Sunday, April 18, 2010

granola bars and cherrios.

hockey is playing. it's raining and grey outside. becks is napping, peyton is practicing her letters and for the first time in what seems like a week, in what has been a really long week, i can feel that feeling. you know the one, when the house is clean, the kids are quiet, the husband engrossed in a detroit red wings game...i think it's called calm. free...for a minute. content that the family is all together even if we are all ignoring each other doing our own thing!!

feels good.

i guess the only thing that would make this moment any better is if i had thought about dinner in advance and i had it bubbling away in the oven perfecting itself to satisfy hungry bellies. no such luck. today we may just eat granola bars and cherrios for dinner!

i realized recently that my kids adore cherrios and granola bars in the morning. regardless of me trying to be rockstar mom in the morning (i'm not a morning gal) and offering pancakes and sausage, i didn't say healthy mom, my kids opt for either a granola bar or a bowl of honey nut cherrios with a banana on top. i wonder if that is verging on breakfast neglect. lol.

i mean, weekends are the special times when we can stroll out of bed and make a big batch of pancakes, scrambled eggs with every item of veggie we have thrown inside, and bacon for the bacon monsters that live here in our home! weekdays...not so much. we brush hair & teeth, throw in some love to fill our girl up before she heads off to school learning to be independent, yank shoes on, wave goodbye, kisses, beckham dances in the driveway and...done. it's all very chaotic and rushed and i guess bacon just doesn't fit in.

maybe someone can give me some super cool breakfast ideas that work for your kids. i would be forever grateful!!!


i know i am behind in my blogging this week. i promised myself earlier today that i will document more next week because there is always so much to share and to remember!

such as some of the fun we had this weekend...the highlights (i just heard the commentator on espn say that!)
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gido & sito came to visit (love the comments i received last week on your own gido and sito's:) us and to beckham that
means a corvette ride in 'godo's corbette!'

then, daddy took the kids swimming...
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and i enjoyed my new tulips...have i said they are my favorite flower? how happy they make me?

they do. go get some. i'm tellin' ya...happiness. any fresh flower on my table would do it. they beg for candles and a
a home cooked meal at night and good music and a running dishwasher by day!

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a while i was listening to some feel good jams and while my babies played in the water, i prepared dinner in the most amazing
light. it's golden-ness was seeping through the blinds of my kitchen windows and i was torn between feeding my family
or taking photos of my tulips. since i love doing both and i figured we had to eat, and with that i give you the recipe for
thee MOST AMAZING soup i have ever tasted. i adapted it from a recipe i read a long time ago by giada...
she's amazing and she has a new line of cookware and food at target!

when i spotted the sign on the endcap, i was in line waiting to checkout. i pushed, shoved, and crawled my way out
of the line i was just waiting in FOREVER, cranky, tired kids in tow...and checked out all of the goodies.

and although i wanted all of it, i settled on some beautiful mixing bowls and a can opener. not real exciting, but
check it out, because if you need anything...she has it at target.

my version of tomato soup:

lite extra virgin olive oil

large onion, rough chopped

3 ugly tomatoes, diced small (can use regular, but the ugly or the beefstake are worth the extra money 'cause unless you grow
your own, these are pretty good in comparison.

about ten slices (or 5 ounces) pancetta (italian ham found in your deli), rough chop.

a big bunch of fresh basil or about 1/2 cup roughly chopped.

6 cups of lower-sodium chicken broth.
you can also use homemade stock (i was to lazy), or 6 cups of water and three knorr's chicken boulion cubes ('cause
that's the way i roll when i forget to pickup broth) use whatever you have.

sea salt and pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, less if kids are eating this.

1/2 cup of mascarpone cream cheese.

heat oil in pan, add pancetta and cook until it slightly crispy. add onion and cook until they soften up. add the broth,
and all other spices and basil. bring to boil and then reduce the heat and let simmer. add 1/2 cup mascarpone cream
cream cheese to the pot, stir. simmer for about 15 more minutes on the low side. i simmered mine for about 30.

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peyton, no more bread until after dinner. (i snuck a pic of her sneaking some bread and butter) busted!
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use a soup pot or your dutch oven.
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i served this soup with a grilled cheese bread. whole grain baquette (any bread would do but i forgot to buy fresh bread)
spread a bit of butter on both sides, place in pan, melt cheese ( we used american, but swiss on rye bread would be
great too!)
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piggy plate optional:) kraft singles for my kids.

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during dinner, peyton and i tried to teach beckham the importance of flowers in a girl's life. he wasn't listening...
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"oh, tulips mommy?"
yes, sweetheart, girls like to get tulips.
"okay, mommy." like a good student.

oh, then the golden goodness lit up my kitchen and it was beautiful. so we talked and peyton danced, and beckham played
with his shadow and laughed with daddy...
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then, just when i thought we were in for the night, beckham heard a plane outside and wanted to investigate in his pajamas...
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no plane, but this gorgeous sky!

they heard lily playing outside, so they hopped on their bikes and headed down a few houses to see what was going on...
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lily just turned two!!! happy birthday, sweet girl. we love you!

they played catch, ran a few races up and down the block, and posed for photos. it was a fun night cap!

we headed home when the sky turned an orangey magenta. it was a really pretty night and i'm glad we were outside to
enjoy it.
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next post needs to be a catch up post. until then, here is one from our camping trip here. what an amazing park.
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this tree we found down one of the hiking trails. i think it was called big oak trail. maybe not.


another warm and fuzzy list from mama koala:
1. holding hubby's hand.
2. my 2 year old son wanting to sing songs with his baby sister.
3. jj heller's song, your hands.
4. baby girl giggles to daddy.
5. my fluffy, samoyeds.
6. nutella.
7. good friends just a phone call away!
8. the movie, elf.
9. my son and how he sings jingle bells everyday.
10. my son and i covered in powdered sugar after baking.

with lots of love! heidi
xo

21 comments:

Nicole said...

Oh, the satisfaction of being comment #1!! :)

And oh, that black and white close-up of Peyton, I can't even find the right word....it's a window almost, into that exact moment between little girl and adolescent...so very pretty....she's got those eyes of an old soul.

And Mr. Becks in that hat and shades, seriously!! I can't even take it!

It's freezing here today, thanks so much for the warmth...I could almost feel the end of a warm day after the sun goes down watchin' your little ride bikes in thier jammies.

And by the way, it is completely your fault, that at this very moment, I am eating an entirely too expensive, (and too tiny) deli pizza with red pepper, tomato, and big hunks of mozzerella and asiago.

Good post Mama!!

P-nut said...

so much to say! but that one pic of the kids on their bikes made my eyes well up with tears... just that one shot said SO MUCH to me... my entire childhood flashed before my eyes!
the smells and sounds of warm summer nights with yes, pink and blue bikes, kids getting that last bit of energy out before the dreaded call in from your moms front door... pink skies, green grass, every bit of colour SO alive! love it! love it! love it! want to be a kid again SO bad after seeing htat photo.. feel so blessed to be able to live through my own kids eyes these days :)
i want that photo and i want to blow it up, frame it and put it on my wall!

oh and the soup - mmmmmmmmm.

Kelly Hutcheson said...

I just had the soup tonight and o.m.g. you were right! I was mmmmm'ing at every bite!! I wanted to lick the bowl. No that's not a confession. I love the first pic of Becks looking cool in the corvette! That's hilarious! I love the one of P and L holding hands! Seeing them all run together, giggling like crazy was adorable! Thanks for capturing Lily's sweet little face in your lens. I wanted to kiss my monitor. No, that's not a confession.

xoxo

xoxo

Heather Polleti said...

Beautiful post!! LOVE the pics of Becks in the vette!! I'm sure Gido had a blast!! Soup looks great!! cant wait to try it!! Cant wait to see you this week...luv ya!

Betsy said...

Bacon monsters! Love it.

Bacon always goes over big in our house. Jenna at foodwithkidappeal.blogspot.com has a fun recipe for these eggs you cook inside a piece of toast. Haven't tried it myself since my kid A)hates eggs and B) is allergic to wheat so no toast, but it looks really good!

The hubs and I feasted on French toast this morning while the kid ate his wheat free waffle. Bacon was enjoyed by all because that's what weekend mornings are for!

SDM said...

beautiful post... love the picture of your little guy in the 'vette!!
have a fun week -- can't wait to see it captured in photos!!!!
xo
-s

Jenny L. said...

I have just recently started cooking with pancetta. It is amazing with green beans and potatoes instead of regular bacon. Love your blog...

1 Funky Woman said...

Heidi, I just had to check you out since you left a comment on my grey hair! I am in love with your pictures, you are a great photographer. I love Becks in the convertible. Too precious for words!

And, I don't think granola bars and cherrios is a bad thing. At least its something, mine run out the door with nothing in the morning, thank God for breakfast at school!

You are the only one I know that cooks gourmet in a camper on a camping trip, I love that!

Tammy B said...

1.) Love the pics of a naked? Beckham with his daddy.
2.) Love the pic of Miss Peyton stealing bread.
3.) Love your recipes and food pics!!! Keep them coming!

xoxox

Leslie said...

Ok, Do you know how long it takes to get engrossed in your post???Like 2 seconds. I am supposed to be working and here I sit, reading,smiling, looking back, reading captions. then of course reading comments and going back to pic that was commented on. This is one of my favorite past-times. So when when you apologized for not blogging enough...OK I accept but don't let it happen again.:) I must get back to work.

Julie Frizzi said...

Heidi, your pics are so amazing. I especially love the one of the kids in the tree........beautiful.

Tara said...

That magenta sky is just gorgeous. Also love the tulips--I was blessed to spend time in the Netherlands in college, and got to see fields and fields of them, and a wooden shoe factory too:-)

Thanks for sharing the warm and fuzzies--and for prompting me to focus on my blessings with that list.

Beautiful photos as always, love how you capture the moments.

Kelle said...

Oh, the tree pic at the end! I love it! And Lily's eyes...and Daddy pics in the pool! The only thing missing is YOU in this post! Will try the soup recipe soon. And really good moms give their kids granola bars and cheerios for breakfast...I'm just sayin'.
xoxo

Anna Ruth said...

I am going to the store tomorrow to get the things I need for that soup. We love soup and it looks delicious. Your pictures tell a story within themselves you have talent. Keep taking those beautiful pictures.

Kate said...

Heidi
I came by for my fix of Heidi:)
I love to stroll through these posts of wonder and then I cannot stop smiling. Your blog is my HGTV really!!! Hope that your week is blessed by your loving and beautiful family.

Hugs
Kate

iColossus / Monster said...

OK, second time through this post and it is beauteous! Yummy and delicious and I'm not just talkin' about the food pics!

I want that soup and I don't even like tomato soup, LOL.

Love that first pic of Beckham with the sunglasses, hat, in a convertible?! OMG...so cool. Teen heart throb, that one.

And Peyton in the B&W one...beautiful and reminds me of her...MOMMY who is....absent?!!! What the heck? I'm with Kelle on that one. Next time you post, there better be at least one pic of you...get that tripod out, girlfriend!

Great post, Mommy! Can't wait to visit again!

Love,

IColossus

Tisha said...

pretty much every morning during the week jonah has yogurt and granola bars for breakfast. maybe its a michigan thing. ha!

that last pic should be in a magazine! and that pic of lily - kelly needs to frame it!

that soup looks amazing! giada ain't got nothing on you!

Anonymous said...

oh heidi..your becks is killer beautiful! and in that hot car...watch out girls! love the sweet pictures of daddy with his little loves frolicking..nothing makes you love more than those moments.

went to target yesterday..saw giada's fabulous stuff, wanted it all. ended up with new flowered liberty of london boots and some clothes for gracee..I want to redo my whole bedroom with stuff from that line, such beautiful patterns! picked up my new favorite item...a bright "tiffin" box to carry yummy stuff to the pond with us. oh and the stuff that they had at the front for outdoor adventures made me giddy..picked up 10 butterfly nets (we chase them in the fields) for gracee and friends...also the coolest mats to have picnics on that you unroll and when you roll it back up it looks like a little purse! i think when we get to heaven target will be where we shop with an unlimited budget!

the new 10 favorite list is so nice..i think we all share a few of each other's favorite things..gotta tell you when i got my unsweetened tea at mickey D's yesterday i thought of you and your favorite list.

your pictures are just beautiful and i could comment on them all..tulips so vivid..lily was adorable..soup looks so good...i just love the tree picture!

picked up the stuff for jeff's goulet for tonight..i love lamb but my family does not, so i am doing half and half..i will let you know how it goes! have a happy day. ♥

Greta said...

My monkeys have been very happy eating frozen mini pancakes (53 seconds in the microwave and voila!) lately for breakfast and they love every bite!

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