Hey hay hay

Happy weekend everyone!  I hope you all got to do something special today, or at least out of the ordinary.  Owen woke up early so I got to go to the 8am hot yoga class at the Wheaton Sport Center.  It was so awesome.  I did this one today:

Well, sort of.  And not without help.  But it was pretty awesome to do it and feel so strong!

Then we went to the market and had a freshly made donut.  Holy crap those things are to die for.  

We met my mom and she took Owen home with her to bake and play at the park.  Thank goodness for grandmas!!  I went and tried on every pair of jeans available at the Gap.  Then I got a cup of coffee.  It was a wonderful morning. 


Joe has been out of town so I'm waiting for him to get back.  I am very ready for  reinforcements.  I did, however, try a new recipe this week that was a success.  I liked it, Owen liked and ate it, and it wasn't that hard.  Oh, and the cleanup wasn't that bad, both after cooking and after eating (toddler-style).  Here is the recipe, from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine:

Vegetable Pad Thai


serves 4, active time 10 mins (unless you're me, in which case it's more like 20 or 25)  Total time 25 minutes (add time for the noodles i think)


8 oz. dried, wide, flat rice noodles
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp vegetable oil
3 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large eggs (optional) lightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts


1.  Soak noodles according to package instructions.  Drain.  In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, and soy sauce.


2.  In a large nonstick skillet (or wok), heat oil over medium-high.  Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds.  Add eggs if using and cook, scraping skillet with a rubber spatula, until eggs are almost set, about 30 seconds.  Transfer egg mixture to a plate.  Add noodles and soy-sauce mixture to skillet; cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft and coated with sauce, about 1 minute.  Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently.  Serve noodles with lime wedges, topped with cilantro and peanuts.  


**Easy add ins:  Before adding the noodles, toss thinly sliced chicken breast or peeled and deveined shrimp into the pan.  


Okay so when I did this recipe I used red onion instead of scallions (because that's what I had) and I added some thinly sliced pork to the deal.  I halved the recipe since it was just Owen and me, but I cooked the eggs too long and cooked all the sauce off since nothing was hot because I took too long to do everything.  I also used half roasted salted peanuts and half unsalted, because I figured it would be fine without the added sodium.  And it was.  Oh, and I used light brown sugar, without much damage.  All in all it was wonderful, if only a bit sauce-less.  I tend to keep cilantro around in the summer because I love tacos and fresh salads with it all chopped up, so I use it a lot.  I also have limes around for that reason.  This dish is simple enough, and I figure the next time I try it I'll have it down.  Hope you like it too!


Amiee