Fevers Bite

In true blogging fashion I was going to take a picture of the gigantic mound of used tissues stacked up next to my bed in order to share with you what's been going on with Cookie+Curly. I quickly decided I'd just let you know... I'm sick.

Never have I experienced a fever of 103, and I hope I never do again. 

I will get back to you later with stuff that's actually fun to read, but for those of you wondering why I haven't been posting anything, now you know.

Thank you, Honey, for taking such good care of me and the kids over these last few, brutal days. 

Going WAY East + Duo to Trio+ Enjoying the Bean

{Going WAY East}

A fun announcement: 

Cookie+Curly will soon be sold in a boutique baby store in... wait for it... SAUDI ARABIA! The store owner found my mobiles online and decided she had to have them for her shop. So, I'm burning the midnight oil once again to fulfill her order in time for her freighter to depart the Bay Area at the end of the month. I'm so excited!

{Duo to Trio}

A recent custom order request was to duplicate this mobile:

And put it on a branch like this:

But add one more bird. Well, here you go, Cindy:

Just ask and ye shall receive. I LOVE custom orders!

{Enjoying the Bean}

Some of you have asked about protein ideas for snacks. Well, here's one I made/ate today with the kids. We call them "Garbanzo Nuts".

Preheat the oven to 325F. Drain/Rinse garbanzo beans. Toss with olive oil, sea salt, dried herb of choice, and ground black pepper. 

Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Place in oven and toss every 10 minutes. Once they get a good golden color (almost a light brown) they are ready - about 40 minutes. 

This process basically dehydrates them a bit to make them into an easy, pop-in-your-mouth source of protein, fiber, antioxidants, and plenty of minerals. Enjoy!

New Find + "What's for Dinner"

{New Find}

When I collected manzanita branches from our cabin this summer, I wasn't sure if others would think they were as beautiful as I do. Well, apparently you do. A majority of custom orders request manzanita branches.

This week I had another such request, but I had run out of branches! Aaaah!! A sweet friend let me raid her backyard for branches, and then another friend gave me a tip on what's now my secret spot to find some really gorgeous manzanita - Thank you friends! (You know who you are.) ;)

So here is Karen's mobile that shipped out to her in South Carolina today.

Many well wishes to you and your soon-to-be new family, Karen!

{What's for Dinner}

Requests have been made for "a week in the life of Trapp dinners", so here goes the first (and only?) "What's for Dinner" post. I'll spare you all of the details, but feel free to leave a comment with questions and I'll be sure to answer them. 

Monday

Turkey Burger w/ Tomato & Lettuce

Kale Chips

Tuesday

Sauteed Salmon

Green Salad w/ Nuts tossed with Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, S&P

Rice, Barley, Spelt Mixture (Trader Joe's)

My husband's plate/portions

Wednesday

My hubby and I got to be "models" in a photo shoot for
Windows on the Water
(That's us in the "Photos" section!)
We dined on their Frisee Salad
Goat Cheese Bruschetta (Incredible!)

Seared Rare Wild Fijian Ahi

Thursday
Chicken Skewers w/Olive Oil & Lemon Pepper
BBQ'd Tomatoes and Onions
Leftover Rice/Barley/Spelt from last night

Doesn't look all that appetizing but it tasted really good

My son's plate

Friday

Sauteed Pork Chops

Brown Rice

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

My father-in-law got me hooked on this brown rice. FANTASTIC texture. Very nutty. Amazing.

Saturday

Breakfast for Dinner!

Egg Whites Scrambled w/Low-Moisture/Light Mozzarella

Sauteed Zucchini

Cracked Wheat made w/Low-Sodium Chicken Broth

Sunday

Pizza Night with Good Friends!

I forgot to take a picture, but you can see how we do our Pizzas here

So... What do you think? Helpful? Entertaining? Boring? Appetizing? Want me to do it again some time? Same meal? You let me know. I'll perform. :)

Have a scrumptious day.

Happy Valentine's Day

I feel so blessed and loved. To have two healthy and energetic children I long to be with the second the fall asleep.(Well, maybe a few hours later)...

To have a husband I adore, admire, and still get butterflies over...

And, to eat cupcakes!

The way to my heart - Vanilla Cupcakes! Thank you, B.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. {What's for Dinner} is tomorrow's blog.

The Nugget + Going Soft

{The Nugget}

I'm just going with it. Let me know if you have suggestions for another way to describe this quick, weekly {if you hold me to this, I may drop the ball so be nice} part of my blog that gives you a little morsel to consider as you go about your culinary way.

This week's Nugget: Protein. 

Eat it every time you eat. Just a snack? Yes, protein. Breakfast? YES, protein. Protein helps slow down the metabolism of your food and provides a feeling of satiety longer than a meal of straight carbs would. Happy tummy. Eating less.

Err on the lean side: low-fat dairy (string cheese; yogurt; cottage cheese; kefir; goat's milk products), lean/extra-lean meats (leftovers from dinner; deli meats; tuna in a can; the usuals: chicken, pork, beef, fish), soy products (marinated tofu; baked tofu; edamame; soy yogurt); nuts (almonds, peanuts, soy, pecans, walnuts). No need for protein powders - There's plenty of great food out there packed with protein.

We just got back from Trader Joe's and got two favorites. For us, this Greek-style yogurt is nonfat, serves up 14g protein (12g carbs) per serving, and is colored with pomegranate juice and red cabbage extract. It comes in Pomegranate, Blueberry and Honey.

For the kids, these Grilled Chicken Burger Patties are made from skinless thigh meat. 

I say they are for the kids but they're fine for adults too. The thigh meat provides more cholesterol so kids can get away with that as their developing brains need a good supply of cholesterol. Each patty provides 25g protein {I split between my two kids} but does have 330mg sodium. Try to serve with high potassium foods to off-set the sodium.

{Going Soft}

Every new baby needs a gift - Why not let Cookie+Curly be your no-brainer, one stop shop. Constantly in need of something warm to lay on, crawl on, drool on, or spit up on, blankets meet that need and then some - bright prints entertain the brain while ribbons provide interaction and sensory stimulation.

While you're there, get some little clips for the little girl {her hair's going to grow so soon!}...

And a congratulatory ring or necklace for Mommy. The vintage-style cabochon necklaces can be personalized to add a baby's picture or name.

Okay, enough about Cookie+Curly. Enjoy your protein!

Sweet Clip Debut + Brownie Update

I love having a girl! Sweet smiles, warm embraces, pink clothes, and long hair. All such wonderful things. My daughter's hair has been long enough for clips for a while but she's just now getting to an age where she'll tolerate them in her hair longer than 5 seconds. When I saw these little roses, I couldn't resist making them into clips for her.

And now, they're available on Cookie+Curly! Super cheap and a great gift for anyone with a little girl. They're available by pair, or you can get the whole rainbow to make sure she has one for every outfit. Little petite flowers also available.

{Brownie Update}

In case any of you are wondering how the "Deceptively Delicious" {?} brownies were welcomed by my crew, I can now report back that my son took one bite and said, not knowing their name, "Deeeelicious". My daughter asked for seconds, and thirds. I took them to a Valentine's day party and all but one child there liked them. (Stewie, we'll get you to like them yet!)

My husband thinks I can make them better, and I accepted the challenge. Stay tuned for an updated, and possibly better, version of these brownies.  

As a P.S. on this topic, I have found the extra pureed veggies from this recipe as an easy means to augmenting my kids' nutrition without them knowing. Pureed carrots blend nicely into hot cereal. Pureed spinach can be added to multigrain pancakes.

{What's for Dinner?}

Some of you have asked for "a week in the life of the Trapp's dinners" as a means for learning healthy and easy ways to update your own mealtime routine. So, it's in the works. Next week I'll get back to you with what we ate for dinner this week. Tonight was date night so we're off a bit, but that's life.

{lollipops cards}

My friend, Krystina, has a great job. She inspires people almost daily with her blog of creative ways to live life to the fullest. "what i love wednesdays" is just an example.

Check out her super-fun cards!

{NSNC}

I was told that my "NSNC" term made a few people think I was starting up a new government organization. Too many acronyms. Anyone else have a suggestion on what I can call it? "The Nugget"?

I'll have a new one for you tomorrow. Must go rest my tired eyes now...

Brownies... Can they truly be "Deceptively Delicious"?!

Before dessert comes dinner. Tonight's "dinner" is a small one, served up after a 4-night/5-day trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico {sans kiddos!} to celebrate the union of two great friends, Bret and Sharon. {Ah... Vacation and the celebration of love!} It was an amazing weekend with every detail covered by the couple, I just wish my stomach would have let me enjoy it. {BAD tummy - Bad!}

On to "dinner". It's a small plate special - Some new, beautifully sophisticated, earthy fabric I couldn't resist. What to make first - Birds? Butterflies? Blankies? A custom order?

Another small plate... NEW TO THE SHOP: I've started making barrettes and clips for little girls hair! Sweet, simple, colorful. Stay tuned for pictures and some more details in a coming blog.

And now... Dessert!

Ever since I heard about them I wondered, How "delicious" are Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious {Spinach & Carrot} Brownies"? As a Dietitian I get asked about them quite a bit, however it wasn't until tonight that I actually tried them out.

You can find the recipe here. I followed the recipe exactly as I have never made anything like this before. First some pictures and comments. Then, my vote.

I had to puree my own spinach and carrots as I don't have those in pureed form hanging around my house now that my little darlin's are eating solids quite well. The recipe calls for 1/2c each of pureed spinach and pureed carrots. I found that to equal about 3.5 large handfuls of baby spinach and about 2 large carrots.

Maybe it was my Mexican tummy revisiting me for a moment, but the sound and look of these two hitting the bowl wasn't exactly tantalizing for me:

I think I let out a little whimper when I had to mix in the cocoa powder, melted semisweet chocolate {btw, there's 6 oz of chocolate chips in 1 cup}, brown sugar, "butter" {I always bake with Smart Balance"}, and vanilla extract.

This is what it looked like after adding in the egg whites and dry ingredients:

Hmmm... Don't you wish you could have licked the bowl?

Here it is, ready to go in:

And the finished product:

Not so bad... Not so bad.

But what does it taste like? Delicious??

The texture was *slightly* rubbery but the flavor itself was pretty good. I'll be honest - I wouldn't call these "delicious". That said though, I *did* finish my brownie and I think these would be awesome for kids! Their taste buds haven't been brainwashed for years by refined sugar and processed ingredients. DEFINITELY worth trying on the kids. It's late - I'll let you know what mine think of them tomorrow. 

I'm also going to try and make them again with some little tweaks - I'll share if they make a difference.

A random note to ponder: Every single person would enjoy something special done for them today. Don't wait to be asked a favor. Get out there and do something. (And if you can do it anonymously, even better!) What are you going to do?

Showered with "Nutella"

Something you probably don't know is that I spent my sophomore year of college in Florence, Italy. One of the indulgences I learned about while over there {and mind you, this was before I was a Nutritional Science major}, is Nutella. "Perfetto". {Perfect!}

I am all about enjoying any food your heart desires, but moderation is a key element to making that philosophy work. With this blog, keep moderation in mind. I just couldn't help but mention the following ridiculously incredible recipe as I was able to enjoy it at a baby shower this weekend. {Thanks for bringing this along, Amy!} Did I mention moderation?!

First, some pictures from Amanda's shower for baby Magnolia. Holly, the hostess, has impeccable taste and organized a fantastic celebration, with Jen, Natalie and Amy contributing a number of mouth-watering goodies...

Just a Little Som'im Som'im

Peanut Butter "Nutella" Spread on Glass Server

Beautiful Mama

Content Baby Magnolia {Maggie}

Handmade Pink Powder Puffs

Amy divulged that the incredible, dark brown spread on the crisp, lightly salted crackers was a recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Definitely an amazing experience. Looks simple to make too - Keep it in mind the next time you're assigned dessert. I *did* mention moderation, didn't I?!

On to the Cookie+Curly aspect of the shower... My gifts to sweet Maggie included a ribbon-lined {new!}, monogrammed {new!}, stroller-sized blanket made of, you guessed it, magnolia fabric. 

Stroller-Sized, Ribbon-Lined Blanket

Another sweet detail is that Amanda's son, Stewart, nicknamed the baby "Blueberry Baby" while she was still pregnant as they didn't know the gender. I love how this fabric also looks to have little blueberries on it! 

"M" for Magnolia

They also provided bedding fabric for two custom birds hanging on what looks like drift wood - their request - but it is actually manzanita.

I was in charge of the favors so at the end of the shower, each person had the opportunity to choose a ring. 

These rings were "commitment rings" in that, if someone took a ring, they were committed to praying for the characteristic of Maggie's hand-written on the card. 

To make the cards:

.Print chosen wording on card stock.

.Cut into small desired size. {I cut before printing so had to hand-write the cards - Oops} .Cut out little blueberries out of polka dot, blue card stock

.Glue-stick bottom of blueberry so that top can be folded back.

.Punch hole and attach to Cookie+Curly ring bag {or whatever gift you choose}

Right now I'm providing 20% off all ring orders of 10 or more and $1 (US) shipping, for those of you who may want to do the same thing with C+C rings. 

You won't hear from me again until next Monday but I'll have lots of fun details to share at that point!

Happy Living~