Meatless Monday started out strong. As in roasting brussels sprouts in olive oil, s&p, balsamic vinegar and honey strong. Mondays I am usually home all day so that is my day to leisurely stroll through the aisles of Trader Joes with no makeup on, my maternity yoga pants (that I still wear,) UGGS and do multiple drive bys on the sample station. I'm some sort of walking mom cliche and I own it...hard
Read MoreI did a lot of things wrong this particular evening. But first, lets start with the right. I picked up Jenson from daycare, came home and immediately assessed my fridge for dinner ideas and it was pretty uninspiring. Read: condiments, a half-eaten pouch and a lonely bottle of O'Doul's as there always seems to be pregnant people in my house these days. I then went to the freezer and fished through the mounds of stuffed chicken kievs sent by my adorable (and the light of my life) grandparents....but there is only so much stuffed chicken one can consume in a week that legit has 53 ingredients listed on the back of the container.
Read MoreWe have another Sunday video installment. And I realize it is Thursday. But we all want it to be the weekend....so it's just coming a bit early. Every Saturday in the New York Times Magazine they feature a recipe that I usually vow to clip on my fridge and make for Sunday dinner. That has never happened.
But this particular Sunday I could not fight it any longer. It was chicken shawarma and it was speaking to me in very clear nostalgic tones. I have ended many a evening with chicken shawarma and at times I didn't necessarily remember the specifics of the sandwich...but it didn't matter because I just knew it was amazing.
Read MoreIt was not a typical Thursday. It was Chinese New Year so Jenson's daycare was shut. Huh? Yes. My 18-month-old celebrates the Chinese New Year at his Mandarin-influenced daycare so this day was their Superbowl. Jenson had ben prepping all week long making paper mache´ red lanterns and brushing up on Mandarin animal flashcards. It was time to rest. And that meant it was a time for dad to take a sick day because mama just couldn't swing staying at home. I mean, I had really important things to do. Like participate in a Kathie Lee and Hoda TODAY show segment. Enough said, right? Really, any time I can get my hair and makeup done for free, even if the most exciting excursion I am making that day is up to the 9th floor to get a taco salad
Read MoreFurst Bites YouTube launched a few weeks ago and we're already getting buck wild and launching a series....a series. Now hopefully this won't be a series of one video as I realize I'm putting this out and now have to walk the walk. This whole day job thing really gets in the way of creating fun food videos with my son. But that day job does not interfere on Sundays, so may I present the inaugural video in my new "Sunday Routine" series. And what better Sunday to kick it off on than Super Bowl Sunday.
Read MoreI was supposed to come home and make some broccolini for dinner and then let my "cooking creative juices" run wild from there. That didn't happen. I made the (amazing) mistake of opening up my freezer first and saw the three cheese pizza staring back at me. It was speaking to me and it said, "screw your broccolini...don't you want your son to LIKE you? MAKE ME" Done.
I was about to put it in the oven and started having MINOR pangs of guilt that I thwarted my healthy dinner plans for a frozen pizza, so I grabbed some garlic and fresh basil out of the fridge and put it on top. I then broiled some baby tomatoes coated in olive oil, salt and pepper and figured the meal wasn't really that bad for us.
Read MoreNew low? Nah. Lazy? Hell Yeah. But let me explain. It seems like everytime my husband has to travel for work, Murphy's Law kicks in and my job explodes. I am then left running around at my job like a dog in heat trying to get everything done before the witching hour of...5:30PM. Ideally, 5:20PM. I realize that is basically some people's lunch hour. But when I am playing single mom and am forced to do the pickup and drop-off for daycare, 5:30PM is getting dangerously close to all but guarantee Jenson will be the last kid to be picked up from daycare. GAASSPPPPP. Images of Fievel (JENSON) singing "Somewhere out There" runs though my head and then my mind immediately moves to Self-flagellation...which is generally not a great idea...but never is there a time where it just seems like the most reasonable next step.
Well last night was one of those nights. I found myself sprinting (OK walking VERY fast) down treacherous patches of icy sidewalks in heels and ripped tights (not a fashion statement I might add) to go get my kid once I subwayed it back to Brooklyn. Thankfully, I could keep my whips in the drawers as Jenson was not the last kid in the entire school...but most definitely he was the last kid to be picked up in his class. And I got to meet his new teacher who had just started that day and I will now be forever judged in her eyes as "the mom who puts her JOB BEFORE her kid."
By the time we got home I couldn't have cared less about dinner. Ice-cream is what you want? WHICH FLAVOR? HOW MANY SCOOPS? OH AND YOU'D LIKE TO TRY COKE ZERO? NO PROBLEM. It was just a long day. And I need to mention that long day started with me applying shaving gel to my left armpit because I thought I had grabbed the spray deodorant. Oh, and I was applying while wearing my black dress. There is photographic evidence but I'm wearing a nursing bra (because apparently I have given up on life and I still have not bought normal bras even though I stopped nursing my son in August) and my Spanx are hiked up to an embarrassing level. Just take my word, the day got off to a precarious start.
So it was Trader Joe's waffles and a jar of peanut butter that was served. And lets be real, is there anything better than spooning heapfuls of peanut butter into your mouth from the jar? Let me answer that..NO. Jenson agrees too. We passed his blue spoon back and forth and ate out of the jar together. And then because I felt like he should really have something more substantial, I busted out the multi-grain (multi-grain people) waffles and the jar of NATURAL Vermont syrup. Sorry, Mrs. Butterworth's we've moved on from your high fructose syrup ways. I found myself wondering why I have not been eating waffles daily for last few decades.... because they are so damn good. Perhaps it's time to turn a new leaf. But in all seriousness, I give mad props to all the single moms because it just isn't easy. Especially when it comes to meal-making after a long day. But do you know what is easy...Peanut Butter and waffles for dinner.
LOCATION: Home, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
Now this is a post after my own heart. Eataly is quite simply, THE BEST.
Read MoreSome people are luckier than others and I'd say this particular evening, Jenson had a giant rabbit foot up his butt.
Read MoreSometimes it takes a child to reconnect you with that joyous sensation of discovering something new for the first time. After my son was born, determined not to give up my love of trying new restaurants and food, I decided to just bring him along for the ride. Here are my family's delicious adventures in Brooklyn and beyond, seen through the eyes of Jenson.
Welcome to First Bites where we attempt to answer all of your questions about a particular restaurant before deciding to hit the scene with your offspring. Eating out with kids can be fun (I hear you snickering) but it does take a little planning. Now that I have a child, I look for a different type of restaurant when I eat out and it pretty much boils down to how many laser-beam stares of death my family will receive when we open the door. If it is high, we usually steer clear. Let us help you avoid those stares of death. Thanks for stopping by!
![Trader Joe's Pizza [PEET-SUH]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53a63084e4b0d3d42b2c604b/1423665048647-BVC9UDSSORFA228RLVD8/image-asset.jpeg)
