start munching!

welcome to the first ever Monday Munch!

when thinking about the first recipe for the Munch it was an easy choice. a total no-brainer. this recipe is by far the most popular in our house of anything so far in bb's young life. pretty much as soon as he could eat solid foods of this kind he's been eating these Apple Oat Pancakes.

they are a favorite of mine because they have no refined sugar (sweetened with just the apple), no dairy and even no wheat. they are a favorite of b's because, well, they are yummy despite their lack of the above mentioned items. they were so popular for a while that i would make several batches of dry ingredients to have on hand. i'd also cook double batches and freeze a bunch. they freeze great. hubby even got me a fancy-pants double griddle pan so i could keep up with the demand. we have since cut back to making them about once a month. for a while it seemed we were addicted.

these also don't require syrup. we'd eat them with just butter or toasted with jam. sometimes we'd dip them in yogurt and apple sauce. but mostly we'd eat them plain. they're easy to take with us wherever we go for a good, easy snack.

ENJOY!

and credit where it's due. this recipe comes from
Simply Natural Baby Food by Cathe Olson.

APPLE OAT PANCAKES
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup almonds (or almond meal)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk (dairy or non-dairy)
1 apple, grated

Instructions:
1. Grind oats & nuts to powder in blender or food processor. Pour mixture into large mixing bowl and stir in baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.

2. Beat eggs and milk together. Grate apple in food processor or by hand.

3. Add the egg mixture and apple to the oats. Stir until just mixed. Let batter sit for 5 minutes while griddle heats.

4. Cook on lightly oiled griddle or skillet over medium heat. Use approximately 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip when top is bubbly and edges start to dry. Cook second side for 3-5 minutes more.

i've also made a handy recipe card that you can dowload if you'd like!

mush brain

i'm having a day where i feel like a bad mom. i feel like all i have done for the past 2 days is say no. i am struggling with patience and not getting enough sleep. at night i wonder if i've done any lasting damage. did i create a memory today that bb will internalize?

it's not like i've yelled at him or grabbed him or done anything that harsh. i just am a mommy who needs a break and i'm not doing as good a job at being there for him.

there are so many things that are different than i thought they'd be. when you are childless you make all kinds of statements "i'll NEVER use a binky," "we DEFINITELY don't want to find out the sex of the baby," "what could be so hard about being with one little baby all day? cake!"

all i can say is, "you don't know until you get there---so theorize all you want." some of your theories and things will hold true. others not so much. that's what i've found, anyway.

i knew that there would be a lot of patience involved in being a full-time mommy. and i knew i'd struggle with it. and not just the typical things like helping him do something he can't do or dealing with crankiness. . .all of that i expected. what i didn't realize was that i'd have to learn the patience to do a LOT of things that are boring to me, but fun for a toddler. how many times can i do "big truck puzzle?" "you want to go touch the neighbor's Jeep AGAIN?"

lately i find that i relate to Mr. Mom a whole lot. remember that movie? the part where he talks about his brain turning to mush. i feel that way sometimes. and when i get into a room with other adults i feel like a babbling idiot because i haven't talked to anyone over the age of 3 in days. social graces have gone out the window.

do you ever feel stretched too thin? or that your mind is turning to mush? what do you do to help that feeling?

thankfully, i'm actually going away for most of the weekend. hitting the beach with my mom and leaving the boys behind. i know i'll miss them as soon as i pull out of the driveway, but man, i need a baby break. beach, meet butt. butt, meet beach. i think you'll be very happy together.

Super Stool (not as gross as it sounds) & the Monday Munch

we've discovered sweet reprieve from "pick baby up, see mommy DOING?" it's called "Super Stool." no, silly, it's not an oversized dookie. it's real name is The Learning Tower, which somehow became SS in our house. we do have sick senses of humor sometimes.

i digress.

we bought SS because our toddler became SO INTO helping us do stuff (mainly me) in the kitchen and it's my fault really. whenever i can't think of something to do with him and his buddy who comes over everyday, i go to the kitchen and we bake/cook something. but we didn't have a good, safe way for him to participate. so we sought one out and that led us to SS. now we can make pizza, sandwiches, cookies, whatever--together! it's great fun. it's climbable. it's versatile. it's SUPER!













and while i'm on the subject of food. . .
i'm kind of a health food mom. i'm not like a real hard-core, tofu slingin', vegan-type health foodie, but i'm the kind who doesn't give her kid refined sugar hardly at all. he drinks soy milk, we eat mostly organic and a minimum of store-bought, processed stuff. we buy a farm share every spring and we go to the farm once a week thru Thanksgiving. bb only had his first popsicle 2 days ago and it was one that i made with organic yogurt and fruit. see what i'm sayin'? that's the kinda mom i am.

and i like to cook. SO, if you are looking for healthy snacks and things to feed your little one then perhaps you'll enjoy the MONDAY MUNCH here at Peeping Moms. every monday (starting NEXT monday) i'll be posting ideas and recipes--mostly things that have been a hit around here. maybe you'll have some things to share too.

see you next week! and think about getting yourself a super stool, too. . .put an end to "mommy doing???"

babysitter and the inner critic

today was a monumental day in our lives. it was bb's first time being left with a babysitter. he will be 2 later this month and we've never left him with anyone other than relatives--and even that no so much. i'm a stay at home mom who nursed until he was 15mos. some would call me over protective, but i do what i feel is "right" for him. and we've rarely spent time apart.

i worried for a while about "smothering," "spoiling" and creating a dependent, needy kid. but truthfully, he's extremely independent and always has been to some degree. he is so smart, so kind, so sweet. he's willful and brave and i wouldn't change a thing.

so, i've tried (succeeding some days and not others) to stifle the voices in my head that say what i "should" do, what other mothers "must be thinking of me" and instead just go with my own instincts about mothering and about my child. but it's been hard. i can't help but compare myself to other moms. "SHE drops her kid off at a daycare/nanny's house for 3 hours a day so she can get time to herself." "THEY had a babysitter at 8mos. old." "WE must be freakishly over-adoring parents who don't have any perspective or know what we are doing."

i have issues with comparing myself to others, but in this case, with bb, i feel proud of how i have done. he's anything but spoiled and dependent.

and today he barely noticed we were leaving. he had a great time and so did we, because we were all ready for it. it was no big deal. that's the thing, i think timing is everything with kids. WHEN is he ready to learn how to sleep through the night? WHEN should i stop nursing? WHEN should we get a babysitter? there's no right answer. no one knows what is right for you and your family, but you. that's what i have learned. so, inner critic be dammed! go sit in the corner and think about what you've done.