Recipe Blog

A friend of mine asked me to post recipes on her recipe blog. I am so excited to do this...please check it out!  Find it here.  Plus, you will see my first contribution to the site!  Enjoy!

Toys

I don't know why I bother buying toys for this little guy...all he wants are mommy and daddy's toys!!  Usually its our cell phones, but today was the remote. 

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Today marks the first day of my diet.  I know you must be thinking, we have heard that one before!  This time though, I am going to take it seriously.  No more, "I'm starting again on Monday!" business.  Not after those numbers stared back at me when I got on the scale this morning. 

In order to stay strict on my diet, I cannot keep things around the house that tempt me.  And sometimes Rhys' food tempts me.  So I need recipes that are good, healthy and fun for him, but that don't call my name in the middle of the night.

My other issue is that Rhys has become a picky eater.  I have to sneak vegetables and fruits into his diet.  "Of course you can have mashed potatoes for dinner!" I say to Rhys.  That's because that is the only way I can get peas and carrots into his tummy! 

Enter the cookbook: Deceptively Delicious.  This cookbook came out a few years ago - my sister gave me a copy - and I am just now blowing the dust bunnies off of it. The concept is great.  Continue offering your children fruits and vegetables (this is important!) but while they are turning up their nose, sneak it in to the foods they like.

I made these muffins, a recipe from this cookbook, this weekend and boy oh boy, does Rhys love them! And, mommy can resist them.  I believe this might be a match made in culinary heaven!

Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup carrot or cauliflower puree (I used carrot)
1/2 cup banana puree
1 large egg white (I used the whole egg)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.

In a large mixing bowl, mix 1/2 cup of brown sugar with the peanut butter, the vegetable and banana purees and the egg.  Mix in dry ingredients, do not over mix - it will be lumpy. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar and stir once or twice.

Divide the batter among the cups and bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center - 15 to 20 minutes. Place on a rack to cool.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to a month.

I hope your kiddos like them too!

A Year of Rhys

2010 has been one of the best years of my life.  Here are a few pictures to show you exactly why!

Happy New Year!

Rhys was very unimpressed with the new year celebrations, just take a look:

However, he was excited about his new toy from his Auntie and Unc!
 

Magnetic Letters

I am starting to feel like I have deprived my child of toys. He has been a mad man running from new toy to new toy these past few days.  I am sure he is thinking, "why haven't I had all these cool things sooner???"

This morning his toys of choice were the magnetic letters my parents got him from One Step Ahead.  I love this store; they have so many neat toys, lots of learning toys too, that you just cannot find anywhere else.

The letters took up much of our morning; Rhys taking them off, mommy putting them back up.  Then I gave up, and the true fun began.

Christmas at the Stanalands

This was Rhys' second Christmas. Last year he spent the day tucked away in his little swing, sleeping. This year, we had a little more action! We all had so much fun watching him try to tear the wrapping paper and be confused by why he was getting so many fun things...it was a blast.

We started the day by letting him open his stocking at our house, before heading over to his grandparent's house. Stockings, by the way, are my most favorite part of present time....the best gifts always seem to be nestled in the toe!!

This year, my sister and her family came to Texas for Christmas...I cannot tell you how happy I am that we were all here together this year. I love my sister, and I love that little baby boy of hers.

Rhys opened more gifts than I could count...and had a blast doing it!

Here is our little family.

Rhys has been having so much fun playing with all of his new toys these past few days. Here is Rhys playing with his new bookshelf his Nana gave him:

And here he is hiding in his tunnel that my parents gave him, clutching his new remote that Robert's parents gave him.

Oh, and did I mention he can climb now??