New on Adventures in Babyfooding

Want to learn about a refreshing, dye-free Kool-aid substitute? How about healthy, delicious, strawberry popsicles?

New post on Adventures in Babyfooding today! Click here to read it.

(Photo just for fun, it's totally unrelated to the post.)

Coming soon: Chasing Memories

A year and a half ago, I posted about a wonderful book, Depression Cookies. Depression Cookies is authored by a mother-daughter team, Angela Silverthorne and Tia Bach. Tia has also written a new young adult book, Chasing Memories. I am eagerly waiting for this book to be released in a few short weeks. At left is the cover design - so intriguing!

About Chasing Memories (Tala Prophecy, Book 1)

There isn’t another way; not now. The others are coming. I can’t let them have you…

Seventeen-year-old Reagan has a problem: She can’t remember what happened the night her brother was taken. Now, the dreams haunting her from the incident are becoming more intense by the day. All the while, the lines between what’s real and what’s a product of her paranormal-obsessed mind are becoming blurred.

Is she losing her mind or has she just stepped into a world she thought only existed in books? 

Caught in a web of worried parents, competing boys, Wiccan relatives, protective amulets, and psychiatrist babble, Reagan must determine the truth before it’s too late.

Expected Publication Date: June 10, 2013

Add Chasing Memories on GoodReads.

Cover design by Jo Michaels.

About the Author

Tia Silverthorne Bach is an avid reader, sometimes runner, involved wife and mother, and rabid grammar hound in addition to being a multi-genre writer. Her three daughters were born in Chicago, San Diego, and Baltimore; and she feels fortunate to have called many places home. She's the award-winning co-author of Depression Cookies, a coming of age story written with her mother. Tia's office is wherever her laptop takes her and any place that's conducive to allowing a wild imagination like hers to flourish.

Please visit her at her blog, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on GoodReads.

 

Two-minute breakfast

I don't always eat breakfast on weekdays, but sometimes I just really want something good. Time is very limited, though. I put this together a few days ago, and it's been a hit. Quick, easy, and delicious? Win!

I scramble an egg in the microwave by breaking it into a cup and beating it well. Micro for 30 seconds, use a fork to break it up again, and cook 20-30 more seconds until done. Put on half of a 6 inch tortilla and top with cheese. I use a slice of sharp cheddar, use whatever you prefer. Then I microwave a slice of ready-cook bacon until crispy, and put it on the sandwich. Fold tortilla over like a taco and eat!

Halfway through microwaving

Egg and cheese

Add bacon

All done!

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What I really want for Mothers' Day

There are three versions of Mothers' Day wishes. There is the advertising version, the "if money was no object" version, and reality. The advertising version says we want flowers, chocolates, jewelry, a new dress, basically whatever is available to buy (except household appliances. Always avoid those.) This version is not exactly correct. While I don't know anyone who would refuse these gifts, they don't normally cause warm fuzzies.

The second version is the dream version. This is what I would want if we had won a lottery, or didn't need to watch finances. In this version, I want weekly cleaning services. I want to be taken out to dinner. I want to go shopping for new clothes. I want a day spent all together, without television or computer or phone distractions: a picnic at the park, games played together, things like that.

Then, there's reality. What I REALLY want for Mothers' Day. My true, actual wish list: help with housework on a regular basis. All the laundry put away. Someone else make dinner (from deciding what to cook all the way through cleanup after). A day of no arguing, back talk, or sarcasm. Cooperation. A day without "hold on" or "I'm COMING" or whining when asked to do something. Lots of hugs. And a homemade card. Construction paper and crayons are sufficient, no need for an elaborate Pinterest project.

That is what I really want.


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A question

Are oranges called oranges because of their color, or is the color orange called orange because of the fruit?

This concludes today's glimpse into my brain. Have a nice day.


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Warning! Danger!

There is a dangerous object in most homes. It looks mostly benign, kind of big and bulky but usually considered harmless. It's all a lie.

It is your washing machine.

(not actual injury)

Ladies, keep away from this appliance! It is very sneaky - when you reach your hand into the object, one of the many holes lining the drum will reach out and grab your pinky fingernail and rip it right off your finger.

(Or at least that is what it feels like. That may be a slight exaggeration.)

I say we UNITE! Refuse to use these dangerous appliances! Boycott them! Demand that household members with shorter (nonexistent, since mine are already short) nails do all the laundry! Start a petition on change.org! Something must be done about this danger!


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Detour!

So I was all set to complete the A to Z Challenge on Tuesday. I had my post planned out: our zoo! Photos, something about the zoo itself, links of course. But since my photos are on my home computer & I can't exactly create links on my phone, I waited until that evening.

And that's when I suddenly became ill. Very suddenly. I was seriously perfectly fine one minute, preparing to set the table and looking forward to dinner, then I turned around and was do sick I couldn't sit up. I went to bed and stayed there until Thursday.

I mean, I dream of staying in bed for two days, but that's not how I wanted to do it. Not at all. There were some funny moments, which after typing out I realized were better in a "trust me, you had to have been there" kind of way and risk ruining appetites. (You're welcome.) Thankfully my husband took excellent care of me, and Sophie did not get clingy and cry for me while I was sick.

I do still plan on a zoo post, but will probably wait until after our next visit.

Happy Friday!


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Yum! A few recipes I've tried

Taco Pasta
 This is the recipe as pinned: 3/4 bag ziti noodles,1 lb of ground beef, 1 pkg taco seasoning, 1cup water, 1/2 pkg cream cheese, 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese -- boil pasta until just cooked, brown ground beef & drain, mix taco seasoning & 1 cup water w/ ground beef for 5 min, add cream cheese to beef mixture, stir until melted & remove from heat, put pasta in casserole dish, mix in 1 cup cheese, top pasta/cheese with beef mixture & gently mix, top w/ remaining cheese, bake at 350* uncovered for 30 min

Instead of putting in a casserole dish, though, I stir cooked pasta and cheese into the meat mixture and stir until cheese is melted. The whole family loves this!

 Creamy garlic pasta

From the original website (linked in recipe name):
2 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
¼  tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 cups chicken stock
½ lb spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
¾ cup heavy cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

In a pot, bring the olive oil to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir, allowing it to cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the butter until melted. Add the salt, pepper and chicken stock. Raise the heat to high and let it come to a boil. 

Once it is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for as long as the box’s directions indicate. Reduce the stove to medium heat and mix in the Parmesan until completely melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream and parsley. Serve immediately.

This is SO freaking amazing. Seriously, I would eat this every day if I could. 

Melt in Your Mouth chicken

1/2 c Parmesan cheese,1 c Greek yogurt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt 1/2 tsp pepper,spread mix over 4 chicken breasts, bake at 375 45 minutes

This one was better than I expected! 

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chops

This is a long recipe, with many steps, so instead of copying here I linked the original post in the recipe name. This is a little more work than I usually like for a weeknight dinner, but it is SO worth it. I don't follow the exact list for spices in the flour mixture and just use whatever is on hand. The honey garlic soy sauce is fantastic. Seriously. This would be equally as delicious on chicken, too, if you don't eat pork.




(All photos from Pinterest)

Xrays

Xrays performed on our family:

Teeth - all but Sophie
Arm - me, Em
Elbow - me
Hip - me (and OMG that hurt!)
Knee - husband
Foot - me
Intestines - me
Back - Em
Wrist - me
Both girls have had CT scans.

Writer's block

So it's no secret I've been working on a story since NaNoWriMo two years ago. I get spurts when I work on it, then months go by without me looking at it. The story and the characters are always in my head, though, working themselves out.

Today I realized why I have such a hard time continuing: fear. I am petrified at the thought of letting anyone else read what I've written. I resolve to make time, though. I need to finish this for myself. I need to show myself that I CAN do it. If I never show another soul the completed product, so be it. But I need to know that I'm capable.

I WILL write again.

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Virtual vision board

I used to make collages in college (ha!) then years later saw the idea of vision boards. That is what I was doing in college - images that spoke to me, that showed my dreams and thoughts. Now we have Pinterest, and it's easier but not quite the same. I have a lot of pin boards. I don't, however, have a vision board.

So here it is (all images from Pinterest)

I want this kind of house someday

This.

A reminder.

Where I come from

I need to learn to clear my head and be at peace.

Sugar is a BIG problem for me.

Not going to lie, I would love a body like this again.

Travel dreams

Unnecessary

Today was a very frustrating day. Sophie is sick, and a trip to the pediatrician confirmed strep. She prescribed an antibiotic for Sophie, which is pink.

Guess what makes it pink.

Right - Red 40. The pharmacist was patient and understanding enough to check for me. There is not a dye-free version. The pharmacist said she was at risk for anaphylasis. The pediatrician said she would only get a rash, nothing more. I am stuck in the middle, unsure of what to do. Both say "It's up to you" but I just don't know. Will she only have a rash? Likely (and she does, in fact, have one around her mouth). But I am constantly afraid of the "what ifs?" of the next time, or whatever time in the future she has a worse reaction. Because I've done my research; it IS possible.

Then, I needed to pick up a new tube of toothpaste for Sophie. She does NOT like the Tom's kids toothpaste at all, and she brushed her teeth all by herself over the weekend and used all the remaining training toothpaste she had. Her dentist recommends switching to toothpaste with fluoride since she spits well now, and she had a couple spots to watch at her checkup. Not yet cavities, but spots that could become cavities. The fluoride should help prevent that. I stopped at Walgreens, thinking surely a pharmacy would have safe toothpaste, right?  No. So I went to Target. Same choices as Walgreens, but at least they had her old training toothpaste. I guess willing participation and therefore thoroughly brushed teeth is better than a quick, hit-or-miss-through-tears session.

The worst thing, though, is that artificial dyes are completely unnecessary. They add no nutritional value to anything, and cause documented harm. This post from last year lists several sources of information about food dyes. Artificial colors have been banned in many countries, yet the FDA still has no problem allowing or even encouraging these petroleum-based additives into our foods, especially foods targeting children.

Why?

Tasty!

I just made this to take to work tomorrow for lunch. I was inspired by my friend Amy's recipe for veggie fried "rice" using quinoa, but at the same time I was also cooking our dinner & didn't want to look up the recipe. So I improvised.

I cut a small zucchini and two small yellow squash into half-inch slices then quartered the slices. Then I cut 3 or 4 bigger broccoli florets into similarly sized pieces. Finally, I cut up a small handful of baby carrots into little pieces.

I sautéed the veggies in a combination of Wildtree lemon and garlic flavored grapeseed oils. Then I added maybe 1/4 c chicken broth and put the lid on the pan and let them cook a few minutes longer. Finally I stirred in leftover cooked quinoa. (I cooked with chicken broth instead of water, and made extra for this purpose. I estimate I used the equivalent of a third of a 2 c package of dry quinoa.)

I had planned on adding some Wildtree Outrageous Orange sauce, but after tasting the dish I thought it was perfect as it was. I can't wait to eat it!

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Swinging

Back and forth, back and forth
"I want circles!" So I turn the swing round and round, twisting the ropes together. I pull her to me. "One, two, three, kiss, WHEE!" I let go and she's off, swinging and spinning and laughing hard, shrieking with joy. We hear dogs barking. Wave at the neighbor. "What's that moosik?" Icee truck coming down our street, but she doesn't need to know that. "Just a truck, sweetie." "Bye, truck! Push me again, Mommy!"

Neighborhood is quietly active. Cars going by, helicopter in the sky, kids playing basketball on the other street. Birds chirping. Dogs barking. Swinging calmly, gently now. Breeze blowing through the trees. She won't admit it, but she's getting tired. It's soon time to go in, time to make dinner, clean up, give bath, prepare to return to work in the morning.

But for this moment, we are swinging.

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R is for randomness

I know that technically it's early Monday morning, but since I'm just now going to bed lets pretend its still the weekend, ok?
Our 3 year old has been very sick this weekend, hence my R post of randomness. She seemed better tonight, so I'm hopeful she's over the worst of it. Last night she was heartbreakingly miserable. She has a sore throat, but throws up easily. The second round of vomiting I noticed blood - the blisters in her throat were bleeding! Poor baby just laid in my arms and cried. Today she had pain, but not as severe. She even dressed herself today, and played more.

I made beer bread in the crock pot tonight. It is SO good! I sprayed the crock with cooking spray and preheated it on high for a little while. I mixed the bread dough and put it directly in the pot. Lid on, and leave it alone. I started checking it after an hour. It was closer to an hour and a half before it was totally done. Golden top, chewy crust - perfection!

To ease Sophie's throat, I made peach pops. Frozen sliced peaches broken up in food processor, then put in blender with vanilla yogurt & a little apple juice. I didn't measure anything. Smoothie setting, and blend until it looks good! I filled 4 Popsicle mold holes (all I could find handles for) and put the rest in a cup for her as a "milkshake." Very soothing, and extra vitamins since she wasn't eating much.




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