Recipe | Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Recipe | Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

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I am always looking for ways to save time in the kitchen, but still be able to cook a good meal.  I knew things would be a little crazy around our house when Emma was born so I started looking for "freezer-friendly" ideas.

I came across a recipe for Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes and fell in love with them.  They are so good and very easy to make.  The best part-you can freeze them and they still taste just as good after you re-heat them.

I have made them probably a dozen times since having Emma, so I thought I would share my take on the recipe:





Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl.  Combine the eggs, milk and oil in a separate bowl.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add egg mixture and chocolate chips (1/3 cup).  Stir just until moistened.

Cook on grease griddle.  Serve and enjoy or freeze for a later time.

This recipe made 10 large pancakes for us and I love that I can freeze the leftovers.  It's such a quick fix in the mornings.

*Nursing moms:  I added 2 tablespoons of Brewer's yeast.
*Spice it up: These would also be really good with some cinnamon or pumpkin spice.  Right now, you can also get pumpkin spice chips!

To Freeze: Lay out your pancakes on a cookie sheet allow them to cool/freeze in the freezer for about 30 minutes.  Once frozen, store them in an airtight freezer bag or container.

To Thaw:  Take out as many pancakes as you wish and heat in the microwave for about a minute or two.  You can also heat them in the oven on 350 for 15 minutes or until warm.

Original recipe and for substitutions go to http://moneysavingmom.com/2010/09/whole-wheat-chocolate-chip-pancake-recipe.html 

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Book Love | Breastfeeding

Book Love | Breastfeeding

Sunday, October 19, 2014

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Breastfeeding is a B*

But, We Lovingly Do it Anyways

By Cassi Clark

 

"These are our stories of the amazing, and amazingly hard, time that is feeding an infant. Our stories are partly funny, partly irreverent, way too graphic and totally awesome, all at once."

-Cassi Clark

 

Wow, this quote could not be more true.  This read was hilarious.  This book is about the author's experience with breastfeeding as well as stories from other nursing mothers.  It is intended to be humorous and entertaining as well as give very real what to expect situations.  It is judgment free and great for those who are struggling or just needs reassurance.

 

 

I love finding new books on breastfeeding and anything that will give me a little boost of encouragement when needed...or just a good laugh.  I have still have hard days with nursing, especially now that Emma has teeth.  Ouch-I think that's all I need to say about that! So, this was great to break up some of those boring books on "what to do".

 

This is definitely a book I would recommend reading.  You can head over to Amazon and get a copy now :) 

 

Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

 

 

 



 

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Emma | Starting Solids

Emma | Starting Solids

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Our baby girl is getting sooo big!...And we have moved on to solids.  It still doesn't seem real that we have a baby, not to mention a baby who is almost half a year old and eating something other than breast milk now.

To top that off, I have NO idea what I'm doing!  Any other new mommies feel this way, or am I the only one?  I mean, I know it's not that simple, but these little babes should really come with instruction manuals.  Especially when introducing solids.  I was so nervous about this part of her milestones.  When do I start?  What should I feed her?  What if I start too early?  Seriously....instruction manual.

I read that you shouldn't give breastfed babies anything besides breast milk for the first six months of their life.  Our pediatrician, however, told us that whenever I was ready we could begin introducing solids, because let's be honest, this has been an emotional roller coaster for this mama.  All the information out there can be so overwhelming.  So, hopefully my experience can be helpful to any of you who have questions like I did.

This has turned out to be such a great time with Emma.  I could tell she was ready and we are going on almost 4 weeks of solids and have tried a different food each week.  We have tried oatmeal (loves), carrots (not a fan, but we will be returning to this later), avocado (likes) and pumpkin with a little nutmeg and cinnamon (loves-just like her mama).  I have let her chew on a banana, which she also likes.  It is so cute to see her little baby teeth dig into the banana.  I'm a mess for anything this girl does! 

You can check out this YouTube video here of Emma's first time eating oatmeal!



How she first felt about avocado. Ha!

We are still on a pretty good schedule and she is only eating solids at dinner time with us.  I am still breastfeeding all the other times and think it's important that I continue to do this.  I plan to wait and start more solids throughout the day after she is six months old.  However, I have learned that plans don't always work when you have a baby.  So, we'll see :)

My favorite product that has been a huge help in this process is the Beaba Babycook.  This thing is amazing!  It steams, blends and reheats veggies, fruits and meats.  It is easy to clean with not many parts.  It feels so good to be able to make food for Emma and know exactly what is going in her little body.  And one of the best parts is that you can make the food ahead of time and freeze it.  Two carrots made 4 meals!!

On a side note: I have read a little about Baby-Led Weaning instead of starting with pureed foods, which you can read about here and here.  I have found both articles useful.  I am considering doing a mix of the two and begin adding some very soft finger foods to feed herself.  She shows a lot of interest in wanting to do things herself.

Here is link to Lucie's List on Starting Solids.  If you are a mommy and not subscribed to her blog, you really should.  It's really great information and she is so funny.

What are some of your kiddos favorite foods?  Any suggestions?  Advice?

Update: Since starting solids, Emma has tried spinach, peas and asparagus and LOVES her veggies. 

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