Peanut Sauce Zoodles

~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

I made this recipe twice in a week. The husband isn’t a peanut butter fan and every time I make something like this he isn’t impressed. I thought this would be a perfect dish for myself to eat during the week. I had enough sauce for two bowls of noodles plus extra to dip my chicken in, perfecto.

*Recipe adapted from Can You Stay For Dinner?

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Ingredients

1 TBS grated ginger
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup natural creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon (packed) light brown sugar * I used PureVia as a substitute, honey would work too.
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
4 tablespoons water (room temperature, add them 2 TBSP at a time until desired consistency)
3 Zucchini, spiraled
1 large carrot, grated
½ large seedless cucumber, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
¼ cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped

Make the peanut sauce: In a food processor or blender, I used my magic bullet. combine the ginger, garlic, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice,  sugar (or substitute) Sriracha, sesame oil, and 3 tablespoons room temperature water. Pulse until smooth, adding 1 more tablespoon of water if needed to give the sauce a pourable, silky consistency.
In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, carrots, cucumber, and scallions. Pour the peanut sauce on top and toss well to coat all of the squash noodles and veggies. Sprinkle with peanuts and drizzle with Sriracha.

*Note, this does not hold up well. Only dress what you want to eat, save the rest for later.

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Playing Catch Up

~ Girlmom ~ 3 Comments

This poor blog has been so neglected and I have no excuses. Let’s catch up. Averi is 13 months today. Yes I am serious. She has gotten her own little personality. She loves to dance and, like her sister, jams out to Uptown Funk, will that song ever die? Sheesh. She can clap and give kisses and her pretend sneeze is the cutest. I am trying to phase out the bottles and so far so good, ask me again in a week. Her body isn’t adjusting great to the whole milk and she doesn’t want to drink much out of her sippy cup, she prefers water. I am going to focus on getting her dairy through food, again ask me in a week. Remember how I said she is whiny and clingy? Well it turns out all she wanted was her lovey and pacifier, give her those and she is just fine. So unlike her sister, I am okay with her having them outside of her crib, if I am out of options, AKA making dinner or if I have my hands full and can’t put up with the crying any more. I may be creating a monster but right now it works for me.

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We have been super busy every weekend the past few months so we are taking a month off and laying low. We spent the last weekend taking a lot of walks and checking out open houses around San Diego, Kaili loves it as much as we do.

I’m trying to get back into meal planning for the week. This week I butterflied my first whole chicken and threw it on the grill. I have been cooking chicken wrong because this was so easy and so good. Plus it only took half of the time to cook as it does a whole chicken AND I didn’t have to heat the house up…winning. I also went back to an old favorite, I forgot how good this dish was and how simple, it’s going back on rotation. I made Kale two ways. I prefer my kale in chip form but I can’t get through an entire bunch of kale that way, so I took the rest and threw it a pot with quinoa and water and once it was cooked, turned it into a salad. I dressed it with olive oil, lemon juice, a serrano and some parmesan. The leftovers made a great lunch topped with chicken.

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Kaili and her eating, ugh. It’s a challenge to get her to eat anything new. Lately she doesn’t even want mac n cheese. She is starting to gag on even her favorite foods, the struggle is real. I see all of these great meal ideas for kids but I don’t even want to waste my time making them because I know she will turn her nose up at it. But then on a random day she will gobble down peas and eat an entire avocado…. This is a phase, right?

IMG_5798Kaili has gymnastics again this month and she has some Toys R Us money burning a hole in her pocket, I wonder what she will pick out? Does the Frozen phase fade out or live forever? We shall see. Happy Monday!

Late Birthday

~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

Finally, pictures of the Avester’s first birthday, next up, the thank you cards…I promise.

It was a small affair with just family and close neighbors. In other words, the second child gets screwed. Let’s face it, the first few birthdays are really for the parents anyway, and since we go overboard on Kaili’s, Averi will have to wait for her big shindigs.

I made a DIY taco bar with ground beef and shrimp tacos. Easy rice and beans from the Mexican market and doctored up a cake mix for a delish cake.

Chocolate cake mix cake, with a home made chocolate ganache filling and coconut cream cheese frosting.
Chocolate cake mix cake, with a home made chocolate ganache filling and coconut cream cheese frosting.

The cake was for the adults and I bought two cupcakes for the girls, I really wanted to make it easy on myself.

Averi enjoyed her first cupcake, she even made a wish before diving in. In Love with this picture.

"Make a wish"
“Make a wish”

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After a quick scrub down she diligently opened her pressies.

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Happy birthday sweet girl.

*Photo credit-Brian Kerr

12 Months better known as 1 Year

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“Aw, your baby is so cute, how old is he?”

“Thanks, he is 24 months. Hey, do you have the time?”

“Sure. It’s 972 minutes past midnight.”

I think I did that with Kaili and I blame the Doc. “We will see you back when she is 18 months.” I will do my best NOT to do that with Averi.

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Aves just had her 1 year doctor appointment I am happy to report there is not much to say. She weights 18 1/2 lbs and is in the 40th percentile for height and weight.

She is still going to bed about 6 and still waking up at 5:30 sometimes she goes back to sleep but most of the time not.

Unlike her sister she doesn’t love the bath, she would rather climb around knocking things down. She just wants to be on the move, investigating and eating everything she finds on the floor.

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I think she has a few teeth trying to make their appearance, I can’t wait for the teething to be done with.

We are slowly working with the whole milk situation. I am adding a little to her formula each day until she seems adjusted to it. Some days she gobbles up the fruit I give her, some days they all end up on the floor. She isn’t keen on the veggies, or the meat. So now I have two picky eaters.

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She whines.. A LOT. She sees me and starts crying. Her vocabulary consists of MAAM. DADA. WAH. NO. and EHHHH WHINE. My head hurts typing this.

But she is a lovable, cuddly, sweet little girl when she isn’t crying at my legs or throwing herself on the ground, I promise.

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Eats and Greets

~ Girlmom ~ 3 Comments

I am saving up for my next life. I am going to hire a night nanny. She will come at 6:00pm and take care of all the tedious bed time hoopla {we will keep story time} wake up with the kids when they cry, fall out of bed or just plain don’t want to sleep and wake up with them at 5:30 in the morning. Then I will glide in, all bright eyed and bushy tailed and redeem my position.

We spent part of the day in Seaport village last week, I have been there so many times now I can’t keep track, we seriously live in the best place. Averi went on her first carousel ride and we had a very overpriced lunch but the view….

sisters first rodeo
Sisters first rodeo
Lunch with a view
Lunch with a view

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Shane and I were lucky enough to get away for a 21 and over dinner while the folks were here. Averi had been being such a little PITA that I was nervous about leaving her…but she was just fine. We wanted to stay away from downtown due to Comic Con so it was the perfect excuse to try Brian Malarkey’s La Jolla eatery Herringbone. The vibe of this place is sound. I wish I lived walking distance, I would be a regular.

Herringbone
Herringbone

There is a booze bar and a raw bar and I want to get to know both. I ordered the Branzino and it was by far the best I have ever had. Don’t forget that the cheeks on fish are the best part, just slap that hand away when someone tries to be cheeky. It was paired with an artichoke salad and a minty pea puree that put London’s mushy peas to shame, sorry lads.

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Sun goes down in LJ
Sun goes down in LJ

We also knocked out another restaurant on our to-do list…The OB noodle house. This is a place where you need a group of people and everyone is into sharing. So many great things on their menu. Everything I tried was good, Kaili liked the Pho and you have to try the garlic chili chicken wings…drool.

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Sunset Cliffs, OB
Sunset Cliffs, OB

It was a fun visit with the in-laws as always. Averi is back in her room and her crib and it’s been glorious. Good sleep has her like….Chillen.

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4th of July at the Lake

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We hit the road up to Lake Arrowhead, this time meeting Shane’s folks there. Coming from Walla Walla, they had a much longer drive than we did but Averi cried almost the entire 2 hours so I call it even.

IMG_5576After getting familiar with our new abode we walked down to the village for some lunch. The food there isn’t much to talk about, not bad, not great. We poked around for little bit and then headed to the store for dinner.

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Saturday morning we packed up as much as we could carry and walked down to the beach club. The Lake is private and the only way to access it is to either rent a place within the area, have friends there or live there. Since this was our first time going into the lake we weren’t fully equipped. Next time we will be ready.IMG_5536

One of the neighbors told us about a little spot, a street away that everyone gathers at to watch the fireworks. It was perfect. Kaili got to stay up late to watch them and   the hardest part was waiting until 9:00 pm. I wish I could say she slept in the next morning but I can’t. The sleeping arrangements were Kaili and Averi in one room. It worked well the last time we were there but this time Ave’s decided she was going to start her day at 5:30. I rushed in there every morning to fetch her before she woke up her sister, didn’t help much.

Sunday morning we took a boat ride around the lake.  The guide gave us facts and history about the lake and the famous people whom live there. Some of the houses are drool worthy and Tom Selleck’s house is the only one with a lake garage for the boat.

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After our lake tour and some lunch, Shane and I got away for a little wine tasting. It is 21 and over so we missed out last time. It’s amazing how nice even one hour alone can be.

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We took the kids back to the house because I had an important date with the US Womens National Team. If you missed the first half of the World Cup, I am sorry. Wow what a game!

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There were some lazy afternoons, a lot of walks, ice cream cones galore and sometimes even Averi seemed to have fun.

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We really enjoy getting away, I am getting pretty good at the VRBO thing. Next time will be even better.

Bacon Ricotta Crostini

~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

Leftover baguette sitting on the kitchen counter and a fresh container of ricotta in the fridge brought me to this crostini. I had some bacon in the fridge, which doesn’t happen very often but it’s now Kaili’s favorite food. Add those things together and drizzle with honey, simple and delicious. Here is a recipe I just found, although you don’t really need a recipe for this, just do what sounds good to you.

Bacon Ricotta Crostini
Bacon Ricotta Crostini

Averi has been eating a lot better these days. I have found that instead of cutting food up into little pieces, she would rather hold bigger pieces and eat away. She can eat as much as her sister in one sitting.

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She is getting dangerously close to walking, the milestone might even happen before her first birthday.

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All About My Dad, By Kaili

~ Girlmom ~ 2 Comments

My dad’s name is….. “Shane”

My dad is…. “3 years old”

He likes to…..”pack up and go to work.”

He doesn’t like to….”eat blueberries”

His favorite food is…..”Spaghetti”

His favorite drink is…..”coffee”

His favorite sport is…..”Seahawks”

We like to….”go in the hot tub together”

It makes my dad happy when….”I help my sister”

It makes my dad sad when ….. “I step on Averi.”

I love my dad because…..”He loves me.”

IMG_1075Happy Father’s Day!

11 Months

~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

11 months old. I can’t remember Kaili at this age, even going back and looking at her pictures it’s like I lost all memory of what she was doing at this age.

Averi is cruising around the furniture like a pro and has stood on her own for .2 seconds but that’s it for now.

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I can’t tell you how excited I am to get rid of formula and stop washing bottles. I’m like really really excited about that.

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She still puts anything and everything she can grab into her mouth. She is also getting better with eating solids. She loves her carbs, bread, crackers, pasta, pizza, bagels, waffles, veggie chips you name it. She usually takes a bite of her fruit and then drops the rest on the floor, along with anything else healthy.

Not sure how much she weighs but I’m betting she is gaining on her sister.

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She has 4 teeth and two pushing through as we speak. She is getting her own little personality and for the most part is a happy girl. She is easy to take places, she likes to people watch and is happy to be pushed along in her stroller. A friend of ours got her to fall asleep in her stroller at a party. Kaili never did that, as a matter of fact Kaili has never fallen asleep anywhere other than her bed or the carseat and that has only happened about 3 times.

I can’t wait to see what the next few months brings.

Happy almost 1 year baby girl.

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Sisters

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Averi is 11 months old today, more on that soon. Kaili has turned a corner in her maturity and it’s awesome and scary at the same time. We moved her kid table into her room and now she can do her activities at our dining room table. She spends a good amount of time in her room playing by herself…(A dream I never thought would happen.) Last week I let her stay up until 8:30 (GASP) to finish Frozen. I thought maybe she will sleep later than normal but no, she woke up at 6: AM.Bullshit.

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 Isn’t she beautiful? Little sister, just as cute, has been making this weird face. I love it and luckily strangers adore it.

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Kaili moved from the 3 year old class to the 4 year old class this past week. Luckily her bestie moved up with her, that made it an easy transition. Along with gymnastics I am hoping to sign her up for a two week swim class at a new pool this month.

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Kaili is mostly nice to sister but not really. She is really starting to piss me off with the way she goes out of her way to poke, prod and irritate little sis. She is spending a lot more time “thinking” these days…sigh. They will be besties soon right?