, Healthy and Fun Foods for Infants and Toddlers. New York: DK Publishing, 1999. Print.

CHILL

After hearing about an Ice Kingdom making it's way to Long Beach I needed to see it for myself.

CHILL, at the Queen Mary sounded like something we had to check out before it packed up and left. Ice sculptures, ice skating, ice tubing, ice everything! 

We snagged a baby-sitter, rounded up a group of friends and headed to the Ice Kingdom.

*The photos were taken with my old camera, so the photo quality isn't the greatest.

The entrance to the Ice Kingdom at CHILL.

Before entering into the Ice Kingdom we were suited up with calf-length parkas to keep us warm. The dome which housed the event was kept at a frigged 9 degrees. Believe me, the irony of PAYING to go to cold weather was not beside me. 

Upper left: An ice castle; Upper right: a horse drawing a sleigh
Lower left: The sleigh (see above horse); Lower right: An arch leading into the main area

Once inside we were all immediately awestruck. Between the cold and beauty of it all I think we were all in amazement.

The whole group in front of the ice castle.

Photo op in front of the Ice Queen.

The main gallery was mind blowing.

Upper left: A replica of the Queen Mary. That thing was massive, and entirely made of ice.
Upper right: Replica of the lighthouse in Long Beach.

There was a whale that was a slide for kids. We weren't allowed to go down, it was for those 6 years and younger... We asked, twice. :) 

After we made our way up and onto the ice version of Queen Mary we enjoyed a trip down an ice slide. 

If the line wouldn't have been so long I would have gone down again, and again, and again.

I probably should have given the camera to someone else. BAHA - thanks Dave!

After leaving the main gallery we entered Santa's Toyland.

We then headed to the Arctic.

The ice was crystal clear.

All of the ice sculptures were fabulous, but the manger scene was the most moving, and by far my favorite.

The camera did not capture all the beautiful, intricate details.

We were supposed to hit up the ice skating area, but we were a wee bit late to the party and it was closed by the time we were ready to lace up. Guess there's always next year.

RSV and the Nebulizer

Two weeks ago everyone in this house was hit with the flu. Then, to add insult to injury we discovered RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) found Marcus. It seems like we've been battling RSV for-ev-er. Each day is a little better than the last, but this monster cold is ruthless.

We've had more nasal bulb usage (also know in this house as the "snot sucker") in the last week than the entire nine and a half months Marcus has been alive. No matter how hard I try to keep up with wiping the runny nose I am no match for his nasal faucet.

To top off the sickness, we have to administer oxygen treatments via a nebulizer two to three times a day. Marcus hates the process, and I'm not the biggest fan of it either.

A medicine is administered by inhalation. We had the option to use a blow by (above photo), or a mask (bottom photo). The mask was an EPIC fail. The blow by method is a little less traumatic for everyone.

Needless to say, the blow by method isn't all roses and rainbows. 

Top photo: Yikes! Less than impressed with me.
Bottom photo: Settled down a bit, but still royally ticked at Mommy.

During the treatment, to make things easier for all of us, we place Marcus in a car seat. He's a wiggly little worm, and holding him still for a full 10 minutes while trying to hold a noisy tube blowing mist in his face is next to impossible. To keep him somewhat occupied and entertained we play a few baby videos. 

Most of the treatments are done right before nap times. After it's all said and done the monkey is usually pretty spent. As selfish as it sounds, these little post-treatment snuggle sessions are some of my favorite times of the day (snuggle time is becoming less and less these days, and that makes me so sad).

My sleepy monkey.

Here's to hoping and praying we can squash this nasty bug soon!

Happy Marcus Monday!

Marcus has a new "thing."

It's not an occasional thing. Or a sometimes thing.

It's an all day, every day thing.

Seriously.

That's not all. Take a few seconds and check out the new party trick.

Keeping time with his tongue. Baha!
Sidenote: We listen to/watch that particular version of Old McDonald no less than 249 times a day. No joke.

31 Party!

The last time I hosted a fun party like this I still lived in Kansas, I wasn't a mom, and I wasn't married. That was a.g.e.s. ago! When a friend from my hometown approached me to host an online 31 party I couldn't resist!

I'm sure most of you have heard about 31 products, seen 31 products, possibly own 31 products. Do you LOVE their stuff as much as me? I don't travel anywhere without 31 bags or totes. And, as a mommy who has to lug around a million things for a baby, some of their bags are perfect, chic replacements for those drab diaper bags.

After checking out their new spring line it's apparent I need their home organizational items in my life as well.

I'm eye-balling the cinch-up thermal tote. Must.have!

I invite you to check out their Spring line. If you see anything you like leave me a comment or order directly from the site. Have fun shopping!

Here is the online catalog link:
31 Party!!
If for some reason the link won't work properly here is the website that can simply be cut and pasted
http://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/catalog.aspx?eventId=E2723994&from=DIRECTLINK

ANNNNNND, for the month of January for every $31 you spend you receive 50% off the "Your Way" Collection. Sa-weeeeeet!

The party closes January 26. If you have any questions feel free to ask away in the comments section.

Holiday Play Date

With the flu and RSV holding our house hostage I wasn't able to get this post up as soon as I had hoped...

During our visit to Kansas we held an impromptu play date with a couple of our friends. Toys were every where, kids were cruising all over, and I think it's safe to say the adults were as entertained by the interaction as the kids were playing.

Wes was so sweet to share his cars.

What little conversation was taking place between these two?

So many new toys for all the kids to check out.

From the minute the play date began it was go, go, go.

I think Marcus fancied Miss Kinsley a bit. :)

Hey, where did everyone go?

It was great getting everyone together and watching the kids enjoy some time together. With the kids being older than Marcus, Scott and I caught a snippet of what we have to look forward to, developmentally, with our little monkey.

We know the holidays are always a busy time; we are so thankful for Hayden, Kinsley, and Wes coming to play with us!

Creamy Baked Chicken

My neighbor Amy and I had a kid-free moment (which is rare for the both of us) and we were chatting about what all kid-free moms chat about... What's for dinner. Naturally. That particular afternoon I hit a creative-dinner-idea wall, and Amy stepped in with a glorious new recipe passed on to her from her mother-in-law.

This calls for stuffing and vermouth. So fancy, schmancy.

The spices of the stuffing and onions add just the right amount of party-in-your-mouth flavor, and pair perfectly with the Swiss and hint of vermouth. It.is.so.good.

It's easy to assemble, doesn't require your efforts all day, and tastes like something ordered at a restaurant. I foresee this becoming a go-to recipe for dinner guests.

Creamy Baked Chicken

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Swiss cheese slices
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1/2 cup dry minced onion
1 cup Pepperidge herb seasoned stuffing, or Mrs. Cubbison stuffing (do not cook according to directions)
1/3 cup butter, melted
mushrooms, optional

Preheat oven to 350.
Arrange chicken breast in a greased baking dish.
Place once slice of Swiss cheese on each piece of chicken.
Mix together cream of chicken soup and vermouth.
Spoon cream of chicken soup mixture over the chicken.
In a medium bowl combine dry onions and stuffing.
Sprinkle stuffing mixture over chicken.
Drizzle melted butter over top stuffing.
Bake, uncovered, 50-55 minutes.

This was awesome with wild rice and a hearty serving of steamed broccoli. I cannot stress how EASY this was!

P.S. Please forgive the photos. I couldn't wait for better light to snap the pics. The dish smelled so good, I'm lucky I made off with the few photos I did get.

Enjoy!

Source: Gerry Marcia via Amy Marcia

Iced Gingerbread Bundt Cake

I'm a little late to the holiday party, but I figured this could still be made and enjoyed in the colder months. I actually made this before Christmas, but with all the celebrating and traveling I'm just getting around to posting it.

In previous posts I've mentioned my love for Greek yogurt and how diverse the stuff is. You can substitute it for practically anything (oil, butter, sour cream, etc). And, I do just that. If I can, I'll slip some Greek yogurt into a recipe.

When I saw this recipe on the side of my vanilla yogurt container, and I concluded I had every necessary ingredient, it was only right that I went ahead and made it.

YUM! This moist, dense cake is FULL of spices that sing of the holidays and winter months. The icing adds a nice pop of sweetness that compliments those aforementioned spices.

Iced Gingerbread Bundt Cake

1 1/2 cups, plus 3 Tbsp non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup molasses (maple syrup is an excellent substitute)
3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a seperate large bowl, whisk together eggs and brown sugar. Add molasses and 1 1/2 cup Greek yogurt. Stir in flour mixture and then oil.
Pour batter into greased bundt pan and bake until cake tester comes out clean, 45-55 minutes.
Cool, then unmold onto cake plate.
Whisk remaining 3 Tbsp yogurt with powdered sugar and drizzle over cake.
Let stand 15 minutes prior to slicing and serving.

Pair this with a big glass of milk (or eggnog if that strikes your fancy), and settle in next to the fireplace with a big fleece blanket and a good book.

Enjoy!

Source: Chobani

Family Photos - Take Two

With two new little boys added to the family in 2012 we needed to update the Macke photo album.

The whole gang.

Bahahaha!
I bet none of them suspected this picture would end up on the blog. :)

Just the guys.

Grandma with her kids and their kids.

The grandsons.

Our little family.

It's nice to have family.