FASTEST Fish Tacos

This recipe has become our go-to "Oh crud I forgot to set something out to thaw and it's 4:00" and "OMG. I can't believe it's so late; we need dinner NOW" meal.  We buy individually frozen flounder fillets at Sam's and always have them on hand. They thaw in no time in a sink full of water and the meal is literally cooked in 6 minutes. SIX MINUTES! Add that it's extremely low fat, healthy and even Evie eats it and we have a big winner.  This recipe has 4 Weight Watchers Points plus per serving.  Recipe makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

4 Flounder Fillets, thawed
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Chipotle Powder (Optional if you like it spicy)
Juice of 1 lime
4 fat free soft taco sized flour tortillas
4 TBS Fat Free Shredded Cheddar cheese
4 TBS Fat Free Sour Cream
1 Tomato, Diced
1 Green Onion, Chopped
4 Tbs Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

Directions:
Preheat Broiler to 500 Degrees. Place fish fillets on broiling pan and sprinkle with 1/2 the spices. Wrap Tortillas in aluminum foil. Broil Fish for 3 minutes on top rack directly below broiler.  Put Tortillas on lower rack to warm.  After 3 minutes remove fish, turn over and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 of the spices. Return to broiler for 3 more minutes. Remove fish and squeeze lime juice on top.

Assemble tacos with 1 fish fillet, 1 TBS Cheese, 1 TBS Sour Cream, Tomatoes, Green onions and 1 Tbs Cilantro each.

Slang

For the record, that is not my belly.

I am 31 weeks pregnant. I am not Prego. That is a pasta sauce.

There is a baby boy happily growing and turning somersaults in my tummy. A male fetus gestating in my extended uterus if you want to be clinical, but I do NOT have a bump, or a lump, or a hump. I am not a three humped gump.

In approximately 9 weeks I will deliver the baby, have the baby, experience the miracle of childbirth. I will NOT "Pop". I am not a cooked turkey, or a burst balloon, or a character in an Alien movie.

Maybe it's the heat. Maybe it's the hormones. Maybe it's both. Regardless, I already feel like a hot beached whale. There's no reason to be so crass when discussing my shape, nor any reason to discuss it at all. Whatever happened to, "You look pretty." or "She's glowing."?

Chocolate Cherry Sauce

Baby Boy is a fruit lover. I've been craving any and all fruits I can get my hands on, making the produce section a test of will power. On Monday I gave in and purchased a BIG bag of delicious sweet cherries. Never mind the pits or the staining juice or that there was no way we could possibly eat them all. "MMMMM CHERRIES!!" my belly kept telling me. So this morning I was faced with a still large bag of cherries that weren't going to last forever.

Evie and I decided to make homemade waffles while Mike slept in.  I searched for a cherry sauce online and in my cookbooks but was unable to find a suitable one.  And thus, Chocolate Cherry Sauce was born. The small amount of chocolate is just enough to flavor the sauce but not over power the sweet cherries. Mike took one bite and said, "OMG. YUM!" We enjoyed it on waffles this morning but it would be heaven on ice cream. MMMM... Ice cream.

It made for a clothing optional breakfast for the toddler set, but was certainly Evie approved.

Yield approximately 4 servings.

Ingredients:

Approx. 30 large sweet cherries, pitted and halved
3 TBS Sugar
1 TBS Flour
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 TBS Lemon Juice
2 TBS Butter
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate (60% Cacao), chopped or pieces

In a sauce pan combine Cherries, Sugar and Flour. Toss to coat all cherries. Heat over medium heat and add Vanilla and Lemon Juice. Stir frequently until thickened and cherries start to break down. Add Butter and stir until melted and smooth.  Reduce heat to low or off and add chocolate. Stir until melted and smooth. Serve hot.

Mikey approved too!

S is for so So SMART!

Any parent well tell you, there are days when your child will surprise and amaze you. Today was one of those days. We went to the library for story time and checked out a few new books. One was an alphabet book. She has a few we read but I wouldn't say we have actively been trying to teach her the letters.  When I opened the book she immediately said, "A!" I was impressed alright. But I was even more impressed when she correctly identified almost EVERY letter!! She had trouble with "V". She called it "Y". But when I got to Y she said, "Y. Yak." A Yak was, indeed, pictured on that page.  

Since her birthday, Evie's favorite toy is a little Leapfrog Laptop. She takes in the car everywhere we go. I think that is where she learned that Y is for Yak.  If you have a toddler, BUY THIS TOY. It's not expensive, is educational and is a God Send on road trips. 

But I digress. After nap time we headed off to the pool. Even enjoying herself, splashing in the water she continued to impress. Evie identified all but the V in "No Diving". And that was partially to do with the fact that she was sitting on the V. She also identified ALL the numbers and letters in "1 ft 0 in", "2 ft 0 in" and "3 ft 0 in". All without being prompted. 

At bedtime she wanted to read the new alphabet book again for her bedtime story. She again was able to identify all the letters (except that darned V). But then she started showing her understanding even more. On D she said, "Da". On E she said, "You!" (Evie calls herself "You" remember.) And on M she said, "Ma!".  At the end of the book all the letters are pictured together. I asked if she wanted to sing the ABCs. Evie typically doesn't care for my singing...can't really blame her for that one. So I fully expected a big NO. But she did want me to sing them. I sang it through once and when I got to the part about, "next time won't you sing with me" she said, "YA!".  We started over and sang together twice! Then as she drank her milk and I rocked her quietly she periodically stopped, looked up at me and started singing herself.

I certainly am one proud Mama tonight!

What an odd world it must be

Tonight was the annual picnic for Pittsburg Mother to Mother Ministry. I'm on the board and was excited to take Evie. We had beautiful weather and a nice turn out. Some of our board members brought games for the kids and made an obstacle course out of hoola hoops and pool noodles. Evie had never seen either of those things before. She picked up a bright purple noodle and someone asked her something like, "Do you like that noodle?" The look on her face was pretty funny. She was very clearly thinking Miss Kit had lost it, as there was obviously not spaghetti in her hand.

And that got me thinking, as Evie learns more and more language skills, how funny must the world seem to her.  English is such a screwy language anyway, for someone just learning to communicate it must seem insane. For instance, we cheer when Evie says, "I love YOU!" but does she think she's saying, "Eye love ME!" (Evie calls herself "you".  She occasionally refers to Mike or I as "Me". Pronouns are hard.)  And in response does she think I'm saying, "Eye Love Evie Two"? 

If I ask her to carry a grocery bag and tell her it's "light" does she think she's carrying a lamp? If I give her a whole apple does she think it is hollow?  When I say we need to put away her clothes does she think they need to be shut?

Kids must be brilliant to decipher all this at such a young age.

The Potty Manipulation Must STOP!

Barely 2 years old and my daughter already has the manipulative skills of a 16 year old. It's driving me insane.

Evie is potty trained. She's been potty trained for months. But every so often she decides to push her boundaries and we go through an incredibly stressful couple weeks of near constant "accidents".  She knows better. She knows when she has to go. She will sit on the potty when you make her and then pee her pants when she stands up.  I know kids regress occasionally at this stage, but around here it's more than that.

Evie has learned that saying she has to potty will illicit an immediate response from her Daddy or I regardless of what's going on. So.... should I be trying to fix dinner, for example, she will suddenly have to pee 10 times.  That is, assuming I'm the only one here with her. If her Daddy is home from work, playing and reading to her she might, MIGHT, have to go once. Heaven forbid I take 5 minutes to answer an e-mail and ask her to be patient. Immediate having to pee. Now, most weeks she does at least go when you take her.

But then there are weeks like this... She's just saying she has to go for 1. Attention or 2. To prolong the time before nap/bed time. or 3. To get out of her highchair before the meal is finished.  When you take her she just sits there and plays or looks at you. Then gets very grumpy when you give up on her and either walk away or make her come too. I've started leaving her on the potty and walking out of the room... sure fire fit there. She does this a lot in specific places too. For a while she would tell me the minute we walked into the grocery store EVERY time. She always wants to go at the Mall Deli and usually several times. In fact, I think I've become intimately acquainted with the bathroom in virtually every restaurant we frequent. It's some sort of game... how cold can we let Mommy's food get?

Then of course there's the alternative (and sometimes they run concurrently). The Accident weeks. I felt one of those coming on late last week when she suddenly had 5 accidents in one day. She thought it was pretty funny. That is, until I told her that if she had an "accident" she couldn't play in her kiddie pool that afternoon. That threat worked for a couple days. Then we were out running errands and she had a real accident. It was probably my fault for not running through the grocery store with a full cart trying to get way to restroom in the back like a crazy person (she's too young to understand the boy who cried wolf but it's the same scenario). Nonetheless, she knew she wasn't going to get in the pool because of it. And that afternoon EVERY time she went was in her pants.  And it's been like that ever since. No accidents= pool time and happy days. 1 accident= ALL "accidents" and a very frustrated mama.

How do we stop all this? Ideas? Suggestions? PLEASE!

We discovered long ago that negative reinforcement just doesn't work on this kid. And the positive reinforcement isn't working so great these days. When she goes on the potty we sing a song, we do a dance, she gets either a sticker or an M&M, we clap and cheer. Hurray! When she has a real accident I remind her where the pee pees go and ask her why she didn't speak up but I don't come down too hard on her, it was, after all, an accident. But the on purpose "accidents" now that's another story. I make her show me where the pee pees go and where she went. I ask her if that's okay.. It's not. I make her take her soiled clothes to the laundry basket. I don't let her put her clean clothes on by herself. Putting on her own clothes is fun. It's independent. I tell her she behaved like a baby by pee peeing in her pants and babies don't get to dress themselves. I've tried putting her in a diaper like a baby too but all that does is make her think it's okay and she tries to hide it. At least in big girl under pants when she goes it's obvious and cold.

Today we tried a new tactic. She had an accident at the park this morning and knew she wasn't going to get in the pool.  Before nap time she started playing the sit and not pee game trying to stay up later. She threw a massive fit when I got her down and that carried over into the rest of our routine. She got sent to nap time with no story.  After nap time, as I put her big girl under pants back on I warned her, "If you pee pee in your pants you will go to time out." Yeah, she didn't believe me. Not sure why, I'm pretty stellar on the follow through.  Sure enough, not too much time went by and she was wet and in time out.  When she calmed down I asked her why she had to go to time out. She told me. And she said she was sorry. And I asked her where the pee pees go and she told me. We didn't have any more accidents today but we spent A LOT of time sitting in the bathroom while she continued to try to stay up late at bed time.

So come on now experienced parents. Surely my kid is not the only one to have tried these tactics. How did you solve it?

My Little Big Girl

(Photo Credit FX Studios)

Evie turned 2 last week and thinks she's such a big girl. She spent her actual birthday going to the Doctor with me to hear her baby BROTHER's heart beat. She thought that was pretty funny. Then, after nap time, we went out to FX Studios to have her picture taken.   She was a little nervous at first but warmed up pretty quickly and had fun. And they got some fun shots.

Evie saw the doctor today and weighed 30 lbs and was 35.5" tall. That's 90th percentile on height and 85th percentile on weight. She was a VERY good girl and smiled and even talked to the doctor. I was shocked. She was just a little angel. She even let the doctor look in her ears, something she won't even let me do! Everything was good and he said she was doing great. 

We had her birthday party on the 14th and it was so fun! She had a lot of little friends come celebrate and family and friends from out of town came in for the event. It was chilly and windy but I don't think the kids noticed.  The theme was "Monkey's on the Bed" and was a big hit. 

Cake by Sweet Designs Cakery

Heather, at Sweet Designs did an amazing job on Evie's cake. It was the biggest hit at the party and tasted YUMMY.  White cake with cookies and cream filling. 

Obviously Evie approved.

We decorated with Evie's monkey stuffed animals and quilts used as table cloths. Cheap decorations!!

Trampoline Attendant

The present table

The Buffet Table

I made the birthday banner using scrapbooking paper I already had, the computer and some rick rack and ribbon. I really thought it would take forever to make but was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it came together.

Evie treated her guests with goody bags filled with Monkey Lollypops, Bubbles, Finger Puppets and Beach Balls.

Two hours was the perfect time for a 2 year old's birthday. We spent the first hour letting the kids play on the swing set and the trampoline Evie received for her birthday while the adults chatted and snacked. Then it was time to open presents.  Evie is loved by so many people and we are extremely grateful for their generosity. Evie had an amazing time and has been really great about playing with ALL her new toys pretty equally.  Her biggest surprise was a hot pink Mustang Power Wheels from her great Nana and Great-Grandpa. She LOVED it! 

After opening presents it was time to blow out the candles and cut the cake.

Gradually, our party guests left but Evie was not at all done. As the decorations were being taken down she continued to jump in her trampoline and her Daddy started tossing balloons in on top of her.

What a fun day!  And she looks so much more like a little girl than my little baby.  She is really growing up. Her language has just taken off lately. She'll try to say any word you ask now and is using more and more sentences. She knows all her colors and can count to 5. She is very independent about most things and gets angry if you forget and do it for her. (Example: SHE must be the one to screw the lid on the sippy cup. Heaven forbid you forget and put it on.) But at the same time she is very dependent about other things you know she can do. She asks us to take her lego towers apart, for example. 

Before I wrap things up, I need to pass on some information regarding the deadly tornado that touched down in Joplin, MO.  We live only 30 miles from Joplin and had planned on going shopping over there on Sunday. Had I not lost track of time weeding the vegetable garden we would have been right in the middle of some of the hardest hit areas.  It breaks my heart to see the devastation. I look around my house at all the toys and photos. So many people have lost everything including their homes and loved ones.  At the same time, it is heart warming to see communities are pulling together to offer donations and help with search and rescues.  If you can, please consider donating to the Red Cross, giving blood or sending supplies. They are badly in need of bottled water, toiletries and non-perishable foods.  Click Here for a spreadsheet showing donation collection locations in the Four-State Region and as far away as Kansas City, Springfield, Lawrence, Tulsa and Northwest Arkansas.