Trader Joe's Tuesday: Mini Cafe Twists

I know, I've been a blog slacker. Not too much going on besides the norm...which I guess I could blog about, but I'm lazy.

Today's item is another sweet treat (you'd never guess that I needed to lose 20 pounds of baby weight by all the sweets I am spotlighting...)


These Mini Cafe Twists are so light and airy (and yummy)--you can easily eat several of these without guilt. Fortunately, the serving size is 4 twists, and they are non-dairy, no eggs, no yeast and low sodium. Good thing because I ate about 3 servings in 10 minutes. Seriously, what are these made of? Apparently, wheat flour (see--healthy!), oil, sugar, cinnamon, salt. Seems pretty simple, but I really like them!

Trader Joe's Tuesday: Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough

I love Snickerdoodle cookies, but it's hard to find a good one at most bakeries and for some reason, I never make them. Probably because no one else in my family will eat them. And the last thing I need is an entire batch of cookies around the house for me to eat.

These are new at Trader Joe's in the freezer section and I just had to try them to see how good they actually were. They didn't disappoint. They baked up light, thin and chewy with just the right flavor.

Totally perfect.

Fun things to do at Grandma and Grandpa's house on a Sunday...

Have a tea party

Play with cars

Do some bird watching...at least that's what Hannah said she was
doing when I asked why she had binoculars

Play the pianoHang out with Grandpa

Play a game

Watch Toy Story with a few cousins

Sit next to Grandpa at dinner
(notice she still has the binoculars)

The kids always have a fun time playing together

Disclaimer: I realize there are way more pictures of Hannah than Sammy, but that's just because Hannah has the attention span of a gnat and seriously spends about 3 minutes on an activity before moving onto the next thing, while Sammy is content to play with cars for literally hours.

And just a few random shots from the day!

My brother Mark with his cute baby boy Sean

The only cat I have ever met who hates me

Trader Joe's Tuesday: Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice

Jean, I totally thought of you when I tried this one!

This was yet another item they were sampling last week. I'm telling you, I discover more yummy items at Trader Joe's by trying their samples!

The sauce the chicken is in is delish and I just love the texture of the basmati rice. I mixed it all together in a bowl and it was so good. There is something about the spices used in Indian cooking...they are so flavorful. My only complaint is that it is pretty much a one serving dish, so if you plan on sharing--you're going to need to buy two packages.

*Sorry so short...grouchy baby tonight. But seriously, try this--it was so good!

this week...

We've been going out and about a bit more this week. It's still pretty easy to take Helene out since she is still sleeping most of the time...the hard part is actually leaving the house. I forget how long that takes with a newborn...ahhh how quickly we forget!

On Sunday my dear friend Sarah, whom I've known since our ballet class days when we were 9 or so, called to meet up as she was passing through LA on her way to San Diego for a job interview while visiting from Philadelphia. (Don't you just love my run-on sentences?) We quickly decided on Corner Bakery (I couldn't face a pop-in visit as the house was a disaster from being home with the kids all day). Sammy and Hannah both pleaded to go with me, but I just couldn't face trying to chat with Sarah while dealing with a 5 and almost 3 year old. So just Helene got to go. It was so good to see Sarah and finally meet her boyfriend Sean. We had a lovely chat and some yummy food and then off I went to put kids to bed and off they went to San Diego.
We had lots of park days this week and although I did take my camera to all of them...I was too busy chatting/playing with the kids/feeding Helene to take any pics. We've had beautiful weather here this week and it's supposed to be even better next week.

I tried to take a few new pics of Helene, but she wasn't cooperating.

The kids wanted to join in just as I was taking the picture.
Does Helene have the grouchiest face or what?Hannah being goofy and wearing Helene's hat.

We went to the Arboretum on Friday and it was an absolutely gorgeous day to be there. The kids had a great time exploring and feeding the ducks and fish--and I had a great time walking around and relaxing on a bench while they played.

It was so cute to see all the turtles sunning themselves on a log.
I've never seen so many at once.

The kids were too busy playing and didn't really want to pose for pictures.
Can you tell that Sammy has 3 cars in each hand?

I was able to catch a few candid shots.
They love to pretend like they are fishing.
A cool tunnel made of bamboo

I wanted to get a picture of the four of us, but there wasn't any one around to take it for me when we were in a spot where I wanted to take one. Oh well. Hard to believe Helene will be 4 weeks old on Monday. Has it really been a month already?

Baby Pictures

Many people have commented on how much Helene looks like Sammy did as a baby. Here are some pictures just for a fun comparison!

Sammy 3 days old

Sammy 9 days old

Hannah 1 day old

Hannah 2 months old
(look at those cheeks--I love this picture!!)

Helene 1 day old
Helene 3 weeks old
(she wouldn't stop looking off to the side)

Hmmmm, I think she looks like both of them. Such a cutie!

Trader Joe's Tuesday: Chicken Enchiladas in Red Sauce

I'm back!! I have discovered several new items at Trader Joe's and am finally back to blogging!

I recently found this ready made Chicken Enchiladas in Red Sauce located in the refrigerated section. I usually don't buy the ready made items because they are usually totally overpriced, but one night a few weeks ago, Samuel wanted enchiladas and I really didn't feel like making them, so I went to Trader Joe's in search of some ready made ones. (How is that for a run-on sentence?)

Sam really likes enchiladas in red sauce (and I always make them with green sauce), so I thought these would be perfect for him. I was right! Even I really liked them--the sauce is delicious! If they sold it in a can or jar, I would totally use it for my enchiladas.

They use corn tortillas (which I prefer to use as well for my enchiladas) and all white meat chicken for the filling (I hate dark meat), so it was totally up to my standards--and did I mention how awesome the sauce is?? It's topped off with cheddar cheese and black olives. Perfect. I make my own spanish/mexican rice and beans to go with it because Sam must have rice and beans with any Mexican food we make. If you need a good spanish/mexican rice recipe, email me!

There are 4 in a container and for $4.99, I think it's a great deal! It takes just 15 minutes in the oven and is ready to go. Perfect for one of those nights you don't want to cook!

Introducing...

Helene Elyse

Awesome photo courtesy of Dana and her amazing camera skills

Yep, it only took two weeks to decide on her name, but we think it fits her perfectly!

We are all adjusting pretty well to having a third child around. I think Hannah is having the toughest time dealing with it all. She still nurses at bedtime, so she has been been getting really upset when she sees the baby nurse all the time. She keeps asking to nurse too during the day, but I am really trying to limit her to bedtime only. I tandem nursed with Sammy when Hannah was born, but he was still nursing during the day and at night at that time. I don't want to go back to daytime nursing with Hannah...although I bet I would lose the baby weight A LOT faster if I did. Hmmmm.....

Anyway, I've been kind of MIA lately as you may have noticed by my lack of blogging/emailing/facebook time, but I am happy to say that I am all caught up on my Google Reader (YAY!) and am almost caught up on emails. Now I just need to write some thank you notes!

Helene is still in that sleeping-all-the-time phase, so I have no complaints. She has slept pretty much through the night since we got her home, usually 11pm until 4 or 5 am, but she goes right back to sleep after that feeding and sleeps until about 8am. It's been so nice. I know that will change in the next month, so I am enjoying all the sleepy/cuddle time with her in the morning that I can.

A big THANK YOU to Megan for offering to drive Sammy to and from school for the past 3 weeks so I could have some rest and extra baby bonding time in the AM. Thanks so much--you're the best!!

Yes, we are co-sleeping with this one as well. It's been working out well so far, but that's probably because she is so tiny and doesn't roll over yet. I really should get someone to take a picture of all 5 of us sometime. Pretty funny, I'm sure. The poor cat has been demoted to the foot of the bed. He isn't very happy about that...

Anyway, just wanted to announce that we finally agreed on a name! Now just we have to go back to the hospital and fill out the paperwork.