Well, the holidays are over, winter has really set in, and work has resumed full time. Which results in a rather boring blog post! We didn't do much this week. Except....eat. We've been eating really good lately. That one day off every week is doing amazing things for our bellies!
This week we used the slow cooker a lot. (But I failed to take pictures of all the meat dishes. I only documented the veggie ones.) Above, are two bowls of slow cooker minestrone soup. Tomatoes, noodles, zucchini, green beans, kidney beans, and spinach. It was both healthy and hearty. Warm and filling. I was very happy with the final product. I ate it for 5 meals in a row. Then froze the rest. I can probably cut the recipe in half next time.
Then I made BBQ tofu int the slow cooker. I was really worried about this recipe. It looked pretty nasty for the entire 6 hour cooking period. It also looked pretty unappetizing as I was scooping it onto the buns. It was hard for me to take that first bite. But...it turned out amazing! Even Matt thought it had great flavor. And good texture too.
Then on Monday, I made a potato and chickpea spicy curry, steamed rice, and salad with a homemade peanut dressing. And it was good good good. So good I even shared the recipe with my colleagues. Overall, we certainly had a successful cooking week.
But enough about food... let's talk kids!
The big highlight this week is that Kale is now using his jumper. And he's so good at it! He figured out the jumping action right away. This fun little contraption gives him a full 360 degree range of motion. He can turn in any direction he chooses to see what's going on. I think he likes having this new range of mobility!
Sage was his typical pantless rambunctious self. While we were introducing Kale to the jumper, Sage did some jumping too. Right off the stairs! And he's got a good solid landing - like a tiny Olympic gymnast. He sticks it!
I have been nursing Kale at lunch every day and am starting to get to know his teachers very well. And I love them! We chose a great daycare. They have told me that "Kale is the most mellow baby in the class." I was flattered and flabbergasted! How can the baby who refuses a bottle be the most easy-going and chill? Beats me! But we'll take the compliment. And I must admit, it appears to be true. I have walked in there and seen every baby crying...except Kale. Who is just calmly waiting for me to arrive. Below is a picture of his daycare one evening. The sunset was impressive!
Also, we are starting to make improvements on Kale's bottle-taking skills. Seems it wasn't the bottle that was the problem, but rather, my milk. I have a high level of lipase in my milk, which means the flavor of it changes quite rapidly. It goes from sweet vanilla ice cream to rancid soap overnight in the fridge. I wouldn't drink it either! But...by scalding the milk at 180 degrees prior to fridge storage, I can stop the breakdown. So with this new method, Kale is starting to take bottles at school. Yay!
Winter is now officially here. And I'm already done with it. We've had snow, ice, and slush on the roads for over two weeks. Getting to and from daycare, and hauling around the boys plus gear is such a challenge when shoes are wet, and the garage floor is covered in grime from the roads. But Sage sure does look cute in his winter accessories. I think the pink goes nicely with his skin tone.
