Update

We've been so busy around here this month! We've been having play dates, going to conferences, working, cooking, eating, changing a gazillion dirty diapers, getting sprouts together for the garden.....and not sleeping much.

So I've had a hard time finding an extra 30 minutes to throw together a post when I could be sleeping. So here's an update as to what we've been up to:

We had our work day on the farm- at some point I would LOVE to show you all these wonderful photos. Justin had a great time, I think. He was just annoyed that I was taking his picture while he was harvesting spinach. He did fine, really. But lets just say he's not quitting his day job....



We had a few play dates, this one is with Owen. Jude loved just watching him :)



I've been perfecting homemade creamy tomato soup and playing with the immersion blender I got for Valentine's Day (oh how he knows what I really want!) If only these photos turned out.....oh well, the soup was great!



And we've been toying with a fake-out McDonald's chicken nugget recipe. We're not quite there, but we're not far off either.



Oh, and we have been to Bass Pro. No surprises here!



Here's a Banana Split Ice Cream cake I made- it was awesome!



And the sprouts, they are now bigger and there's at least twice as many :)



I just can't wait to have little plants to care for out in the garden! For now, here's our latest CSA pickup: bok choy, Chinese cabbage, spinach, arugula, spring mix, carrots, bread, and delica squash. I am addicted to this bread, and all the lettuce! I can't get enough!!!



Sometime in the near future I want to show you all my delicious veggie lo mein recipe. I've also got some homemade salad dressings that will blow your mind. Now lets hope it gets done before Easter :)

Butter is better in a butter crock

Say that ten times fast!

I believe that butter is better than margarine. Really, who doesn't love butter? I'll always be for the food that has less chemicals and less synthetics.

Yada yada about margarine being better for your heart. It probably is, but overall I believe its not the best choice.

I know this might be shocking coming from a nurse who specializes in care of people having heart attacks (Did I mention we're kicking butt on that? Our door to intervention time is far less than the National Standard- and only about 7% of hospitals in America can say that!)

But I'll tell you what- it wasn't JUST the butter that gets my patients a ticket to the Cath lab. I could go on, but that isn't really what I wanted to share.

Americans are still lazy and we eat way too much. That's my theory.

I know, I said I wouldn't go on. Sorry. Where was I?

Okay, because I love butter, of course I had to share one of my favorite kitchen gadgets with you. Its called a butter crock.

The most frustrating thing about butter is how darn hard it gets in the fridge. I'm a toast person. I really like my toast in the morning. And nothing frustrates me more than having hard butter that is un-spreadable.

I made an investment in this cute little crock. It has changed my life. Okay maybe not my life, but at least my breakfast.

It keeps butter soft without going rancid. This is a "technology" that has been around for centuries, but with the use of refrigerators and cooling systems, we have forgotten about how to use more simple methods of preserving.



There are 2 bowls. The smaller bowl is filled with butter. The larger bowl is filled with about 1 inch cold water.



Invert the small bowl into the larger one, and your create a water seal.



You know how caves are usually about 50-60 degrees? The darkness helps maintain a cave-like temperature. The water seal inhibits air flow and bacteria growth. Think of this as a miniature cave or cellar on your counter top.



The water must be changed every 2-3 days, and in the summer its best to change it everyday. On really hot days (when the house is 75+) I add an ice cube to the water.

You can find these gems at Williams & Sonoma for around $30. Gulp! But I found this one on etsy.com for around $15. Oh, how I love etsy....

Jude Food

Feed me, woman!

In an attempt to slowly degrade Jude's nutrition from his prestine and perfect baby diet to crackers, chicken nuggets and french fries, we have started him on solid food. I want the best for my kid, ya know?

There is something very teasing about this stage of your baby's diet. I think, "If I just keep feeding him vegetables, maybe he'll be one of those kids who love vegetables!" Right.... wishful thinking.

Here we are eating some squash. He really likes to help get the spoon to his mouth with his arms. I can't say he really uses his hands for this yet, just a whole forearm/wrist shoveling maneuver.



Yes, I know Joslyn eats some vegetables, but I have to smother them in either honey, cheese, or Neighborhood Pizza's sweet french dressing. I love the salad dressing cover up- what can't a little ketchup and sugar hide? Broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers- yup! Spinach- yup! Carrots- you betcha!

But that's not necessarily a guarantee- that's a maybe she'll take one bite before she spits it out (or begins to heave like a that fat woman on Magical Mystery Tour eating spaghetti) and utters any number of excuses.

Some of which are: "I don't like it" "It hurts" and her new one "It makes me stinky" (Thank you, Sponge Bob...)

So for now I'm enjoying the cute baby food bliss thinking that maybe I'll have another chance at conning kiddo #2 to like his vegetables.

I've got a new strategy and if I can keep all his grandparents, aunts and uncles from spoiling my master brainwashing plan to get this boy to eat his vegetables and whole grains, we may get somewhere.

Maybe.