CNY

The Chinese New Year celebrations begin! This past weekend we joined hundreds upon hundreds of others at a local art museum for its annual samplings of all things Chinese - dragon dance, traditional music, games, crafts, calligraphy, food....

But before we headed out, we feasted on a large Chinese meal with cousin Titus and family. Oh we were stuffed, so it was good that we had to park several blocks away. The mild weather that day made for a pleasant dinner walk-off.

For the second year in a row, Zane wanted nothing to do with the dragon dance. He feels very strongly that it is too loud and scary. So we cuddled on the floor around the corner, waiting for Elle and Dada. "All done?", he kept asking. He cheered when the cymbal crashes concluded. :)



The excitement for the evening was the Chinese yo-yo demonstration. It's a football-sized toy consisting of two equally-sized, facing cones connected with a long axle and is kept spinning on a string tied to two sticks at the ends. Apparently, it's used as a children's toy and as a performance tool in juggling and sometimes in Chinese dance. The performers did a variety of tricks -- throwing the yo-yo up into the air and tossing it around their back, just to name a couple. Both Elle and Zane were in awe as they cheered on the students and master teacher. We were lucky not to get a yo-yo in the face as another front row guest experienced.


After that excitement, we especially enjoyed the traditional music, so beautiful. It wasn't until late that evening at home that I realized I hadn't taken in any of the museum. There was just so much activity and people everywhere...someday we'll have to go to just take in the art.

Year of the Rabbit

Spinach & Black Bean Quesadilla

We're reading The Sn*wy Day by Keats in preschool this week. With the current weather, the book comes alive as we make our own tracks in our snow covered yard.










































Today we did some research on animal tracks, printed and cut them out, and placed them in Elle's collector box. We even found a game online that lets you match the track to the correct animal. Zane is an eager student and tries to keep up with Elle -- we'll need some left-handed scissors soon...too hard for Mama!

Elle has recently taken a special interest in a Russian dress given to her by G&G W. This is the second day in a row that she has worn it.
















We worked up an appetite, but what to eat.... My meal goals are healthy, fast and on hand.

Today we went vegetarian with Spinach & Black Bean Quesadillas:

Black beans, diced red onion, chopped raw spinach and colby/jack cheese between two corn tortillas. With just a dribble of oil we grilled it up on the stove top. Mixed a dollop of yogurt and salsa together and served on the side.

























There are a million ways to tweak this recipe...adding diced tomatoes or fresh avocado slices would be delicious. Chicken or beef would make it even more hearty or maybe something entirely different in the middle...chicken salad, Philly style (steak, onions, green peppers), Italian flare (motz cheese, red sauce, spinach, sausage, black olives) or with sauteed veggies (green & red peppers, onions, zucchini, cauliflower). Mmmm....

The kiddos are napping and I'm going to go enjoy an orange brought back from friends that recently returned from Arizona - TO.DIE.FOR!

Potty Training

Potty training...eek! With uncertainty, we put a plan in motion and pushed through the steps of preparation to begin potty training Zane last Monday.

The week before, we intentionally talked about it non-stop. We held demos, with all family members participating and a few days before official training began, Zane opened a gift box with his new potty chair and a potty book. He seemed excited, so we felt encouraged to proceed. With a star chart and a chocolate chip reward system, Zane was eager to begin.




Day 1: When Monday arrived, we threw away the diapers, rolled up the rugs, stripped him down, and started the adventure commando with a potty chair in the middle of the living room while we disassembled Christmas 2010. He began spot on and did it six times over! I was beginning to think he'd trained himself, but then we added underwear and the second half of the day didn't go as well. He seemed to equate the underwear with diapers.


Day 2: We had an appointment that I had forgotten about that couldn't be missed. We broke my rules and used a pull-up while we were out. Three hours later we were home and back in underwear. The rest of the day was awful, not one success. Nothing like potty training to make one's world feel disastrous!



Day 3: Decided the underwear was too confusing and went back to commando style. We got an eye-full all day and Daddy was worried he might hurt 'something', but it didn't inhibit his toddler world. He was awesome! I think there were just a few misses the whole day.

Waving bye-bye pee and running for a chocolate!

Day 4: Continued the commando strategy and had one disaster on top of the dining room table...don't ask! That evening we took him out in underwear to run errands...very scary! He didn't go when we tried at the home store or the restaurant, but on the way home he told us that he had to go, so we pulled into a fast food joint and he held it till we got to the toilet. Very exciting!

Day 5 & 6: Reintroduced all day underwear and had just one accident each day.

Haven't had an accident since and I'm thinking this was way too easy!


Naps and night were an entirely different story - mess after mess after mess, yuck!!!! I was really trying for the no diaper, no pull-up, go all out, underwear immersion strategy. I got up several times a night to take him to the potty, but after five nights of urine everywhere, my complete exhaustion and some reading, I decided that right now he isn't physically capable of holding it while he sleeps and especially all night. And since he's still in a crib, even if he woke up to go, he can't get to the potty. It just makes sense to not sweat it, enjoy Zane's success and diaper free days. So, we're celebrating - woohoo!!

Cannellini Spinach Stew

I love cooking. I am NOT a baker, but I've had some interesting journeys in gluten-free baking these past several years and it has definitely increased my interest.

But back to cooking...I enjoy the art of it. It's my quest to create something that resembles unique. And I'm passionate about my creations being healthy and delicious. I study cookbooks and cooking websites, but rarely use a recipe. I never make the same dish twice, but many variations with the goal to improve on the last or find a twist that catapults it into WOW. Spices and herbs thrill me and I have one cabinet dedicated to the housing of them all. Take the same ingredients with a different spice roll and it's always new and exciting.

I don't always make everything healthy, especially around the holidays when baking is involved, and our family has some vices, but the goal is junk in moderation and healthy indulgences in plenty. We (including Eric) have rarely felt like we were sacrificing enjoyment for health. If it isn't delicious, it's a failure. If it isn't healthy, it's not quite as satisfying, so back to the cutting board for another try.

Soon after we were married, I was cooking in our first apartment and I remember thinking, "How do I know how to do this?" Mom! My mom is a culinary genius - healthy, whole foods brought together with spices you can't pronounce for tastes that knock your socks off. The pursuit has its colossal failures, but also births brilliance and that's when it gets really fun. I'm ever so grateful to my mother for instilling in me the desire for food greatness, but never at the cost of health. Her creativity gave me a fun perspective on ingredients, but the free-spirit I also inherited doesn't take the time to make a record of my creations.

So in an attempt to remember some of my food discoveries and enjoy them again, and as a record for Elle and Zane, so they'll not forget what incredible adventure eaters they are and hopefully also commit to healthy eating, I'm going to occasionally post some originals from my kitchen.

I know there is nothing new under the sun and things I read and taste influence my creations. I humbly bow to those who discovered it first. I don't measure and I'm not a recipe writer. So it'll always be simple, probably just a list of ingredients with little instruction. It leaves room for more exploration....

We're snowed in and M*PS was canceled - total bummer but it's beautiful outside and fun to stay in our pj's all day. I'm looking at a barely empty cupboard, so anything can happen! There's a show on the F**d Network (can't remember what it's called and have seen it just a few times) where contestants are given a basket of ingredients and have so much time to come up with a dish. Love it and that's what I do, because that free-spirit in me just doesn't seem to successfully plan ahead.

Today we had a delicious bowl of Cannellini Spinach Stew (coming up with a name to call it isn't my forte -- Eric simply calls them 'Kate's concoctions'). Most times, I have nearly all of these ingredients stocked, so this will be a great go-to dish, especially in the winter months - hearty and warm.

Diced red onion, garlic and Italian flat-leaf parsley sauteed in walnut oil.
Add one can of cannellini beans, diced roasted red bell peppers, several large handfuls of chopped fresh spinach.
Over medium-heat, spice with salt, pepper, cayenne, ginger, curry, and turmeric.
Ready in minutes. No need to cook all day - the flavors are instant and wonderful. From cupboard to table in under 15 minutes and serves three.

I thoroughly enjoyed this creation, and the kiddos did too!

Too bad my passion doesn't extend to washing dishes. :(