Should You Buy It?: Turtlemeter, the Baby Bath Floating Turtle Toy and Bath Tub Thermometer

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TurtlemeterLong

Try to buy a baby bath thermometer that isn’t shaped like an animal or transportation device. I dare you.

Marcus and I like our space. We like it not covered in baby crap. I truly believe this is why we did not purchase a bath thermometer until Faye was 4 months old.

Up until that point we had been using an old digital candy thermometer of mine. It took a temperature, but it couldn’t be submerged in water which meant I had to continually take readings throughout bathtime. It was also off by 31 degrees so there was that added bonus of simple math equations after no sleep for the past quarter of a year all while trying to keep an infant afloat.

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Avgolemono (aka Greek Chicken Soup with Lemon)

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Avoglemono

Make your taste buds swoon with this lovely warming winter dish.

I believe I use most foods as a way to transport lemony goodness to my taste buds.

In my opinion, lemon makes almost any dish better. I’m trying to think of a dish that would suffer if either the zest or juice of these beautiful fruits were added and I’m having a hard time coming up with something.

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Spanakopita (aka Spinach Pie) – Who am I to argue with Hippocrates?

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IMG_7031

It’s another one of those days where I realize I am not getting nearly as many vegetables in my diet as I would like. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that Faye is in the middle of a growth spurt as it feels as if every drop of nutrition and moisture is being pulled from my body. To combat this feeling, I, of course, turn to the Greeks.   Continue reading →

The Ultimate Boobie Booster: Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Lactation Cookies with Bonus Vegan and Gluten-Free Versions

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ultimate lactation cookie

Dealing with your low milk supply couldn’t be any sweeter.

Dare I say it, these are the best lactation cookies ever. Not only will they noticeably boost your supply in less than 24 hours, but you will devour them because they taste divine.

They fit so many needs seamlessly: Plagued by low milk? Eat a cookie. Looking for a quick breakfast? Eat a cookie. Baby going through a growth spurt? Eat a cookie. Just want something to satisfy your sweettooth? Eat a cookie. Need a gluten-free and/or vegan version? No problem. These cookies still turn out head and shoulders above the rest with two simple ingredient swaps.

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DIY Natural Diaper Rash Cream

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Diaper B

Faye’s skin is extremely sensitive. Unusually sensitive. We’re talking so sensitive that being in a wet cloth diaper for less than two minutes gave her a diaper rash (or dare I say, “diaper burn”) even though she was lathered in cream. Poor thing. From that moment on, my infant cloth stash that took weeks to research was sadly packed away, we switched to the most natural disposable we could find, and made sure to use a high grade/wet barrier diaper rash cream at every change.

I’m a big proponent of using natural products on myself and an even bigger advocate of doing so on infants. I also get a kick out of DIY projects and being able to whip an item up in a few minutes should we run out of something. (Which is also why I LOVE cloth wipes and homemade solution.)

With Faye strapped to my front facing out so she could clearly see what was going on, I made a diaper cream and a diaper spray. (I’ll post the spray later this week.) They only took minutes to put together and I love them both. Because of her sensitive skin I use the cream over the spray when she’ll be in a diaper for more than 2 hours.

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Buffalo Wings – Vegan and Oh, So Good

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Vegan Buffalo Wings

That’s not chicken. That’s not fake meat. That’s cauliflower, Baby!

A while back we were vegan. And gluten-free. And sugar-free. And 80% raw.

Sounds crazy, I know, but I had a bunch of health problems at the time and I figured trying a specialized diet couldn’t hurt. My husband was kind enough to do the same so that I could have support in my journey. It was a great experiment. I not only learned how to listen to my body and decipher what my cravings meant, but I was turned onto new foods from which I had previously shied away.

In my pursuit for tasty goodies, I discovered that there is a lot of crap vegan food out and about. Most vegan food, in my opinion, is very, very underseasoned. I have no idea why so many vegan chefs shy away from using a spice or two. There is nothing worse than heading out to a vegan establishment, dropping $40 or so for lunch and being met with a boring bowl of undersalted quinoa and plain steamed veggies or worse–far worse–fake meat. God, I HATE fake meat. In a previous post I mentioned I hate breakfast, but breakfast is incredible compared to fake meat. (There is one, and only one recipe that I have ever found worked with fake meat. It’s a taco dish and I’ll post it the next time I make it.) My feeling is that if you want something with the texture of meat, just eat meat. Otherwise, use the incredible amount of non-animal source food out there to create an insanely tasty truly vegan dish.

These wings are AMAZING. We are no longer vegan and I still make them–that’s how good they are. I normally serve them as is, but I’ll post a raw vegan ranch dip in the near future in case people want a side sauce.

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Book Review: “I Want My Hat Back” by Jon Klassen

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I Want My Hat Back - Cover

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen has won numerous awards and praise for both its story and visuals. In this mom’s opinion they are all well deserved, especially the 2012 E.B. White Read Aloud Award. Maybe it’s my background in animation and acting, but I love, love, love making up character voices and this book makes it sooooo easy to do so. And, Faye gets a total kick out of them–especially my turtle. I get a kick out of watching her react.

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Nutella French Toast Sandwiches

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Nutella French Toast Sandwiches

For some reason I woke up thinking today was Saturday. My mind immediately went to brunch and French toast as I had been pondering French toast for the past few days. See, we never, ever have loaves of bread in our house. I’ve never been a big fan of bread, especially the ones that have any sort of decent shelf life, so I rarely pick up a loaf. But, when Marcus went to the store to grab some food before the blizzard he purchased not one, not two, but THREE various “loaves” of plastic wrapped pre-sliced “bread.” (He was all about an exceptionally large jar of Nutella that he found at the end of an aisle and wanted to play it safe.)

With this much fake bread lying around, you could most likely understand why I’ve been thinking about French toast. And, when you live in New York, you must do brunch on the weekends or I think they kick you out. So, it being (at least in my mind) Saturday, close to noon, and with three loaves of pre-sliced bread at my fingertips, I had at it.

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“The Abecedarian Book” – One of the Best Children’s Books to Date

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The Abecedarian Book Cover

If there is one book you should purchase for your kid, this is it. The Abecedarian Book by Charles W. Ferguson is the most interesting children’s book I’ve come across to date. Simply put, this book teaches big words, letter by letter, and their etymology in a memorable way.

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Smoky Beef Chili with Winter Squash

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SmokeyChili

Smoky Beef Chili with Winter Squash topped with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and pickled red onions and jalapeno peppers.

Most people’s prep list for severe weather conditions consists of candles, batteries, blankets, canned goods and flashlights. My mind was on blizzard food. Really tasty blizzard food. That’s what my house needed.

My husband offered to head to the food store late Monday afternoon to grab some groceries before the blizzard hit. Even though my lists are thoroughly nerdy (I list the items in the order he will happen upon them in the store to cut down on shopping time), the poor man ended up being stuck in a line an hour deep. We both agree it was worth the pain after tasting this chili. Smoky, spicy, full of depth with just a touch of sweetness from the squash and garlic, this recipe will be at the forefront of my mind the next time I happen to be stuck in snow two feet deep.

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