Lucas' Morning Cake

This boy and I were up late last night. He knew something exciting was happening, and he knew it involved cake. Two cakes, because, you are only two once. At 8:00pm he was up making a huge mess in the mixing bowl, eating raw batter and crying huge tears when we went to put it in the oven. "It's your morning cake," I told him, "and you have to cook it for it to become the cake."

That's not what he wanted to hear. Finally he fell to sleep on top of me on the couch as Patrick and I sat in the dark, waiting for the timer, wondering how we managed to be here again, at two.

The sun rose and Eli brought him presents in bed, he didn't even make it out of the bed first, to see his little table of gifts from his brother and sister.

They all crowded around him to show off their art work and the jar full of white rocks from the beach and buttons from who knows where. And for morning cake.

Sometimes I feel exhausted and overwhelmed. This little two year old has a whining and demanding edge to him that can sometimes bring me to tears. Somehow, I know I have a lesson in there. I feel he is a reflection of my insides that don't feel so calm all the time, and he is fighting for attention and to be heard. I am challenged to find a stillness through the loudness, I am challenged to breathe through the tough stuff. Patrick and I are so blessed with these babes of ours and in the quiet of the night, when all is calm, when all are asleep; we know that in the morning we start again. The little lessons and joys that come from being two parents learning as we go, figuring it out. It's our third time at this age, our third time seeing two, and we love what we see.

I'll post cake number two tomorrow.

Morning Cake

dry

3/4 c buckwheat flour 3/4 c almond meal 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp sea salt

wet

1/3 cup applesauce 1/3 cup melted coconut oil 1/2 cup agave 2 eggs

add in 1 cup grated zucchini 1 cup grated apple 3/4 coconut flakes 1/2 c dark chocolate chips

Mix wet into dry, stir in add ins. Grease a pie plate with coconut oil, pour batter in, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until middle is firm. Don't make babies cry when you place in oven!

Smoothie For Two

This boy is a green smoothie addict. I simply put kale, parsley or other random greens in his smoothies, and by the end of his gulping, he is a green monster mess. Called "moomies," I try to share with him. I'm not a winter smoothie person, but when spring comes I can't get enough. Neither can he, so my sharing idea hasn't worked out so well. Every now and then we try, though the straws are still a bit tough for him. I'll share our basic formula, have fun creating your own. In other news, I will be giving a "Food as Energy" workshop at RISD this weekend. I will be doing some hands on food prep with the participants, I can't wait to serve them a green smoothie! I will post the recipes I use on the blog to share with all of you. The Get Real Group starts next week, I'll be reporting on how that is going. Lastly, Cynthia's signed copy of her book, Feeding The Whole Family arrived today, watch out for that give-away next week!

Green Smoothie Formula

2 kale or chard leaves

or 1/4 bunch of parsley

cucumber or celery (optional)

banana or pineapple, apple or mango, pear or grapes

frozen strawberries/blueberries/peaches/cherries

chia or flax seeds

handful of nuts

coconut oil

cacao (optional to transform into a chocolate smoothie)

water or rice/almond milk

This Is How I Eat

As much as I love high quality healthy food, I don't always get to the Farmer's Market, or have time to prepare lavish meals. I eat simply. My kids eat simply. When food is fresh and whole, it doesn't need the attack from other outside sources. A little olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper go a long way to turning a food into a sensory explosion! I went to the store this morning, I was out of eggs (if you read my blog, my love affair with eggs is no secret, nor my desire to have my own chicken) and needed a few items for the next couple of days. It's 50/50 with me on the olive oil. I like to buy organic, sometimes I save the money and get the cheaper stuff. Today mangoes were on sale and ripe, I bought four of them and will transform them for dessert night tomorrow into mango pudding using soaked cashews and only 2 or 3 other ingredients. Tonight we are having falafel, the chick peas are soaking as I write this. Steamed artichokes with warm butter (or olive oil for me) with lemon and salt for dipping. Baba Ghannouj and sprouts are for my lunch with a couple of hard boiled eggs. And the kombucha is my treat!

This was Eli and Lucas' lunch the other day. Popcorn with coconut oil, raw cheddar cheese, pear and carrots. I put out big bowls and trays and they can help themselves as they get hungry. I keep it out until it empties which with little boys can take hours! Please note, I have 2 dishes to wash rather than multiple ones, no macaroni pots to scrub! I don't make them sit still at every meal. Eli just can't do it. He takes a bite and then needs to move. So I have breakfast and dinner as the still meals and lunch on the "go" for him. A friend and reader has requested kid friendly meal ideas, so watch the blog and the newsletter for more on how I feed the kiddos! (Thanks for the suggestion Lara!)

I have set a strong intention of feeling like the picture above with my children, rather than worrying about the house being clean (much more on that to come) or preparing a fancy meal or feeling guilty about anything. It is taking much focus, discipline and deep breaths. A mantra that is working for me is "My life is as it should be. I am full, focused and loved."