Catching up & solo parenting

Kyle’s been taking day trips away for business, which leaves me and P home alone together.  I realize this is how most new moms function after their spouse’s paternity leave ends (if they even get any!), but for me it’s a whole new learning curve. 

 

Fortunately, my little guy is making leaps and bounds each and every day, so I can utilize the crib in the nursery (and video monitor) and boppy pillow (which neither of us were ready for during his first month of life).  His neck is getting really strong and he’s big enough to fit in the baby bjorn.  Basically I don’t have to be holding him 100% of the time – although sometimes I want to. 🙂

 

Anyway, here’s a bit of what we’ve been up to the past few days…eats and more.

[It’s taken me several days to write this post because I can only manage to be on the computer in sporadic time slots throughout the day]

Breakfast has been my usual.  Oatmeal with sweet toppings and a bunch of peanut butter mixed in.  This trail mix was actual devoid of chocolate.  Shocker!

I’ve had to reheat my meals in the microwave a few times now that I only have two hands (max) on deck.  We all know it, mom’s needs (and appetite) are secondary now.  Distractions are frequent.  No complaints here.  I love my little patty-cakes.

 

Lunch!  This sandwich is actually an anomaly because lately I’ve been ALL about the hippie bowls.  But every once in a while I get jealous of the yummy wheat bread that Kyle eats without abandon and I enjoy a couple of slices myself.  [I try and keep the rest of the day FODMAP free as a result]

 

I was planning on using the last of my tofurky slices, but they were looking a little suspect so I sliced up some Field Roast “meatloaf” (wild mushroom) instead. 

There was also tomatoes, chard, mustard, and nayonaise in it with carrots on the side. 

 

The heels of Dave’s Killer Bread are the best and Kyle knows better than to swoop on my end pieces.  Seed central. 

 

In the afternoon I went for a walk with my little dude.  I’m a pro at packing up the stroller and such so it’s really not a hassle any more.  Almost second nature loading everything up.  The only thing about doing it solo is that we have two steps on our front porch and P is getting to be a little chunky monkey.  Lifting him in the stroller is usually a task I leave to Kyle when we do family walks, but when I’m by myself I have to use recruit every muscle fiber in my arms. 

 

Afternoon delight. 🙂

 

Leftover tofu pancit that I enhanced with salty roasted peanuts (it needed more fat and kcals).

No pics of dessert or the next day’s breakfast – probably because I was doing things one handed or soaking up the time with Kyle after he’d been gone all day. 

I pack up Kyle’s breakfasts and lunches for his travel days at night before we head to bed.

This pita pocket had a quick curry chickpea salad in it – nayonaise, curry powder, paprika, salt, and mashed up chickpeas. 

I make him exclusively hand-held food because 99% of the time he’s eating while driving.  PB&Js, Clif bars, egg sandwiches, breakfast burrito wraps, etc.

Unlike my lunches.  I prefer fork and knife things. 

This is more like it.  Big salad plus Mary’s GF crackers.  Standard.

Even though it looks good, it was kinda meh because I used canned green beans in it (leftover from this salad bar themed dinner).  Also the nooch didn’t go with the cucumbers (how dare I say something doesn’t go with nutritional yeast!!).  But it didn’t.  The ingredients were made up entirely of fridge odds and ends – kale, romaine, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and Field Roast.  I ended up dumping olive oil all over it which lubed it up enough to taste decent.

Big salads and hippie bowls are very much the lunch time norm.  Here are some others I’ve captured lately…

   

Top: hippie bowl with quinoa, (frozen) spinach, (frozen) mixed veggies – carrots/corn/peas, 365 (frozen) meatless meatballs, and nutritional yeast.

Middle: side salad with romaine, tomatoes, carrots, and daiya (I had mega hummus and Crunchmaster GF crackers with it)

Bottom: his and hers salads (mine’s the lefty) with romaine, kale, baked tofu, carrots, and chopped mixed nuts.

 

A non-granola, non-chocolate snack! 

The other day I mentioned a recent discovery, medjool dates stuffed with tofu “ricotta”, and I got a few inquiries.  Well, it’s nothing too complicated.  I got the idea from my mother in law, actually, after she told me about trying the non-vegan version at Expo West.  I thought, why don’t I try that with my beloved tofu ricotta!.  Winner.

Coincidentally, I recently saw this at Whole Foods and bought it to give it a try.

Not a fan.  I liked the fact that it was made from tofu and cashews, but it had a weirdly sweet flavor to it that tasted off to me.  Not at all like ricotta cheese.

 

Now about this dinner.  So.  GOOD.  [!!!]

I’m going to have to post the recipe separately because it was unexpectedly perfect.  So much so that I have recreated it twice since (for lunch and dinner the same day). 

 

Aaaand dessert.  Plowing through dates lately.  Stuffed with almond butter, peanut butter, tofu ricotta, carob chips, or dark chocolate.  Mmmmm…

And then the routine continues.

 

How awesome is this morning set up?  It almost felt like old times…only I had decaf dandy tea instead of coffee and I had to do the crossword standing at the kitchen island bar to soothe P in the bjorn.  Sooo, not really like old times at all.  But I finished every last square so maybe some things never change. 🙂

 

Both of us in our PJs.  I’m pretty much in bliss…and he looks pretty content too, don’t you think?