Tomato Milk...

For all you breastfeeding Mamas out there, have you ever had to severely restrict your diet or eliminate a certain food because it caused issues?

I know breastmilk is often 'flavored' from the foods you eat, ex. garlic, and is seen as an introduction of sorts for the baby to get used to the normal diet of the family. Neat huh?

However, I have noticed with Lil Chick (Bubbalu had this too) that whenever I eat a tomato based sauce she is extra fussy and has a hard time settling down for her naps and bedtime. So I've been trying to remember to back off on tomato.

Here is a neat link with a Q & A about foods nursing mothers should and should not eat, with scientific (evidence based) answers. They even addressed my tomato issue:

Can acidic foods that mom eats be "too acid" for baby?

No. Acidic foods like citrus, tomatoes, etc. can not change the acidity of breastmilk.

And I understand that, but it doesn't hurt me to avoid something that may or may not be causing Lil Chick some distress.

So, being the good Mom that I am, I was all confused why Lil Chick was SO unsettled Monday evening...until I remember I ate an ENTIRE can of Tomato soup for lunch...

DOH!

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Baby Girl Quilt Episode Four...And Finale!!!

The last time I posted about Baby Girl Quilt was November 1st. Oh my. We had just a wee bit going on in between then and now.

When we left off on Episode Three (find Episode Two and One here) I had just finished piecing the quilt top and made my quilt sandwich, getting ready for the machine quilting.

I sporadically worked on the machine quilting, as it takes up a good chunk of time. I stipple stitched the inside white border and lined the triangles that make up the pinwheels:



Stitching the layers together gives it that nice puffyness, see?:



Next up the binding, which is always a chore. I hand stitch the back of my double thickness binding which creates a finished look that will stand up through multiple washes.

I pulled the last stitch through right about when Jack Bauer was kicking in the door to Marika's apartment on 24. Good times.

And now, I present the final finished project:

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I am thrilled to have finished it when Lil Chick is 2 months old, compared to Bubbalu's quilt, which I finished one week before his 1 year birthday party.

I actually used the exact same pattern for both quilts just girlified it this time around.

Now I just have to figure out what my next sewing project will be...have any fun ideas?

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The Almond Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree...

I am not a very culinarily daring person. I prefer to make and eat the very same things over and over and over. I want to eat what I know I'll like. However, I recently tried something new and am overjoyed with how well it turned out. Maybe time to stretch my food wings?

My Mom performed a major pantry overhaulin' and (minus Chip Foose) managed to completely reorganize and clean. She called me to come over and take home a bunch of pantry items she wasn't going to use. One of the random things included this:



For those of you who can't read extremely tiny out of focus print it says 'Just Hazelnut Meal - Great for Baking and Breading.' She gave me two bags of this weird fluffy mealy stuff. One is Hazelnut, one is Almond and she purchased them at Trader Joes.

Now, being a good little Dutch Girl, I love almond flavored everything. Almost ALL of our cookies taste like almonds, and many also have slivered almonds in them. My favorite chocolate even has almonds in it. I had to try this almond meal stuff. My ancestry commanded it.

The label says it is great for baking and breading and to substitute it for up to half of the flour in a recipe. It will add extra flavor and texture.

So last Friday Bubbalu and I made some Valentine's Day heart cut-out cookies using this Almond Meal stuff. After baking and frosting the cookies, Bubbalu helped me decorate.

First off, shake 18 million tiny sprinkles on the counter and floor and maybe 100 sprinkles on the actual cookies:



Then proceed to lick red hots and smash them into the frosting:



And we're done! Oh wait, repeat the process AGAIN? More sprinkles:



and more pre-licked red hots:



And finally FINALLY, we are done. Bubbalu got to eat one small cookie after we were done and despite the funny look on his face, he very much enjoyed it:



These cookies are AMAZING y'all, AMAZING. Cut-out cookies are already mighty tasty in my book because butter, sugar, flour...what's not to like? Then add in some Almond Meal? Positively divine.

And yes, I do realize that ground up almonds add a fair amount of fat, but as they say, it's a good fat. Because yes, that is what runs through my head when I can grab blub around my middle..."it's OK! It's a GOOD fat!". Um, no. We'll be eating these treats in moderation folks. Cause that's what's it's all about...(thank you for the insight Mr. Hokey Pokey).

I am anxious to try more of the Almond or Hazelnut Meal in other baked goods, maybe muffins or biscotti.

Anyone else baked with these Meals before? And if so, please leave a comment with any good hints, tips or recipes...

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