It's cold outside!

A is clearly my son with his cold-blooded genes. I get cold at the drop of a hat, and so does he. So it's no surprise we last about 10 minutes outside in this weather. So, here are some cute pics of him playing INSIDE over the last week: making dinner for his bear, finger painting, and trying to staying warm in his newest sweater :) 

Despite the cold and being cooped up inside, he has been an angel. I think he deserves a Jo-Jo (aka Oreo) for that :)

Snow and Soup

They kind of go together, right? Well, today we had a "snow day." For my family in the mid-west, the pictures show all of about half an inch. Yup, that's it. We were supposed to get 4-8 inches, but well, like usual, we didn't.

Anyways, we made the most of it of course :) In typical fashion we decided to spend a lot of time making delicious food in the kitchen, starting with carrot ginger soup! It was so good. A literally had a second helping...the first second helping ever! So, I thought I'd share the recipe for this soup, and two others we've been loving this winter. I'm obsessed with my wand blender, but you can use a regular blender too (just be careful for hot liquids!). And, these are all 2 yr old approved and super healthy!

Carrot Ginger Soup

Adapted from Simply Recipes 
2 T butter
2 lbs carrots, ends chopped off and chopped in to chunks
1 onion diced
salt
5-6 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
2 inches of ginger root, half grated, half chopped
orange peel, a few good strips
- Melt butter in soup pot, add carrots and onions and cook for 5-10 minutes, until soft but not burnt.
- Add stock, salt, ginger and orange peel. Cover and cook on low for at least 20 minutes (we cooked it for like an hour, because we had time.)
- Remove orange strips and puree the soup. Enjoy!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Adapted from a recipe from my girl Alicia! 8 cups cubed butternut squash - fresh or frozen

32 oz reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
A big ol'scoop of peanut butter
1 12oz can of evaporated or coconut milk
2-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 lb of shrimp (chopped) or tofu (cubed)

- Combine broth, butter, and salt in slow cooker. Cook for 8-10hrs on low or 4-5 hrs on high.

- Stir in milk, curry paste and peanut butter. Blend with an immersion blender. Stir in raw shrimp and cook on high for another 20 min. 

- Top with Siracha or other hot sauce if you like

Creamy Tomato Bisque Soup
From SkinnyTaste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, with juice
1 tsp thyme
1/4 cup fresh basil
3 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (or vegetable for vegetarians)
Parmesan or Romano cheese rind (optional)
dash of salt and black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 3/4 cups reduced fat (2%) milk, warmed

- Combine everything through the bay leaf in slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours on low. 
- Puree the soup. You can remove the cheese rind, if you like, but I tend to forget and leave it in (and it tastes great!)
- Melt the butter over low heat in a large skillet and add the flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in about 1 cup of the hot soup, then add the 1 3/4 cups of warmed milk and stir until smooth. Pour back into the slow cooker with the pureed soup and stir, add the grated Pecorino cheese and adjust salt and pepper, to taste.

Why Oxford's Needs a Toddler on Staff

Last year Oxford English Dictionary added "Ohmigosh" to it's listings. And "twerking." Seriously? If teenagers and pop culture can get stupid words added to th OED, I think my toddler has a few words that are very good candidates. 

For today's installment, we'll discuss "choo choo training." 

 Verb

Definition: to line things up like a choo choo train; to move like a choo choo train. 

Example 1: A's books are choo choo training.

Example 2: I choo choo trained my blocks.

Alright OED, dispute this. I think my kid is a genius, because I'm pretty sure nothing else out there so adequately describes his actions :)

Swinging into 2014!

Welcome 2014! The McNews are ready for you...we're ready for some fun and we hope you are too! Don't get me wrong: 2013 was an amazing year. But I like starting a new year off with a good attitude and a smile. 

So here goes...a few obligatory resolutions. 

1) Continue to eat healthy and live happy. I think we did a great job of this in 2013, so let's just keep it up! 

2) Do more yoga, or maybe just try to have a little more relaxing and quiet time. Whatever helps bring calm amidst the craziness that the day brings.  

3) Continue spending time with family. We had an amazing trip to Maine last summer and Hatteras last fall, so I hope 2014 allows for more of this! Maybe we can work in a trip to the Midwest or NC (other than for a certain special wedding in April!) to make sure this happens :)

4) Read more. I mean, I read 18 books last year, but I think I can do better, so this is a good goal. Plus, I think its a great example to set for A!

Nothing crazy...I'm all with keeping it realistic. I think we have an awesome life and family, so why sweat the small stuff? Bring it on 2014 :)

(The flash kept making him close his eyes, but he loved our NY day meal of collards, black eyed peas and beef short ribs!)