This week's recipes!

Thursday's lunch:
Slow cooker pork Cuban Sandwichn on whole wheat,
cherry tomato halves,
blueberries and blackberries

Here are our recipes from this week!! As always, we included a fish dish and one meatless dish. We all take dinner leftovers from lunch the next day (makes clean up/lunch-packing efficient!).

I have to admit, I was even surprised how filling our meatless baked potatoes turned out to be!!

Easy Chicken Curry - this one we had actually planned to make last week, but let our laziness convince us to order a pizza. This is a new recipe, and Hubby was skeptical. So When we finally made it this week, he was kicking himself for voting pizza before...

Shrimp and Cannellini Beans (with asparagus and toast) - This recipe is SO ridiculously easy and makes your kitchen smell SO yummy! We pair it with a veggie, and some extra carbs (sprouted wheat toast + butter).

Friday's Toddler Lunch:
Baked sweet potato + mozzarella, strawberry,
shelled edamame, orange slices,
and yogurt pretzels

Cuban sandwiches (with Crockpot pork loin). I got this recipe from Parenting.com magazine, but couldn't find a link for it online. For the pork loin, cook tenderloin, onion soup mix, 1c water, 3/4c red wine, 3 tbsp garlic, 3 tbsp soy sauce, on low for 4 hrs in a Crock Pot. We shredded it and used half to make sandwiches. We toasted split, wheat ciabatta rolls, and topped with pork, provolone, deli ham, and dill pickle slices. We served with a side of steamed broccoli.

Sweet potatoes, mozzarella and edamame - really, this is all we ate for our meatless meal. Super quick: microwave some potatoes (M and I had sweet potatoes, hubby went for a regular russet). Cut open and apply a smidge of butter. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese. Serve with shelled edamame. Very filling. Nutritional bases covered. :)

Pork tacos - (see the Cuban sandwich recipe for how we made the shredded pork). Stir in 2 tbsp BBQ sauce with 1 cup of the shredded pork. top a corn tortilla with meat and 1/4 c bagged coleslaw + 1tbsp greek yogurt.

Grilled Pizza - We use store-bought whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joe's. I shop there about once a month, so I stock up on a few for the freezer when we are low, but we have also found it at many 'regular' grocery stores. You may have to ask where they keep it (sometimes its in the freezer section). Then we skip to Alton Brown's recipe for margherita pizza (about halfway down this lengthy recipe). We omit the red pepper... and usually the garlic (but only because we forget it since this is easy enough to do from memory).

Recipes this week!

Feeling a bit in a rut lately with recipes, so I had to rifle through my big 3-ring binder for a couple of old favorites to liven things up!

As always, one meatless meal and one fish meal!

Cozy at Home (Cauliflower) Mac and Cheese - Ok, this one isn't new... but its one of my favorite meatless options! You can use any veggie in place of the cauliflower, and sometimes we add peas, too. I like that the cauliflower blends in... though I feel a little guilty sneaking them in on my toddler...

Raspberry Chicken Salad (first recipe here on Cooking Light's recommended uses for apricot preserves). I swap in canned, no-salt green beans for the salad greens for my toddler. I also lay out each ingredient separately on his plate, like an artists palate. This is one of his favorite meals :) If you miss the carbs, you can serve with some crusty bread or whole wheat toast.

Chicken Tortilla Soup - Easy and filling! I put this in a pre-warmed thermos for my toddler's lunch.

Gulf Fish en Papillote + Kale Pesto Pasta - Dusted this off from the back of the 3 ring binder! The gulf fish is so simple, fast and healthy, but has the best presentation!! Serve this one to guests! This was my first time making the Kale Pesto (recipe from weelicious.com). It was tasty, but we had tons of leftovers!! I think I still prefer the basil variety, though...

Easy Chicken Curry - truth is we didn't get to this one this week... it will be the first one we make next week, though!

Recipes this Week

Just returned from a week vacation visiting our parents over Easter break, but we are hitting the ground running to make our weekly meal plans, and keep my sanity. Sunday morning after we flew in, hubby and M ran to the store for breakfast supplies (eggs, sausage, fruit, bread and milk). Then later he went back during naptime for the veggies for the sausage and rice! My motivation for cooking most weeknights is to have leftovers - so I have something to pack for M's lunch as well as our own. It helps us all make better food choices when we are crunched for time, and let's us spend our $ on meals out over the weekend when we can really enjoy it.

As usual the lineup includes one meatless dinner and one fish dinner.

Sausage and Rice - Our dinner-in-a-pinch, this week with brown rice! I still haven't perfected this, but I try to sub whole grains for processed ones in as many places as I can. I started 1 cup of brown rice with 3 cups of water. Brought to a boil and then simmered for 10 minutes before adding the kielbasa rounds. Cooked with sausage for 10 more minutes, then added the chopped broccoli and red pepper. Cooked for a final 10 minutes. The result was still a little soupy, and a bit creamier than the white rice version, but I let it rest, uncovered for a bit, served with a slotted spoon. By the end of dinner the extra water had been absorbed/evaporated.

Chicken and Bean Nachos - adapted from this recipe, We make the avocado salsa (usually omitting the jicama if we can't find it). Otherwise we layer tortilla chips, then shredded rotisserie chicken (we use about half of one, and save the rest for something else), rinsed canned pinto or black beans, and a thin layer of shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese on a cookie sheet. Broil for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted, and top with the salsa. We usually make one cookie sheet-ful for our family of 2.5, and the rest makes all our lunches for the next day.
To make the next day lunches, I put all the topings together in a tupperware, one in each corner, and pack chips seperately. Hubby and I assemble all but the salsa, microwave to melt cheese, then top with Salsa. M eats all his seperately.

Not your mama's tuna salad - courtesy of Rachel Ray. This is another easy favorite of mine :)

Tacos & re-fried beans - The tacos are your average recipe (store-bought shells; meat seasoned with a store-bought packet of seasoning... we used half a pound of leftover bison, and some of our leftover rotisserie chicken from the nachos above; diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, avocado chunks, plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream) and we used Ellie Kreiger's recipe for the beans (delicious! even my husband was pleasantly surprised!)

Quinoa salad - adapted from this recipe, I swapped quinoa for the wheat berries, but everything else is the same - YUM!

This week we also took a family urban hike to our closest grocery store on a chilly, overcast day and picked up frozen pizzas (hubby and I always get our own since we like different things, which means plenty for M and lunch leftovers) + frozen veggies for a Saturday-night-in dinner. We also picked up ingredients to make our favorite breakfast casserole Sunday morning:

2 cans reduced fat crescent rolls
1 roll reduced fat breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled
8 eggs (1 yolk reserved)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350
1. Unroll one can of crescent rolls on the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.
2. Top with sausage and cheeses (beware: too much cheese will make the casserole too greasy).
3. Scramble the 7 eggs and 1 egg white (reserving the 8th yolk), and pour over the sausage and cheese.
4. Unroll and top with the second can of crescent rolls.
5. Brush top layer with reserved yolk.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until center of casserole is set.
Cut and serve!!

Potty Training Progression

The convenience of the travel potty seat!!
This is in the back of our car!

I've been trying to record some notes from our potty training saga. This is rather lengthy, but I want to share it with you to demonstrate that I think potty training is very much a process. For us we made little steps forward a bit at a time, and with each one I would still say we are training (and are today, since he wears a diaper for naps and bedtime), but more and more I would say we are 'mostly trained'.

So:

When M was about 20 months (May, 2012) we bought a plush potty seat, just to try, just in case, and happened to notice his poop face, and got lucky, every now and then. But then something happened and the potty became intimidating for a while. We were frequently declined when we offered him the chance to go, even though he clearly had to go, and was uncomfortable in poopy diapers, and refused to sit in a high chair or carseat when soiled.

Around 23 months (July), I actually got a yes one morning when I asked if he wanted to sit on the potty. Given his recent pattern, I knew I was going to change a poopy diaper before we left for school, and I was dying to avoid it. And we indeed caught it!! In the freestanding grown up potty. I rewarded this with the first thing I thought of and happened to have on hand: chocolate covered pretzels. The kid probably would have gone for more healthy REGULAR pretzels, or even stickers... But this started a trend I was afraid to mess with. For the next two weeks he was doing his morning business on the potty with only one exception.

Even on our weekend trip to LegoLand (September). We took a travel potty with us, and carried the removable seat around with us when we were out and about, just in case.

The next weekend (October) was a long weekend, and we decided to give the 3-day method a try. Sort of. I couldn't bring myself to really stay home for 3 days straight, without leaving. We went out some, but mostly he wore big boy underwear at home. This was they key to getting pees regularly in the potty (as prior to this we were only catching his daily poo). He finally figured out it was OK to pee in the potty, and we were much more successful.

The Tuesday after the long weekend, we told school, and they agreed to be more vigilant and encouraging, and added him to the list of potty-goers. He went 3 times that day (where previously he's declined or sat with no results)!

The next week we went on vacation, across the country, and he actually made significant progress!! We visited all the bathrooms in the airports and planes and restaurants and friends' houses, again mostly with the handy travel potty seat. On our day traveling back, he stayed dry all day!

His first day back to school he had a couple of wet diapers, but also lots if successes! The next day he was dry all day and they asked if we could send in underwear or pull-ups! I couldn't bring myself to send in Pull Ups, since we'd been using cloth diapers for so long. So we did send in several pair of underwear and lots of extra pants. And we kept offering the potty at home (especially before we left for things) and on the weekends. Only going through 3 diapers per day!

A couple weeks later (November), he finally started going to school in big boy underwear full time (gerber training pants). He still had about one accident per day. That weekend we went to an event outside the house in underwear ( to see Thomas the Train)! He had one accident while there (he was too busy playing with toy trains they had set up to come get us for a potty break), but was not a big deal at all. we have used hardly any diapers this whole weekend. M started getting blisters on his birdie, so we switched to disposables and night/nap time :( Got to use our portable potty in the back of the car before heading home...

During the next month (December) he twice stopped playing all on his own, went into the bathroom, raised the seat, moved the step stool, pulled down his pants and went all by himself, without even telling us! He was already at little wet and needed new underwear and pants but... yay! Once, Daddy and I snuck up outside the bathroom and when he turned around we cheered. He was SO PROUD of himself.

After traveling home for the holidays (Jan 2013), I think we had some regression. could be partly due to the shifting schedule, or the excitement of all the new toys, or the lack of schedule until school started again. Either way, for a day or two every potty opportunity was an accident. Then just a few accidents. And when he started at his new school, he had one accident per day, all three days, and on the weekend, only in the evening. By the next week, he was staying dry all day. whew.

***Mostly we find that accidents happen when WE forget to ask. I found that being pregnant helped me remember to invite him to go with me during each of the many visits I was making. And something my mom said really made me relax about it though and feel like we are 'there'. I was telling her that we still have some accidents and she said, 'Oh hon, you'll have that 'til he's 5...' and I thought, 'OK, maybe he's pretty trained then.'***

It is only recently (Feb, 2013) that he reliably tells us when he needs to go, with enough time to get there, and can actually hold it until he's made it.

- All of this said, look for another post with the summary of what I think has worked best for us. - 

OK to wake?

About 6 months ago we transitioned our toddler to a 'big boy' bed, (after his second birthday, but in anticipation of the arrival of his new baby sister). At the same time we bought the guard rails and a mattress protector, we also bought an 'OK to wake' alarm clock/nightlight. We thought this was going to be necessary to help contain him in his new freedom. However, he barely noticed the addition to his bedside table, and when he finally did, he just wanted to press the two buttons on its feet as if it were some handheld game only he knew how to operate (to his credit, one button does send the clock into making some series of faces back at him).

For the first five months we were smug pleased that it'd never occurred to him that he could get out of his new bed any more than he could get out of his crib, and we went happily along sleeping through the night. That is, until recently when he proudly announced that he 'woke up all by himself' and crawled into bed with us. At an earlier and earlier time each day.

When this started to develop into a pattern, we brought the clock to him after dinner and showed him how it worked (after a quick refresher myself, and finally actually setting the the OK time to get up). So you can stay in your bed until your light turns on green, right? Yes. And the first night he did. Even the second night he did. But the third night he must've gotten frustrated waiting, because he just cried out that he wanted Mommy to come wake him up (which is what he used to do before he realized he could get out of bed, if we hadn't noticed he was up yet, so I guess the clock still had some power...). The fourth day, he just decided to get up anyway (over an hour early) and I led him back and we tried to go back to sleep in his bed, but it didn't work. So we played with the stuffed animals on his bed and played with our fingers and time crept sloooowly by. Day 6 he still got up about 30 minutes early, and I laid down with him (this time actually more restful). Today is Day 7. Fingers crossed.

This is just another dimension of the 'transition to a toddler bed'. Parenting really is like the decathlon!!

So far my lessons learned are:

1. Let your little one 'help' you put the bed in their room. And let them help pick out sheets, or a blanket for the new bed (we pulled out every set of Full sized sheets in the little boy bedding aisle of Target and laid them out. Hubby hoped for the sports themed one, I wanted rocket ships. M picked construction trucks. Oh well)

2. Put REAL pillows on your toddler's bed, at least one or two and don't skimp. You will end up sleeping there sometime, and you will wish you had at least decent pillow.

As for the alarm clock, the jury's still out. ps. I was intrigued by this 'clock', too: Kid'sleep Classic

What do you do to keep your kid contained, or to at least get all the precious minutes of sleep you can in the mornings?

Three more weeks of simple cooking!

If you are working on your simple cooking weekly recipe planning, here are our last 3 week's recipes (again, each week includes one fish recipe and one meatless recipe. And leftovers from all meals were turned into our lunches the next day - including for the 2.5 year old!)

Week 1

I am leveraging some of the goodies from our CSA box this week: carrots, broccoli, lettuce.

Pear struessel muffins, Once a Month Mom. with blueberries instead of the chopped pear and applesauce instead of the pureed one... YUM! We put most of these in the freezer and are doling them out for special breakfasts.
Meatloaf Cupcakes w/  mashed potato 'icing', modified from Cooking Light with a side of broccoli
Shrimp 'Fried' Rice, Weelicious (140 Fast, Fresh and Easy Recipes) - very similar to their Veggie Fried Rice recipe + peeled, deveined shrimp
Turkey Spanikopita Burgers, Rachel Ray (365: No Repeats) with a side salad for mom and dad, green beans for M (he's still not into the texture of lettuce...). Also always a surprise for guests that no, they will not even notice the spinach IN the burger. It's just yummy!
Veggie Bowtie Pasta Salad, Parenting.com. Use your favorite Italian dressing and you can't go wrong. I love all the veggies mixed in, too!
Veggie-filled Sausage and Rice, modification of my mama's savory, FAST recipe :)

Would anyone use it if I included the shopping list for the week, too?

Week 2

This week we leaned heavily on a new cookbook we received from a friend: Williams Sonoma: One Pot: Food Made Fast

Chicken Stew with Dumplings
Chicken and Vegetable Curry - made with zucchini and green curry... so not really spicy. Served with brown rice that I'd made the day before while we were eating dinner
Mustard-crusted salmon & potatoes (& Caesar salad for the adults, canned peas for M). This one actually didn't go over all that well with my crowd, if I am being honest. Too strong a mustard taste.
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (from Eating Well When You're Expecting)
Mu Shu Pork Stir Fry. This didn't look like it was all going to fit in the pan... but as the cabbage wilted, I could add the rest. Surprisingly good!

Week 3

* bought a bag of spinach to add to 'beef' up the vegetable quotient of some of our recipes

Baked Shells (from the weelicious cookbook) (adding chopped spinach to the sauce). I couldn't find jumbo shells at either the grocery store or Super Target, so I just used whole wheat penne instead and sort of threw all the ingredients together (plus a few handfuls of spinach!) and baked for 20 minutes. It was still delicious! And the toddler ate every last bit of his without us doing acrobatics or bargaining.
Chicken and Kale Risotto with Pine Nuts and Bacon (using spinach instead of kale; from Start Fresh by Tyler Florence )
Taco Salad (from Eating Well When You're Expecting). Hubby said it: this is always so good. Never fails. We serve the toddler's with a side of green beans instead of on a bed of romaine.
Tomato-Ricotta Salata Spaghetti. Another regular in our rotation. We finally found our local CA grocery store is carrying ricotta salata!... and after three weeks in a row, this week they weren't. So I subbed goat cheese. Not bad.
Shrimp and Corn Chowder (& quesadillas made with whole wheat tortillas, Mexican cheese and chopped spinach; from Cooking Light) This is one of our favorite recipes to make. M loves shrimp (he's a southern boy at heart!) and the soup is SO savory!!! It's a quick and easy one to impress guests!!!

This Week's Recipes!!

Another easy, healthy recipe plan for the week! Includes one fish dish and two meatless dishes! And, yes, all except the tortellini and egg salad wraps became my 2.5 year old son's lunch for school the next day (and only because there wasn't enough left over)!

For the Tortilla Soup and Enchiladas, I bought a rotisserie chicken (split between the two recipes) to save even more time. Those things are money-savers, too!! $6-8 for two meals' worth of chicken!

Kale, Gruyere, and Sour Dough Strata, FitPregnancy (I can't get enough eggs in this pregnancy!)

Creamy Tortellini with Bacon, Dream Dinners (side of red pepper strips and spaghetti squash - our first Dream Dinners taste! Look for my upcoming review)

Chicken Tortilla Soup, Weelicious

Not Your Mama's Tuna Salad, Rachel Ray (Pesto, Roasted Red Peppers, shell pasta + tuna = yum! This week, I swapped lightly sauteed carrot slices for the grape tomatoes)

Mexican Enchiladas, Weelicious

Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps, Fit Pregnancy (got some beautiful heads of Bibb lettuce in our CSA box this week! Served with toasted slices of our leftover Sour Dough!)

I can't find links to the egg recipes from Fit Pregnancy this week, so I am reprinting them below:

(From the Dec/Jan '13 issue of FitPregnancy)

Sourdough Kale Strata

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large finely diced shallot
6 cups kale, washed, deveined, and torn into bite sized pieces (about 1 bunch)
1/4 tsp salt
10 eggs
2 cups 2% milk
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cups sourdough bread (best with stale bread) torn into bite-sized pieces
1.5 cups shredded Gruyere cheese, divided

1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add shallots and saute 2 minutes. Add kale and salt and cook another 2 mintues. Set aside.
2. Whisk together eggs, milk and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Coat a 9x13 in baking dish with cooking spray. Add kale mixture, torn bread and 1 cup cheese, Toss together and spread evenly over pan.
4. Pour egg mixture into the dish and top with remaining cheese.
5. Cover strata with aluminum foil and let stand 20 minutes (this allows the bread to absorb the eggs mixture) or refrigerate overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 400 F. (If dish was refrigerated  let it warm up at room temperature for a bit so it won't crack in the oven.) Bake 35 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking 15 to 20 minutes until puffed and golden brown around edges. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.



Curry Egg Salad Wraps

6 large eggs
3 tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt
3 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp curry powder
Pinch salt and pepper
1 celery stalk, diced
1/4 c finely chopped radishes (we used carrot instead)
2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
1/4 c sunflower seeds
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley (or dill, chives or cilantro)
8 large Bibb, Boston or butter lettuce leaves

1. Place eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with 1 inch of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. when water reaches a boil, immediately cover saucepan, remove from heat and let sit 12 minutes. Place eggs in ice water for 3 minutes to stop the cooking. When cooled, rinse under cold water to peel. Chop coarsely.
2. In a large bowl, stir together Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, curry powder, salt and pepper until combined, Add chopped eggs, celery, radishes, red onion, sunflower seeds and fresh parsley and stir until combined.
3. Divide eggs mixture evenly among lettuce leaves (about 1/4 cup each). Roll up and serve.

Dream Dinners - Make Dinner Ahead of Time

Since Baby Sister is on here way, and we live a long way from our family and most of our friends who might otherwise visit (and bring food!), I jumped on the chance to try one of these prepare-ahead-freezer-meal places with a Plum District deal to try Dream Dinners and make 3 meals that should each serve 3 people.

When I arrived, I was warmly greeted and given my own private drawer to stash my purse. I was given an apron and offered some beverages and an appetizer of Canadian Bacon Stuffed French Bread. Then they gave me the recipe cards for the meals I'd already selected beforehand and showed me the setup. Each station was devoted to 2-3 recipes. The recipes were clearly displayed, with color-coded ingredient measurements.

I made my 3 meals in under 30 minutes, and that was even more time than I really needed (mind you this was only special 9-serving deal, and a usual session requires at least 36 servings, but still.). The staff was super friendly - maybe even overly friendly. They really took their time explaining how everything worked, from the color-coded measuring utensils and recipes to the portion sizes and storage freezer. Since it wasn't busy, the associate helping me even did most of it for me (even though I'd kind of wanted to do it, and maybe even could have done it faster).

The real time saver in this process is not having to prep, or cleanup, or wash your measuring utensils between ingredients, or hunt for the right size measuring cup. Plus they have several of the main ingredients pre-packaged - in my case, chicken breasts, shrimp and rice were all in pre-portioned baggies. And... you haven't actually cooked your meal yet, just done all the up-front work.

The price is a little steep. They do have a loyalty program where the more times you come back the more you will save. However, you definitely have to consider the cost (prices may vary by location): A regular session requires you to purchase 36 servings (12 3-serving meals, or 6 6-serving meals), which on average will cost you about $200. I feel like our weekly grocery bill is $100-$120/week, and we shop at a granola/organic grocery store for our family of 2.5. We usually make 4-5 meals that make 4-6 servings each, plus our bill includes veggie sides (the Dream Dinners options are mainly meat-and-starch only) and milk and breakfast items and other snacks for the week.

BUT what you are paying for is convenience. I really have no idea if/how we will be able to cook a meal between work and bedtime with TWO kiddos (starting in February!). And by taking an hour on the weekend once or twice a month to save some time during the week could be a big help (and you can go with your girlfriends, bring your own wine, and get away from anyone referring to you as 'mommy' for a bit). The Fountain Valley location even offers a New Mom deal where for three months before and after your due date they will pre-package the meals for you and waive their normal fee for this!

They also have a freezer with prepackaged meals you can choose from while you are there (many of them on sale). In addition to my 3-meal deal, I picked up a pre-made six-serving white bean chili with cornbread for $17.

A couple other minor cons:

- You use A LOT of baggies. I am a pretty green person, and in the last 12 months we have probably used 1 box each of of gallon-sized and sandwich-sized baggies... and that's it. We use a lot of tupperware and reusable containers, so it felt a little weird to use 4 baggies (three separate baggies inside a bigger baggie) for one meal.

- Beware of the cooking time on your meals. Several on the menu take up to 90 minutes... which may defeat the purpose of eating something sometime between school and bedtime or soccer practice (we only have about a two-hour window at our house). Perhaps better for the work/stay-at-home mom or weekend meal.

I really hate to even mention anything bad about my experience because when they helped me out to the car with the meals (my delicate condition, and all), I found that my car wouldn't start. So while I was stranded the lovely ladies were kind enough to feed me Butternut Squash Ravioli while I waited on AAA. YUM! I hope all my meals are this delicious!

Now... do I try these before Baby Girl arrives, or keep them as the start of my stash? I feel like I need to evaluate if the other meals are as good as the ravioli... and if the cooking part is really easier since all the prep is done. And I think I will at least have to give this one more try so that I can really put a value on the convenience of it. If not by May (when I expect to go back to work), then soon thereafter.

Fresh Cooking for the Week - How to Simplify

Hoppin' John Soup & corn muffins

How can you work full time outside the home and still get good home-cooked meals on the table for your family most nights of the week? There are several options, but the one that works best for us is what I like to call IE Meal Planning.

IE = Industrial Engineering. This was my major in college - and grad school. The simplest way I've seen it explained is on a nerdy bumper sticker: "Engineers make things. Industrial Engineers make things better." So in case I haven't discussed this already on this blog, it kind of is my hobby to optimize everything, not just the traditional factory stuff the profession was born from. All aspects of life can benefit from the intersection of 'taking the easy way out' and 'doing it right'.

So you and I probably know at least half of the recipes our families make regularly by heart, but I still pull out the recipes for them each week, like a Kan Ban system to help me plan our meals (ok, I am boring you, right? My professors would be so proud, though!). Not only does this help me make sure I have all the ingredients I need, the instructions are still handy in case hubby needs to jump in and help out while we cook.

On Saturday or Sunday, I take requests from the family and pick 4-6 recipes for the week. I generally try to have at least one meatless day and one seafood day - and just enough servings to make dinners and lunches for all of us for most of the week (I admit I look forward to NOT cooking by Friday!). I put the pages on the cookbook holder (even for recipes out of books, I prefer to make a photocopy of the pages I'll use - just to accommodate this system. Is that OCD?). I review the recipes and add the ingredients we don't already have to the OurGroceries app (along with the stuff we need for breakfasts and snacks) and head to the store, reusable grocery bags and phone in tow.

I should interject here that 95% of our recipes are healthy, fast and tasty. Very few make the cut that take too much time or work and even those have to be earmarked for a Sunday evening when we have extra time. Fairly often a recipe for muffins or another snack will make the pile - but those have to be made on the weekends, too!

During the week, Daddy picks up from daycare (I do drop-off), so I can usually get an uninterrupted start on dinner. And most days the meal is in its final stage of cooking (or close to it) when the boys get home.

We dish out our plates, eat together, play a little, then its off to bed for the little one. After he's bathed and tucked in, we pack up the leftovers into our lunches for the next day (check that box on the To Do list!), wash dishes and still have some time to relax ourselves.

As an example, here are our recipes for this week:

Fish Sticks with Green Beans and Potatoes (from Tyler Florence's Fresh Start)
Hoppin' John Soup (adapted from this Parenting.com recipe, by swapping in a can of black eyed peas for one of the cans of white beans, and adding a cup of cooked brown rice)
One Pan Lasagna (from Tyler Florence's Fresh Start)
Cozy At Home Mac n Cheese (from What to Expect: Eating Well When You're Expecting, we use cauliflower as our veggie add-in)
Two Cheese Pesto Pizza (from Weelicious.com)
Pear Struesel Muffins (from OnceAMonthMom.com - but I'll be honest, we probably won't get to these until THIS weekend...)

(if you use MyFitnessPal, I can share the nutrition info I already input for some of the recipes below that don't provide it!)

more weekly recipes:

1 week
3 weeks' worth

2013 - Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year to my online family!

2012 was great (Our family moved across the country for a new West Coast adventure!), but 2013 has some great things going for it - and a few of them I already know about, but I am sure there are more to come!!

First, the blog will be getting a little makeover as a birthday gift from my wonderful husband. I can't wait to see what SevenThirtyThree has in store for us! Stay tuned for the results!

Also, several weeks ago I was accepted as a guest blogger for Kanga Care! If you cloth diaper you will know them for their Rumparooz pocket diapers and EcoPosh one-size fitteds (both of which we liked using with M as overnight diapers), or even their Lil Joey newborn diapers. But they also offer a lot of other green kid products, in addition to cloth diapers. As always I will need your help and valuable feedback to make sure I get the whole truth!! My first post for them will be coming up in February, re: "What about the Poop?" (a big fear of future/potential cloth diaper-ers). I'd love to know if you (moms and dads) were surprised that it was a big deal or not!

I am already reviewing (and enjoying!) three fabulous products that I can't wait to share with you all! Check out Amalou Skin care, the guide to getting YOU back after baby: One Hot Mama (by Erin Cox), and Elabloom facial oil!

But the biggest - and best - thing for our for our family in 2013 is the new Baby Sister we are expecting at the end of February! It will be an adventure juggling a toddler (a big boy, really!) and a new baby (and a job and everything else!) :) I can't wait.

Thank you all again - and let me know what else we should discuss in 2013!!

Reusable Squeeze Pouch Review!!

The cute Squooshi packaging
(and my anxious toddler's hands!)

My 2 year old loves puree pouches. We use them sparingly for a few reasons, though. 1 - they seem to make him 'go', 2 - they are a lot of packaging waste for a quick shot of snack. To solve problem #2 I started looking around for some reusable pouch options and came across two: The Sili Squeeze (with Eeeze model) and Squooshi!

I decided to try them both at the same time, and do a head-to-head comparison:

The two items arrived on my doorstep just a day apart from each other, the Sili first. My son seemed to know what to do with it (since the nipple is very bottle like) but lit up when I told him that we would put 'applesauce' in it (his term for all flavor combos of purees... and sometimes even yogurt). I had perused the websites of both companies, and was excited to see that Squooshi had a blog that, though new, had several recipes (upon further research, I see that Sili's website has some recipes, too). So the next morning, I grabbed the un-carved pumpkin from our front porch from Halloween and blended it with apples and spinach to make our first toddler puree, filled our 'citrus'-colored Sili and we headed to the playground, with the toddler begging to eat the applesauce along the way.

As soon as we set foot on the playground he inhaled the pumpkin puree. He did need some help getting the last bit out of the pouch, but he often does with even the disposable models. The rubber on this is very pliable and allows you to get almost everything out. I was quite pleased with our first experiment. My husband did point out that the orange color we got + the green-hued filling made the pouch appear brown, which was a slight turnoff (light-colored fillings we've tried don't seem to have this issue). I read online further that we could also put the next day's oatmeal in the pouch, since we were getting up early for an hour drive to spend the day with Thomas the Train. I hadn't thought of oatmeal in a pouch!

Squooshi smoothie for breakfast!

When we got home, our Squooshi package was on the front porch! I admit, the packaging is rather nice to receive (to keep in mind for gift-giving) with a modern white box, and a little linen drawstring bag inside that holds the pouches and caps. My son instantly recognized what the pouches were and wanted to hold them. He was giddy with the cute animal designs, too. The package contained 4 pouches, 2- 4.5 oz pouches and 2-3.5 oz pouches, with 4 total different animal designs (lion, bird, panda, and walrus). I got to work again on a fruit-yogurt combo from the Squooshi recipe card that came with the pouches, and put them in the freezer.

Sili at the playground!

We forgot to pack a frozen smoothie or oatmeal for our trip the next day (I was especially sad, given the county-fair-like food options at our train event - this would have provided a much better option), but we did have some for an after-nap snack when we got home! I found the Squooshi's easy to give a quick scrub with the bottle brush, but there were a few more nooks and crannies in the Sili, so we wanted to run it through the dishwasher (which is allowed). Drying the Squooshi was a bit tougher, but I wedged the green cap in the zip-lock-like opening to allow some airflow, and later put some freshly washed ones on the dishwasher tines as the other dishes were drying. If you keep a bottle drying rack on your counter, this would be another convenient place to dry these. All options worked just fine.

Every day this week, I packed a frozen banana-strawberry-orange-Greek yogurt - kids' echinacea smoothie  in M's lunch - replacing his usual yogurt!

- Ease to Fill: at first I was frustrated with spooning smoothies into both models, until I realized I could just pour our concoctions right from the blending cup. The threads on the Squooshi tend to catch a little more, but its not a deal-breaker - just wipe before you zip it up.

squooshi smoothie as a snack at the kids' museum!

- Ease to Wash: The Sili Squeeze can go in the dishwasher after disassembling, but the Squooshi is an easy rinse and once-over with a soapy bottle brush. We do a pretty even mix of both for our regular dishes, so neither is more or less convenient. You do have to reassemble the Sili before using it again (much like a baby bottle- put the collar on the pouch before filling!! I did find that out the hard way!), whereas the Squooshi is ready to go.

- Fit and function in little hands: M needed zero help and zero instructions to break into the Squooshi. This may be a drawback if you rely on your kid having to wait for your permission before starting in on a squeeze pouch (we know the imminent dangers), but in our case, we find this a positive. On the other hand, the M tried to take off and put on the cap of the Sili and had an explosion in the car one day. It does take some firm pressure to snap the cap on, and to a toddler this can also mean getting a grip on the base while you do so... and spilling the contents.

- Price: One 4oz Sili is $7.99. A 4-pack of 4.5 oz. Squooshis are $19.99. For the price, you certainly get more of the Squooshi's. However, the Sili's certainly seem a little more substantial (not sure if that also means they will last longer?). I've only been test-driving for a little over a week, so I can't say how long I think the Squooshi's will hold up (Our Panda seems to currently be missing already... and I hope that since it looks so much like the store-bought versions, that it didn't get tossed in the trash at school?).

- Sizes: The Squooshi comes in 3.5 and 4.5 oz sizes. The Sili comes in 4 oz and 6 oz sizes. For our two-year-old, the 4 and 4.5 oz sizes seem to be perfect. We may enjoy the 3.5 oz more when Baby Sister arrives? Or the 6oz for older kids or grownups?

a look at the inside of the Squooshi (from the bottom)

- Durability with Toddler & Likelihood to Explode/Leak: the toddler was more than happy to help me test here - and I didn't even have to ask! He squeezed the Squooshi while I filled another and promptly dropped it on the floor, and later anxiously massaged it in the car waiting for the green light to eat it. He twirled the Sili by the string that held the cap to the bottle... and then promptly flung it by accident. Everything stayed in tact. Nothing leaded.  No leaks or holes.

- Options:  Squooshi's work with the Boon Spoon, in the same way store-bought squeezes do. In fact, they will soon be releasing their own version. The Squooshis currently come in 4 cute animal designs - two for each size. The Sili offers two nipple types for their pouches - one with a star "no spill" tip, and one "with eeze" tip which is more like the store versions, and easier for kids to figure out. The newly redesigned cap keeps either from leaking into the cap. Both sizes of the Sili come in 4 colors: Red, Orange, Blue, and Green.

I am excited to soon test out some other more grown up ideas for squeeze pouch fillings including mashed potato-veggie and sweet potato combos and oatmeal!!

** note: Squooshi supplied their product for our family at no cost, but requested honest feedback on our experience. Keep an eye out on Facebook for a giveaway where you can get a set for free, too! **

*** giveaway is now closed ***

Grown up songs for kids!

Not sure about you, but my toddler has recently gone through a cling-to-Mommy phase, and he likes to suck his thumb and hold my hand. And about the millionth time I heard him whine, "I want to hold your hand, Mommy" I couldn't help but break out the Beatles tune. And he seemed slightly annoyed, "That not a song!"

Whoa: how am I letting this happen? Some of my happiest memories are of singing along with my parents in the car to their music - and to this day there are certain songs that just (happily) remind me of one parent or another. My mom seemed to only have two tapes in her car - kids songs and the Beach Boys greatest hits. My dad was definitely a classic rocker, and would - annoyingly- rewind songs so that I could be clear on the exact lyrics (and when I was older, give me some of the 'hidden' meaning behind them). But now I really love all kinds of music - thanks to them.

So I broke out the iPad and found a video of the Beatles big break into rock n roll, and then we were on a mission to find more songs that were fun for both of us.

This morning (a few weeks later) when he asked again, "I want to hold your hand," I replied with, "And when I..." He responded, "touch you, I be happy..." This made me happy, and a little teary (I am sure some pregnancy hormones are at play) that I was getting to pass along a little family tradition.

So below is a list of songs that I think both parents and kids can enjoy and find fun. Maybe I will put them all on a CD for the car (to replace "Wheels on the Bus" for the millionth time), or just to have handy to hit up YouTube while we wait in the doctor's office (there are some kid friendly videos to go along with many of these, too!)

I want to hold your hand - the Beatles
Octopus' Garden - the Beatles
Yellow Submarine - the Beatles
At the Zoo - Simon and Garfunkel
Me and Julio - Paul Simon (the Sesame Street performance is cute, too)
ABC -  Jackson 5
Rockin Robin - Jackson 5
Wild Thing -  The Troggs (because we have a little Max at our house)
She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Canibals
Dance, Sister, Dance (Baila Mi Hermana) -Santana (get some Spanish lessons in, too!)
Puff the Magic Dragon - Peter, Paul, and Mary

Other suggestions-

Curious George Soundtrack - Jack Johnson
Cheeseburger in Paradise - Jimmy Buffett
Your Personal Penguin - Davy Jones
Mocking Bird - Carly Simon & James Taylor
Happy Face - Destiny's Child
Father and Daugther - Paul Simon
Camp Grenada - ?
Johnny Cash children's songs
Not for Kids Only - Jerry Garcia and David Grisman
Bob Marley
If I had a Million Dollars - Barenaked Ladies
Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da - The Beatles
Take me Home, Country Road -?
Kiss Me - Sixpence None the Richer
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (the Muppets on this YouTube!)
Somebody to Love - Queen
Penney Lane - The Beatles
Walking on Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves
We will Rock you - Queen
Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
Don't Worry be Happy - Bobby McFerrin
One way or Another - Blondie
Jump - Van Halen
Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
They Might Be Giants (adult and kids's albums - Here Come the ABC's, 123's ,Science or No!)

Toddler Travel Checklist

Are you going on a trip with a toddler any time soon?

If so, here is our checklist that makes us at least feel prepared and get to our destination pretty successfully (which means we can actually enjoy said destination!).

And we have used ALL of the items listed below for the reasons listed below... I am not just being a worrywart!

Travel - Airport/Flight/Car Trip -

Snacks. Bring your sippy cup for filling with water once through security, and refill it whenever possible. Flights are long, and you never know when you will get delayed or hit traffic on the road.
Also pack favorite snacks. For us that means cheese, fig newtons, goldfish, raisins/dried fruit, PBJs (still taste good smushed). Throw in an apple or other hearty (as in you won't find it smushed at the bottom of the bag later) whole fruit/vegetable for good measure (apples, baggie of grapes or melon chunks, carrots, snap peas). Pack twice as many as you think you'll need because you may get delayed, or hungry yourself, or they may just be the thing that keeps your toddler from melting down. We often enjoy Delta's fruit and cheese plate... but you may not want to wait - or pay - for it. Consider milk boxes because milk on a plane or in an airport, or even at your destination, may be scarce, and these don't have to be refrigerated.

Toys. Bring the iPad if you have it, and preload it with some of your toddlers favorite videos, games and apps if you can. Spring for the internet on the plane if its a long flight, and watch YouTube videos. Pack toddler headphones if you have them, too. Not everyone loves Elmo for the 18th time.
Play doh - my son got some mini cans of play doh as birthday favors and valentines. They are the only play doh we own, and works pretty well on an airplane tray. You could also make your own and pack it in a sandwich baggie.
Toys with few parts - pick some of your kids favorites that are small enough to be packed in a diaper bag/carry on and have few parts so you don't lose them or spend a lot of time fixing them. Polly pockets are out. Travel magna doodles are in (I think my mom us got a much less fancy version for my son's Easter basket from a dollar store and it has been a fantastic toy for travel and restaurants for over almost a year!).
Restaurant crayon pack and coloring book - you know that 4-pack of crayons you get every time you go to your favorite restaurant? Save a couple of them (my husband is cringing) and throw one in your travel bag. You won't care if you lose them and your toddler won't care that there's not a full 8 or 64. Throw in a coloring book for good measure if you have it. If not, a pad of paper, or use in flight napkins if you have to. Coloring is a 'together' activity!
Other books - besides regular entertainment, books are handy to have to protect nap routines in-flight AND to have at your destination for bedtime, too.
Cars or the like - for hours of driving around airports, rest stops, gas stations, grandma's, on armrests, practicing colors. I hear girls like playing with cars, too, right?
A new Toy - or book. Some people even wrap them. But something novel always cheers up a little one. Doesn't have to be big or flashy or expensive. Just different from the regular stuff he plays with.


Blanket - planes are chilly! Plus a blanket can cover a dirty floor for your little one to get some tummy time. Or it can be a sunshade on the plan or in the car. Or it can be another toy. Our plane was delayed HOURS on our last trip but our toddler thought it was fun to lay across some seats at our terminal and cover himself up and then 'wake up' over and over. We like an Aden & Anais because its big, but packs small and is plenty warm.

Clothes I dress myself and the toddler in convertible pants (the kind that can roll up and be buttoned there) because it can be hot in the airport and cold on the plane/car, etc. Pack at least two changes of clothes for the kid, and at least one for yourself. $h!t happens.

Diapers - 'cause of all that water you've been offering. And you will need more than usual because things just happen... but also because you'll change one last diaper before strapping the kid back in the carseat, or boarding the plane, which will be 5 minutes before they decide to poo... and again... you never know about delays or traffic. We use cloth, but we always carry at least one disposable on top of double the diapers we would normally go through in the same amount of time. AND WIPES. FOR EVERYTHING. Hand sanitizer, too.

Your child's suitcase - We usually bring our son's suitcase as one of our carry on's for the plane. Our luggage has been lost recently, and we think its most important to have his stuff in that event. Also, its handy in case you thought my diaper and clothing estimates were over the top, to have more wardrobe and diapers to fall back on. :)

Trunki - Also fun for a toddler to scoot around in the airport or at Grandma's. Ours only comes out for traveling, so it's a novelty. And we stuff all the toys and the blanket listed above in it! (trunki at Amazon)

Destination -
Diapers. If you are packing cloth, check with your host ahead of time to see if they mind you using their washer for diapers. They will likely let you, but at least this gives them time to adjust to the idea, if they may privately be thinking, "EW!". Bring your own detergent (I stock up on freebie samples when I make my diaper purchases and pack them just for trips) because its polite, and because they may not have the cloth-diaper-friendly variety.
If you are using disposables (because you won't be able to wash at a hotel, or because you use disposables all the time :) ), consider mailing a box to your destination ahead of time (or ask grandma buy some for you and have them ready), so you dont' have to pack this on the plane or car. And make sure the box contains more than you would usually use... because of Murphy's law. Don't depend on buying some when you get there because who knows when your first opportunity to get to the store will actually be. And you will have used all of your travel stash while traveling. Promise.

Clothes. Suitable for your destination. Will you need a swimsuit (and swim diapers)? Will you need pants? Shorts? A coat and hat? Dress clothes? Special colors for a family portrait? Should you pack that outfit so-and-so gave you that you really never let him wear but she would love to see Junior in? Don't forget socks and suitable shoes.

Toiletries. Toothbrush and toddler toothpaste. The others stuff can probably be subbed in a pinch, but just for completenes: baby wash, lotion, diaper cream, other ointments... and our mini-first aid kit of a thermometer, tylenol, bandaids, and neosporin. Maybe you need vitamins or some other prescription, too?

SUNSCREEN. enough said.

Pack n Play. If you a driving, you may have room for this in the car, but you may also check to see if your host has one or can borrow one for you to use (if your little one still fits in one... ours is too big for our mini-crib, so we are going to try a camping mat -that we already own- in a few weeks... fingers crossed)

Stroller or baby carrier. If you think you'll be out and about a lot. The stroller can be handy for naps on the go... we usually only get an hour tops (and we prefer more like 2 hrs) but its better than nothing if you really can't be home in a bed. A carrier is good for long walks or crowds.

Booster seat. If your child needs one. Grandma keeps one at her house and offers to bring it if we meet at an alternate destination. Just ask your host.

Potty Chair.We are just now starting a potty routine and I don't want to mess it up, so I purchased this travel potty seat recently to test out this weekend... I'll let you know how it goes.

Cups and cutlery. If you are visiting a place that doesn't have kids living there.


Other things to keep in mind:
Try to stay on schedule, even/especially if you've changed time zones. We live on the West Coast and our family on the East, so we operate like teenagers when we visit (staying up late and sleeping in). It so easy to let friends and family lure you into letting the little one stay up 'just one more hour'. Or maybe your extended family is like ours and eats late breakfasts, or skips some meals entirely. I personally have trouble with this, but the poor toddler really can't handle it. So I try to be up front about our 'plans' for the day, and ask ahead of time what friends and family have planned, so we can work in naps (and pre-nap energy expenditure) and meals, too.

Did I leave anything out? What are your travel 'must haves'?

Review of the BumGenius Elemental

Overall rating: 4/5 stars.
The bumGenius Elemental is our workhorse diaper, mainly because it makes up the bulk of our stash and seems to be one of the easiest to grab, since its all one piece. It's also a pretty good option for grandparents and daycare and husbands, but they all have to have a few tips on getting the right fit (see below).

This is a one-size diaper, which means it will fit your baby from about 10 lbs to 35+ lbs. BumGenius claims a range of 7-35 lbs. I can't speak to the low end, since our guy didn't start wearing cloth until he was three months old and well past 7 lbs. However, he's now 33 lbs, and has plenty of room to grow.

The many combinations for rise and waist settings help get a good fit. Before hitting toddlerhood we were on the highest rise, and I was concerned we would outgrow these, but he has since slimmed down and we are on the medium rise again and still have plenty of snaps on the sides, too. There aren't any gussets, so its key to make sure there is no gaping at the legs. Also, you do have to take care to make sure all the cotton at the legs is rolled inside the diaper or you will get wicking (meaning the wet fabric will touch baby's clothes and get them wet, even if the diaper isn't full). The elastic in the back keeps in what disposables typically wouldn't with an explosion.

This diaper is really trim! Another mom once commented about just how trim they looked in jeans! In all honesty, though, a one-size diaper will be bulkier when your child is on the smaller weight range. The extra fabric that is folded under or otherwise hidden when in the smallest setting does take up space, and for a while we just sized up our little one's pants. But now he is in his regular size and these don't take up any more space than a disposable.

The Elemental does take a while to dry, and I have found that no amount of time in the dryer will really get it all the way dry in the seams where the inner is sewn in. Our general routine is one cycle in our (gas) dryer, and then hung up to dry outside for a day. This does mean they are out of commission until after the obligatory drying period, but this doesn't cramp our routine style, since we have about a day's extra worth of diapers in our rotation.

This diaper comes in a wide range of solid colors (half pastel, lighter colors, and half more vibrant options) and a only a few patterns at this time (but the Albert pattern is worth having in your stash even if you want to just try this diaper).

This isn't the cheapest diaper out there, but its pretty typically priced for an AIO (all-in one) at $24.99. Again, they fit for a solid two years, and my estimate (while there are other things to consider, I use a rule of thumb that a disposable diaper is about 23 cents, and that you would use a cloth diaper about twice a week) is that they pay for themselves in about a year.

Pros - easy (nothing to figure out for dads, grandparents and daycare - most like a disposable)
Cons - take care getting a good fit around leg openings, takes a while to get dry, especially near where the inner is sewn in.

Use for daycare: 4.5/5 - have to have good communication with them about getting the fit right, and the edges rolled in.

Daddy rating: 4/5 stars - "These could be better if they had the velcro of my favorite diaper [TotsBots EasyFit]. I really like the all-in-one part, though."




Front view: unsnapped (highest rise setting)

Inside

Front view: medium rise setting

On a 31 lb, 37" tall toddler (24 mos)

On a 31 lb, 37" tall toddler (24 mos)

Hot Air ballooning, Pregnant and with a Toddler

So I felt compelled to write this post right away due to the lack of research I was able to find on this subject.

Riding in a balloon basket at Pennypickle's Workshop,
the award-winning Children's Museum in Temecula

We have renewed energy to beef up our 100 Weeks list as baby #2 will join us soon! As a part of a weekend trip to Temecula, CA (partly to celebrate our anniversary, though we didn't taste -much- wine and M joined us) we decided to go hot air ballooning. It seemed like the "other" thing to do in Temecula, if you weren't visiting all the wineries. So we called and made a last minute reservation for the three of us Sunday afternoon for the next morning. But then later that evening, a friend on Facebook asked, "Are you allowed to do that when pregnant?"

getting ready to take off!
we flew with 15 people (including the pilot).
 luckily the basket was compartmentalized,
and our family got a compartment to ourselves. 

Hm. The balloon company never asked (and it was me, a woman, who called). They didn't seem to have any concerns over us bringing the two-year-old along (in fact, they had a toddler aboard the day before, the man said). But better safe to do some Google-ing. Between hubby and I, we came up with post after post that said, "DON'T DO IT". Some, with no reason at all listed, but some said that a rough take off or landing could be dangerous for baby. Some also said the altitude might mean less oxygen for mom and baby. Still others suggested that the stress of being afraid of heights would be detrimental. Some just said that many companies had policies against it. Only one poster said that they'd actually asked their doctor, who said they were fine with it.

watching in fascination as the
 crew sets up the balloon, rocks and sticks
 were also fun to play with while we waited.

But I REALLY didn't want to have to cancel our adventure. So I called the balloon company back and asked if it mattered if I was pregnant. They said, "How pregnant?" About 4 months. "Hm. This is probably a question better asked to your doctor. But we aren't expecting it to be very windy tomorrow, so we don't anticipate very bumpy landings. If it were February or March, we'd say definitely not." OK, thanks for the information. Doubtful I'll hear from my doctor before 6AM tomorrow.

So hubby and I discussed. I am not afraid of heights, and had been ballooning before, so I didn't think stress from that would be an issue. Bumpy landings were less of a risk, given the weather, but we (and the company) were willing to subject our toddler to that already, right? Less oxygen? Hm. Didn't seem like a real risk since they didn't ask if we had any other health conditions... 

So we did it. And while I am NOT a medical professional, nor have I consulted mine about this (yet), here is what I will tell you:

up in the air! with a bunch of other balloons!

With respect to being pregnant, bring snacks and water and a hat. We each had a banana before heading out at 5:45 AM and didn't have another chance to eat until 9AM (we didn't think we should bring our whole bag along for the flight, given the space and exact weight being calculated). Too long for me to go, and I did start to get really tired. You stand the whole time (it was about an hour and fifteen minutes for us) in the basket (except the breaks I took with M) and beforehand while they set up. I declined to wear M, or even pick him up (not that that would have been very safe in the air anyway). We could have easily brought a bottle of water and some Nutragrain bars with us. Actually, we did have a champagne/OJ toast to celebrate the safe flight after we landed (about 8:30). But still, a little OJ over three hours later was cutting it close. The hat is because, while it is sunny up there, you are also really close to the flame throwers that heat the air in the balloon. And they are hot on your head! I guess pregnant or not, another layer between me and that would have been nice. They did actually tell us to bring hats, and everyone had one except me, because I didn't pack one on the trip. So just saying, they are serious about that.

watching the balloon come down after our ride

With respect to bringing a toddler, bring snacks and water and a hat... and a cell phone. Again, guess who else needs to eat frequently and be protected from heat? And gets cranky if they don't have these things? M loved watching the balloon be set up, and the first 20 minutes or so of the ride. He rode in our Ergo carrier with his daddy for takeoff, and for those first few minutes, but then wanted to get down. He sat in the floor of the basket (where it was further from the flames and cooler) and looked out of the foot holes, or flipped through photos on my iPhone. Every now and then, either Daddy or I would squat down and help point out mountains or lakes or trees or other balloons we could see out of the holes. Only twice did he complain that he was "all done". At the advice of our pilot, we didn't put him back in the Ergo for the landing and while it wasn't very bumpy, we did have a bump and he hit his face on the basket, right where there was no padding. A little whining, but fine after a kiss, and no mark.

All-in-all we were happy with our decision!

the traditional post-balloon ride toast (just juice for me and M)