Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Funny LOOKING Lunch Box
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Snack Inspiration
The dough is made of curd cheese and oil. It's a basic. You can use it for regular pizza, for little apple pies (just roll out little flat pieces, put apples and some sugar crumbs on top), for pizza rolls and sweet cinnamon-nut-rolls. What I like about the dough is, that it's done really quickly and I usually have the ingredients at home anyway.
300g flour / Mehl
1 EL/table spoon baking soda / Backpulver (Weinstein-)
75g sugar/ Zucker (for sweet dough)
150g curd cheese / Quark
1 egg / Ei
6 EL/table spoon oil / Öl
2 EL/table spoon milk / Milch
a bit of salt / Salz (more for pizza dough)
Mix liquid ingredients first, then add flour mixed with baking soda. Roll out, spread topping, roll up dough from one side and cut off small slices. Bake at 180° for about 20 minutes.
Fruit and dark bread on a spit. An alternative to crackers and apples - our usual snack. ;)
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Hoppe. hoppe, Reiter!
This is for my friend G., who has sent us her first time ever Christmas cookies. And we enjoyed them - for real! I think this cookie angel has never taken a ride on a cookie rocking horse before... Rated R!!! Angel dies at the end of the video... (I turned off the camera, may it rest in peace!) - so don't have Olive watch this!
(It was all her idea! I swear!)
Friday, November 19, 2010
RE: Frustrating
This I typed in the comments' box, but it was too long, so here we go:
----------------------
I don't know if you remember the times, when I was so frustrated with Lenara not eating solids and sticking to Mommy's milk. I read ONE book which practically solved all my problems: My child won't eat! by Carlos Gonzales. You HAVE to get it, Jen! I swear! It will help you. Just read the Amazon comments and you'll know you're not alone. I loved this book and it literally changed my life (or rather my perspective!).
And the family counselor I talked to during that stage (more bc of other family problems) told me, if nursing is becoming a problem for one of the two (Mom and/or kid) something HAS to change - bc the tension inside will rise slowly and be bad for your relationship - worse than even not breastfeeding at all. So I started taking my awkward feeling about nursing very serious from then on. I couldn't stand the sucking feeling at my nipples anymore - very suddenly, which surprised me... and shocked me at the same time, bc I knew breastfeeding until the "babys" are 2 is a good thing and I WANTED to commit to it. That's why I was so torn. It turned out (after some talking with the counselor) that I had always denied and depreciated when toddler came running to their Moms and pulling up their shirts - helping themselves. I thought it was disgusting (before I had my child). I think I only saw this in movies or documentaries on TV though. But still. Unconciously it had become a basic value that I couldn't easily overcome by just KNOWING, it's a good thing for the child to nurse as long as possible. As soon as I took my feelings serious, it almost naturally happend that we only breastfed in the mornings and evenings and eventually stopped altogether. Without me having to force Lenara not to drink anymore or to take something from her, that she needed (which was my biggest fear!). It happened naturally and very peaceful. So it must have been a good point in time for both of us. We replaced the breastfeeding before sleeping with a bottle of cow's milk - our intimate time remained (and sharing our bed also was important to me in that matter bc I def wanted to keep the intimacy).
Mommy's milk is so rich, I could imagine, that's one reason why Olivia doesn't eat a lot. Lenara started eating (for real) only after I stopped breastfeeding altogether. Or have you tried only 3 meals a day? Lenara sometimes still doesn't eat a lot. And after some time I had figured out, that if I drop the in-between-meals (like crackers and apples between breakfast and lunch) she would eat better for the big meals. I rather offer "dessert" - some yoghurt, apples, raisins or something like that, if I have a feeling she might be hungry still. And also she won't eat a lot, when she's tired. Which is my current problem, as we have switched our routine from nap (11:30 to 2:30) then lunch to -> lunch (12:00) then nap (1 to 3), bc it's getting dark at 5 and we would never be able to see the sunlight for our afternoon walk, if we have lunch after nap time. By the time we get ready to go out, it's 4 at least. So now she's usually tired for lunch and doesn't eat... but I will try it another while. People say it takes 4 weeks to break a routine. Anyway, what was I saying about food?
Our day nanny (who has 4 own kids) one time said, that - as routines are so important for kids - for some it's also helpful to have the same kind of food for the specific meal, i.e. bread in the morning, one dish with side and dessert for lunch, cereal for dinner. So they know what time of the day it is (as orientation) and they learn how much they should eat in order not to get hungry before the next meal. Maybe (for sure!) Olivia knows by now that Mommy will offer 1 million things throughout the day and she doesn't see a reason to eat NOW. There are plenty of chances LATER. And my opinion (based on the book) is that children always eat as much as they really need - no need to worry.
Philipp's Mom keeps telling me, he never (never!) ate vegetables - no matter what she tried - and believe me, she has tried a lot. ;)) You'll know it! But he was a very healthy kid. Never sick or anything. So his body must have gotten whatever it needed from the rest of the food he ate. That's what helps me not to worry too much about Lenara not eating (what I think is) enough vegetables. I keep offering, which is important to me and I keep giving her chances to wittness that I eat those things - and like them too! ;) I can't force her to eat it. So that's all I can do.
And I admire you for sticking to healthy food. I'm trying too. But I keep finding myself making exceptions way too often lately (especially since grandmas and fathers always make exceptions as well. I find myself sometimes under pressure... so my daughter won't end up wanting to move out before her 2nd birthday, bc everyone else is treating her with "better" food... and toys... and gifts... but that will be another post). Anyway, all I wanted to say is, I know what you're talking about. And I put out everything I tried myself or heard... take it or leave it. ;))
Good luck! I hope it won't be so frustrating for you anymore very soon!
----------------------
I don't know if you remember the times, when I was so frustrated with Lenara not eating solids and sticking to Mommy's milk. I read ONE book which practically solved all my problems: My child won't eat! by Carlos Gonzales. You HAVE to get it, Jen! I swear! It will help you. Just read the Amazon comments and you'll know you're not alone. I loved this book and it literally changed my life (or rather my perspective!).
And the family counselor I talked to during that stage (more bc of other family problems) told me, if nursing is becoming a problem for one of the two (Mom and/or kid) something HAS to change - bc the tension inside will rise slowly and be bad for your relationship - worse than even not breastfeeding at all. So I started taking my awkward feeling about nursing very serious from then on. I couldn't stand the sucking feeling at my nipples anymore - very suddenly, which surprised me... and shocked me at the same time, bc I knew breastfeeding until the "babys" are 2 is a good thing and I WANTED to commit to it. That's why I was so torn. It turned out (after some talking with the counselor) that I had always denied and depreciated when toddler came running to their Moms and pulling up their shirts - helping themselves. I thought it was disgusting (before I had my child). I think I only saw this in movies or documentaries on TV though. But still. Unconciously it had become a basic value that I couldn't easily overcome by just KNOWING, it's a good thing for the child to nurse as long as possible. As soon as I took my feelings serious, it almost naturally happend that we only breastfed in the mornings and evenings and eventually stopped altogether. Without me having to force Lenara not to drink anymore or to take something from her, that she needed (which was my biggest fear!). It happened naturally and very peaceful. So it must have been a good point in time for both of us. We replaced the breastfeeding before sleeping with a bottle of cow's milk - our intimate time remained (and sharing our bed also was important to me in that matter bc I def wanted to keep the intimacy).
Mommy's milk is so rich, I could imagine, that's one reason why Olivia doesn't eat a lot. Lenara started eating (for real) only after I stopped breastfeeding altogether. Or have you tried only 3 meals a day? Lenara sometimes still doesn't eat a lot. And after some time I had figured out, that if I drop the in-between-meals (like crackers and apples between breakfast and lunch) she would eat better for the big meals. I rather offer "dessert" - some yoghurt, apples, raisins or something like that, if I have a feeling she might be hungry still. And also she won't eat a lot, when she's tired. Which is my current problem, as we have switched our routine from nap (11:30 to 2:30) then lunch to -> lunch (12:00) then nap (1 to 3), bc it's getting dark at 5 and we would never be able to see the sunlight for our afternoon walk, if we have lunch after nap time. By the time we get ready to go out, it's 4 at least. So now she's usually tired for lunch and doesn't eat... but I will try it another while. People say it takes 4 weeks to break a routine. Anyway, what was I saying about food?
Our day nanny (who has 4 own kids) one time said, that - as routines are so important for kids - for some it's also helpful to have the same kind of food for the specific meal, i.e. bread in the morning, one dish with side and dessert for lunch, cereal for dinner. So they know what time of the day it is (as orientation) and they learn how much they should eat in order not to get hungry before the next meal. Maybe (for sure!) Olivia knows by now that Mommy will offer 1 million things throughout the day and she doesn't see a reason to eat NOW. There are plenty of chances LATER. And my opinion (based on the book) is that children always eat as much as they really need - no need to worry.
Philipp's Mom keeps telling me, he never (never!) ate vegetables - no matter what she tried - and believe me, she has tried a lot. ;)) You'll know it! But he was a very healthy kid. Never sick or anything. So his body must have gotten whatever it needed from the rest of the food he ate. That's what helps me not to worry too much about Lenara not eating (what I think is) enough vegetables. I keep offering, which is important to me and I keep giving her chances to wittness that I eat those things - and like them too! ;) I can't force her to eat it. So that's all I can do.
And I admire you for sticking to healthy food. I'm trying too. But I keep finding myself making exceptions way too often lately (especially since grandmas and fathers always make exceptions as well. I find myself sometimes under pressure... so my daughter won't end up wanting to move out before her 2nd birthday, bc everyone else is treating her with "better" food... and toys... and gifts... but that will be another post). Anyway, all I wanted to say is, I know what you're talking about. And I put out everything I tried myself or heard... take it or leave it. ;))
Good luck! I hope it won't be so frustrating for you anymore very soon!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Some hard parts
To add some seriousness to this blog (so our readers...uhum...don't think it's only about going crazy over making cute things for our little girls, and being a stay-at-home Mom only involves fun-stuff), I'll suggest, we start writing about some hard moments, too. So, what bothers me right now or what am I struggling with?
Just to name one: Food/Cooking
I would love to only offer organic food and local fresh vegetable, fruit and meat to Lenara. But a) living off the unemployment payments, I don't have enough money to buy most of those things b) it would mean I'd need much more time to go and pick up those things at the local farmers and c) there are 2 supermarkets (literally!) right behind my house, which is just too tempting. So sometimes I buy the organic label from Aldi, which I'm sure is not much organic, but I'm still hoping. The bad conciousness always stays in the back of my mind somehow though...
So I try to get lots of milk, fresh fruit and vegetable in my kid and less bread, cookies, noodles and candy. But the fact is, she loves bread, pretzels, cookies (at least I only give her the non-sugar ones), cake, ice-cream, chocolate... hurray, that makes her a normal kid, I guess. Still it sometimes feels like a personal failure - although I'm really trying to take it easy.
I cook lunch everyday to make sure she gets some vegetable and vitamins. But she usually picks out the noodles and meat and leaves the vegetable. Then I get all frustrated, bc it takes me a lot of effort to think of (more or less) healthy meals, to manage to have the ingredients in the house (although I only cook very simple stuff) and to actually cook it (meaning: not burning or over-cooking etc.). I'm not a cooking Mama (I'm rather a sewing, swinging type of Mama). I never used to cook a lot for myself before those Mama-days.
At work I made use of the offered business lunches in the area - or during those overwhelming times in the end of my working days, I used to forget to eat and only have one breakfast latte macchiato, one for lunch and one for dinner (sometimes another one at night, depending on how long I stayed). So all I want to say is, cooking is taking me a lot of energy and sometimes stresses me out.
Plus all the extra time I have to spend in the kitchen now. I hate it! Preparing breakfast while keeping Lenara entertained/involved and making sure, she can't reach any knives, hot water etc., having breakfast (which is fun as it includes my morning coffee and Lenara is a good breakfast eater), clearing off the table, cleaning up the kitchen, wiping off the kid, wiping off the table, wiping off the kitchen counter. A couple of hours later again: cooking while keeping Lenara involved/entertained and making sure she can't reach any knives, hot pots, oven etc. (you have to be so aware of everything), eating (which sometimes is not so much fun, as she doesn't eat much of my with-love-prepared food), clearing off the table, cleaning up the kitchen while keeping Lenara involved/entertained, doing dishes, wiping off the kid, wiping off the table, wiping off the kitchen counter, wiping the floor under the table. In the evening so far I've only been giving her the baby cereal, as I'm sick of having to prepare another meal. She hasn't complained so far - which I'm thankful for - so I'll stick to that for now. But baby cereal on the other end includes a lot of wiping again. Ahhh! On some days, I feel like, if I had to wipe one more square inch, I'd explode! And I should add, I'm not one of those super perfect extra-bling housewives... I just try to keep up with a household not too packed with dirt and germs and fruit flies (usually whenever my Mom comes and helps out in the kitchen, she finds something in the fridge or the cupboard which has gone bad... and every couple of weeks we have an invasion of fruit flies which is the result of me taking one or two easy days in the kitchen. I try to keep up on these things, but it's def not my specialty).
I never expected 3 meals at home for 2 people mean so much work!!! Thus, talking about a healthy diet, I realized the other day that Lenara is having a really healthy diet (more or less) compared to me. While I care so much about her, I don't care very much about my own diet. While she's having fruit, milk and a cheese-sandwiches in the morning, I have my coffee (with lots of sugar, of course) and a nutella or jam bread. For lunch we eat the same. But when I eat "dinner" after she's in bed, it sometimes happens to be 2 or 3 chocolate bars... which is not healthy, obviously, but at least it doesn't involve anymore wiping off anything. ;)
I know this doesn't sound extra-ordinary in any way - rather ridiculous. Every housewife and Mom has to take care of these things - and I keep thinking, I only have a 2 person household, I really shouldn't complain! But for my life, with my background and my personal talents, it just takes up too much energy that I'd love to spend on other ends... my opinion.
By the way: I signed up for a class "cooking for toddlers" - I don't remember when it will take place (one evening hopefully sometime soon), but I'm really hoping to get some more ideas, which will make my kitchen life easier.
[I was going to write on many small or big situations I'm struggling with, but this ended up to be a much longer post than I was planning on with just this first thing, that came to my mind... to be continued]
Just to name one: Food/Cooking
I would love to only offer organic food and local fresh vegetable, fruit and meat to Lenara. But a) living off the unemployment payments, I don't have enough money to buy most of those things b) it would mean I'd need much more time to go and pick up those things at the local farmers and c) there are 2 supermarkets (literally!) right behind my house, which is just too tempting. So sometimes I buy the organic label from Aldi, which I'm sure is not much organic, but I'm still hoping. The bad conciousness always stays in the back of my mind somehow though...
So I try to get lots of milk, fresh fruit and vegetable in my kid and less bread, cookies, noodles and candy. But the fact is, she loves bread, pretzels, cookies (at least I only give her the non-sugar ones), cake, ice-cream, chocolate... hurray, that makes her a normal kid, I guess. Still it sometimes feels like a personal failure - although I'm really trying to take it easy.
I cook lunch everyday to make sure she gets some vegetable and vitamins. But she usually picks out the noodles and meat and leaves the vegetable. Then I get all frustrated, bc it takes me a lot of effort to think of (more or less) healthy meals, to manage to have the ingredients in the house (although I only cook very simple stuff) and to actually cook it (meaning: not burning or over-cooking etc.). I'm not a cooking Mama (I'm rather a sewing, swinging type of Mama). I never used to cook a lot for myself before those Mama-days.
At work I made use of the offered business lunches in the area - or during those overwhelming times in the end of my working days, I used to forget to eat and only have one breakfast latte macchiato, one for lunch and one for dinner (sometimes another one at night, depending on how long I stayed). So all I want to say is, cooking is taking me a lot of energy and sometimes stresses me out.
Plus all the extra time I have to spend in the kitchen now. I hate it! Preparing breakfast while keeping Lenara entertained/involved and making sure, she can't reach any knives, hot water etc., having breakfast (which is fun as it includes my morning coffee and Lenara is a good breakfast eater), clearing off the table, cleaning up the kitchen, wiping off the kid, wiping off the table, wiping off the kitchen counter. A couple of hours later again: cooking while keeping Lenara involved/entertained and making sure she can't reach any knives, hot pots, oven etc. (you have to be so aware of everything), eating (which sometimes is not so much fun, as she doesn't eat much of my with-love-prepared food), clearing off the table, cleaning up the kitchen while keeping Lenara involved/entertained, doing dishes, wiping off the kid, wiping off the table, wiping off the kitchen counter, wiping the floor under the table. In the evening so far I've only been giving her the baby cereal, as I'm sick of having to prepare another meal. She hasn't complained so far - which I'm thankful for - so I'll stick to that for now. But baby cereal on the other end includes a lot of wiping again. Ahhh! On some days, I feel like, if I had to wipe one more square inch, I'd explode! And I should add, I'm not one of those super perfect extra-bling housewives... I just try to keep up with a household not too packed with dirt and germs and fruit flies (usually whenever my Mom comes and helps out in the kitchen, she finds something in the fridge or the cupboard which has gone bad... and every couple of weeks we have an invasion of fruit flies which is the result of me taking one or two easy days in the kitchen. I try to keep up on these things, but it's def not my specialty).
I never expected 3 meals at home for 2 people mean so much work!!! Thus, talking about a healthy diet, I realized the other day that Lenara is having a really healthy diet (more or less) compared to me. While I care so much about her, I don't care very much about my own diet. While she's having fruit, milk and a cheese-sandwiches in the morning, I have my coffee (with lots of sugar, of course) and a nutella or jam bread. For lunch we eat the same. But when I eat "dinner" after she's in bed, it sometimes happens to be 2 or 3 chocolate bars... which is not healthy, obviously, but at least it doesn't involve anymore wiping off anything. ;)
I know this doesn't sound extra-ordinary in any way - rather ridiculous. Every housewife and Mom has to take care of these things - and I keep thinking, I only have a 2 person household, I really shouldn't complain! But for my life, with my background and my personal talents, it just takes up too much energy that I'd love to spend on other ends... my opinion.
By the way: I signed up for a class "cooking for toddlers" - I don't remember when it will take place (one evening hopefully sometime soon), but I'm really hoping to get some more ideas, which will make my kitchen life easier.
[I was going to write on many small or big situations I'm struggling with, but this ended up to be a much longer post than I was planning on with just this first thing, that came to my mind... to be continued]
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