We joined a CSA!  I have been wanting to join a CSA ever since I worked on an organic farm in North Carolina two summers ago.  I love the idea of supporting local farms and businesses, as well as having a variety of fresh produce delivered straight to my doorstep. 

Whenever I go to the grocery store, I tend to buy a lot of the same things over and over again.  I thought joining a CSA would help us mix up our dinners and our meals a bit more.  I’m also looking to streamline our grocery shopping.  I tend to go to like five different stores – one place for produce, one for pantry, one for bulks – and it’s not a very efficient use of my time or energy.

We’re using New Roots Organics, which happens to be right around the corner from my old house in Fremont.  With New Roots, the fruits and veggies are selected for us each week based on what’s in season and available, but we have the ability to sub things in and out based on our preferences. 

Let’s check out our first haul!  First up – greens.  One bunch red leaf lettuce, one bunch red chard, and one bunch of giant spinach leaves.  We can never have too many greens in our house – these will not last long.

I opted for the mixed bin – both fruits and veggies – since I wanted a bit of both.  Today’s bin included this container of GIGANTIC strawberries.  Hard to believe these are organic!  Most of the organic berries I buy at the store are itty bitty.

Underneath all the greens on top, the rest of the goodies were lurking…

Three teeny tiny avocados.  I added these in (can’t remember what I subbed out) because I wanted to mash some up for baby food this week.

Also, local Anjou pears!  These will also likely become baby mash.  Hope he likes them!

One pound of gypsy sweet peppers.  What should I do with these?  I need ideas!

The total box included the following (all organic and local)…

Veggies:

• 2 lbs red new potatoes
• 1 bunch purple beets
• 1 red leaf lettuce
• 1 red chard
• 1 bunch spinach
• 1 lb crookneck squash
• 1 bunch broccoli
• 1 lb gypsy sweet peppers

Fruits:

• 2 peaches
• 4 Fuji apples
• 4 Valencia oranges
• 1 lb strawberries
• 6 bananas
• 3 Hass avocados
• 6 Anjou pears

For $39.50 total, I think that’s a great deal.  Plus I love knowing that our money is supporting local farms and a local business, and it’s saving me trips to multiple grocery stores.  I’m looking forward to sharing our adventures in cooking our way through the CSA haul each week.

We are off to the neighborhood Friday night market for vegan bean tamales, a round on the baby swings, and hopefully some fresh cut flowers.  Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday weekend!

I have a major thing for cold noodle salads.  Whenever I get something from the prepared food counter at a store like PCC or Whole Foods, I always end up gravitating toward the Asian noodle salads.  So when thinking about what to make for my moms group this week, I figured it was about time I make and share my own.

Sesame Soba Noodle Salad

by Emily Malone

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes

Ingredients (6 servings)

For the Dressing

• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 2 teaspoons honey
• salt to taste

Instructions

I love cooking with soba noodles because they are so easy to prepare and keep cold.  They cook in just a few minutes, and the thin, chewy texture is unique and different from what you expect from Italian pasta.

But before cooking the noodles, prepare all of the raw ingredients. Chop the bell pepper, thinly slice the green onion (or scallion), and mince the cilantro. Add veggies and herbs to a large mixing bowl.

Prepare edamame according to package directions. If frozen, cook for a few minutes in warm water to bring up to room temperature. Make sure your edamame is shelled (no one likes to eat chewy pods!).

One the veggies are all prepped, go ahead and cook the noodles. Soba noodles only cook for 4-5 minutes, so don’t wander too far.

Once the noodles are cooked, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water immediately.  In a separate bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the dressing.

Combine noodles, veggies, and dressing in the mixing bowl and toss until everything is well combined. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to garnish, serve, and enjoy!

This salad is great served immediately, or it can be prepared ahead of time and served cold from the refrigerator.  The edamame add a great healthy protein component that helps make this dish a complete meal! 

This was so easy and simple to make, and I’m making a point to stock soba noodles along with my other pantry goods from now on.  It’s one of those dishes that feels fancy and fussy, but it actually came together in less than 15 minutes from start to finish.  Great for quick, healthy dinners or for portioning out for lunches all week.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

They were delicious – Casey and I both agreed.  Huey agreed as well – after he ate all two dozen…

I had hoped to share the recipe and photos with you today, but the cookies made their way into doggie doom before I could photograph the final product.  I also made you soba noodle salad. 

That disappeared as well.

And while I was indeed cooking for you, I was also cooking for my mom’s group, who was headed to my house within about two hours of all my food disappearing.  Enter panic mode.

Cullen graced me with a one hour nap that allowed me to frantically shower, get dressed, vacuum, and quickly re-make noodle salad and throw together a chickpea dish (no time to re-bake cookies!).  With five minutes to spare, I moved the coffee table out of the way and prepped our living space for the arrival of our mini guests.

I dished up what I had quickly re-made for lunch…

And I wiped down the counters to hide the cooking mess so that no one knew that it looked like a tornado went through just minutes prior.  Our kitchen is such a dream to cook in!

I set out a few flavored kombuchas so we’d have something fun to drink while the babies played. 

And PLAY they did!  Rolling, crawling, tugging, crashing – it’s amazing how much this group has changed since our first meetup when they were just two months old. 

They used to lay like lumps and just stare at toys and colors…

And now they are four distinct, hilarious little people.

I can’t say enough about how rewarding it is to have such wonderful moms and babies in my life.  So fun!

Unfortunately, just as our friends were leaving, Casey called to tell me that his wallet, phone, and watch were all stolen from his locker at the gym.  Someone ripped his lock right off!  So the rest of the afternoon was spent cancelling cards and making phone calls.

And now, I’m headed back to the kitchen to make you another batch of cookies.  I apologize on Huey’s behalf for delaying them an extra day.  You can bet I will be guarding this batch a little more closely…

Long gone are the days when snapping pictures of Cullen involved me standing above him while he kicked around on the Boppy pillow.  These days, he’s the one standing.

I don’t know how other moms do those weekly photos with the stickers, where babies lay on their backs on top of colorful fabric.  This is what happens if I try to convince Cullen to lay on his back for 0.2 seconds. 

My sweet little baby with the old man hair has turned into a shaggy little firecracker that never stops moving.  Here he is at nine weeks…

Four months…

And now seven months.  Someone pinch me. 

My mom and mother-in-law both keep hounding me to cut his hair, but I love it.  It’s shaggy, curly, and ridiculous, and it makes me smile. 

So much changed this month.  We have a whole new morning routine that involves sitting together for breakfast.  Homemade mashed banana for him, eggs and English muffin for me.  Predatory dogs always circling.  They are very aware that high chair = mess and FOOD.   

We’re working on painting his nursery this week, which is fun but challenging.  Most painting has been done in the evenings since I can’t do it and watch him at the same time.  We moved his crib down the hall temporarily, so our house is a bit of a disaster zone right now.  He tries to help when he can!

We spend a lot of our time during the days with other mom and baby friends.  It’s so fun to see how different babies are – even at the exact same age.  I am realizing that there are two types of babies – those that are relatively chilled out and calm, and those that are like Cullen. 

Everyone who meets him notices it within just a few minutes – this child never stops moving.  It makes him very fun and entertaining, but man is it also exhausting.  He doesn’t like to sit or be held, and he is constantly looking for what he’ll do next.

Climbing and standing is the latest trick, so I spend most of my day following him around and trying to help him avoid any big falls.  I do my best to let him learn how to do things himself, but he’s also in a phase where he pulls up on things and then can’t figure out how to get down.  His forehead has a lot of bruises.

He’s interested in anything that is NOT a toy.  Doorstops are the most fun and noisy!  After finding him with a tiny plastic cap in his mouth (terrifying!), I learned the hard way that all doorstops needed to be baby-proofed.  Other favorite things are strings, tags, cords, phones, and remotes.

He’s also really interested in the dogs, and they are my best babysitters.  I am a little nervous to see this relationship develop once he starts walking and really chasing them.  So far they seem to like his attention, but they can also easily get away from his crawling if needed.

Speaking of babysitters – we had our first real (not someone related to us) babysitter last week!  I was nervous because she had to actually put Cullen to bed, but it was a huge success.  He sucked down a huge bottle (!!) and went to bed easily.  Now that we’ve crossed that hurdle, I’m looking forward to doing it much more often.  Mom and dad need some date nights!

His current favorite thing is this awesome name stool.  (We got it as a baby gift, but you can find it here.)  It is the perfect height for pulling himself up, and he likes pulling out the name puzzle pieces and throwing them across the room.  He is such a boy.

Standing in the crib is also a favorite.  Unfortunately it is so fun, it makes napping seem less appealing.

He’s had two bottom teeth for several months now, and he’s currently working on two top teeth that are just breaking through.  This has led to some very cranky days, and many sleepless nights.  Now that the teeth have cracked the gums, I’m hoping we are over the hump!

As far as sleep goes, on a typical night, we still get up once – usually around 2:30am – for a feeding.  The last two weeks that has looked more like 2 or 3 times each night.  In seven long months he has not slept through the night once.  Not a single time.  Which means that I haven’t either!  He’s lucky he’s so cute!

Seven Month Rundown:

• Solid Food:  Loves sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas, and pears.  Hates squash and peas.  Thinks it’s funny to spit foods that are yucky!
• Bottles:  Took one from a babysitter this weekend!  Hallelujah!
• Teeth:  Two going on four.  Ouch!
• Noises:  Dadada and a goofy growling laugh. 
• Weight:  I’m guessing around 18 pounds?  No weight check this month.
• Likes: Bath time, strings, climbing, standing, eating books, water bottles, measuring cups, banging blocks, and his reflection in the fireplace glass.
• Dislikes: Getting dressed, all of his toys, being in the stroller too long, not knowing how to walk, going down for naps by himself.

And since you haven’t already seen 4,000 photos, here’s a short video of the little 7-month monster in action!  I’m amazed at how much more he learns and changes each day. 

For more updates and baby talk, you can check out the parenting page!

This weekend we were back at one of my favorite Seattle spots – Gasworks Park – for the Seattle’s Best 15k!

This race started earlier than most here do.  We were up at 4:45 and out the door by 5:30am to make it to the park in time for packet pickup.  Since it was a smaller race, they did packet pickup the morning of the race.  Nice to not make two trips, but it made our morning extra early!  Getting out the door for races is more complicated now that we’ve got Cullen along for the ride.  Lucky us (not really) he likes to wake up at 5am every day, so this was nothing new for him.

I got my number and got ready to run!  After a bad half-marathon, followed by a great 5k, I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  Most of my weekday running and training recently has been shorter stroller runs.  Basically I do a lot of 3-4 mile runs at my max stroller pace, and then I hope and pray that those will give me enough fitness for longer solo runs on the weekends.  My longest distance running with no breaks prior to the race was 7 miles, so my goal for the 15k was simply to finish without walking. 

It was a small race – about 350 people – and I had two other friends running which made it extra fun.  I headed to the car to feed Cullen about 30 minutes before the race started, and then right at 7am – we were off!

Unlike the past few races I’ve done recently, I decided to run with my headphones this time.  I don’t have an iPod so I just listened to the Beyoncé Pandora station on my phone.  I turned it up and zoned out as the course ran through Fremont into Ballard and down one of my favorite trails.  I smiled and waved as I passed Casey and Cullen.

• Mile 1: 9:01
• Miles 2: 9:00
• Miles 3: 9:03
• Mile 4: 9:05

One of the reasons I signed up for this race was the awesome course!  It started in Gasworks Park at the top of Lake Union, and then looped all the way around the lake on trails and sidewalks that run next to the water.  I tried to just keep my pace steady around 9:00 minute miles.  I knew I was capable of running faster in those earlier miles, but I didn’t want to end up crashing toward the end.

As we looped the lake, I felt strong.  All my favorite songs were coming on at just the right time, and I was happy with how I felt at the halfway point.

• Mile 5: 9:15
• Mile 6: 9:14

As I came around the other side of Lake Union, I was surprised that the course headed into the University area a different way than I had expected.  Miles 7 and 8 suddenly turned into what felt like a roller coaster of HILLS.  While the uphills burned and slowed me down, it was honestly the downhills that I struggled with the most.  They were so steep that I found it hard to run down them, and did more of a skip to the bottom in order to keep running. 

• Mile 7: 9:25
• Mile 8 10:17

By the end of the hills I was totally wiped, and I had to really focus to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.  My goal was to run the entire race, and I wasn’t going to start walking in the last mile!  I gave it what I had left, and ran back into Gasworks to see Casey and Cullen smiling and cheering for me!

• Mile 9: 9:22
• Final 0.3: 3:18

Official Results: 1:27:01 (9:20 pace)

Overall I was really happy with the race.  A small part of me wishes I’d been just a bit faster (closer to a 9:00 average), but for where I am in my training I’m really pleased to have just finished well without walking.  Looking forward to Rock N Roll Seattle, I think not walking is going to be my biggest challenge.  This race gave me a lot of confidence that with a few more weeks of good training, I’ll be ready.

I have a few more smaller races I’m thinking about signing up for in the next few weeks.  After taking such a long break from running, finding local races has been a huge boost of motivation for me to keep lacing up and pushing that beast of a stroller a few times each week. 

Doing local races has also helped Seattle really feel like home for us.  We have moved to so many new cities over the past few years, and because of that I think I feel like an eternal tourist.  But having friends both running with me and cheering for me, and racing through the neighborhoods I love, brings me a strong sense of happiness that I had been missing for a while.

It feels great to be back!

His favorite book!  Both to read, and to chew.

Last month, we started him on just a small bit of oatmeal cereal.  It seemed like we were off to a good start.  About a week after we started, we had a scary incident that involved him throwing up in his sleep.  I brushed it off as an upset stomach.  Until the same thing happened again – right after his oatmeal breakfast.

I called his pediatrician who was surprised to hear he was having an allergic reaction to oatmeal (one of the lowest allergen foods, which is why it’s highly recommended as a starter for babies).  He told me to lay off the oatmeal and go ahead with fruits and veggies.  But the oatmeal reaction scared me, and I pulled back on solids for a few weeks. 

Cullen is now well over six months now, so it was time to dive back in.  I’m happy to say that so far he hasn’t had any more reactions, and for the most part he is loving his meals!

Feeding Cullen real food has gone a little differently than I had originally expected.  I read and researched Baby-Led Weaning, a method of feeding babies chunks of softened solid food, rather than purees.  The general idea is that this improves fine motor skills and teaches babies to feed themselves directly, rather than being spoon fed by a parent.

We tried a few different things, none of which worked.  I set some baby puffs (soft cereal pieces) out on the tray for him, and while he was definitely interested in picking them up and handling them, he was not happy about it once they reached his mouth.

There was a lot of gagging and eye bulging the minute the puffs hit his tongue.  This boy has a very sensitive gag reflex!  He had no interested in swallowing whatsoever.  Casey tried letting Cullen bite on his (solid) banana, and Cullen ended up biting off a huge hunk and then scaring himself by almost choking.

So last week we decided to try some purees instead, and see how things went.  I had read that it was better to start with veggies before fruits, so that they don’t reject the veggies down the road.  I wasn’t sure what Cullen would like, but I thought squash seemed like a good neutral place to start. 

Apparently, I was wrong.

Squash was NOT a hit, and Cullen acted like we were spoon-feeding him battery acid.  Gagging, spitting, and all sorts of other drama.  So the squash got shelved, and I brought out the sweet stuff – pears.

Which brings me to another thing that has been different than I originally planned.  So far, I’ve been feeding him jarred baby food.

I didn’t want to spend hours in the kitchen steaming, mashing, and freezing food only to find that Cullen hated it.  So my plan is to buy this all natural and organic jarred food for a bit, while he gets used to new flavors and textures.  Once he’s been exposed to a variety, I’ll start making it myself.  But for now, the jarred stuff is just as good and much much easier.

I think a lot of my initial hesitation with starting solids was not understanding how to make it a consistent part of our daily routine.  Now that we are finally moved and settled into our new place, I’m finding routine and scheduling to be much easier.

Every morning after nursing, a clean diaper, an outfit change, and a little playing on the floor – Cullen and I head to the dining room to have breakfast.  Casey talks to us while he gets ready for work, and I eat my cereal while spooning Cullen some fruit.  Bananas and pears have both been hits!

And then later in the evening – around 5pm-ish, we do another round in the high chair – this time with veggies.  He opens his mouth big and wide, and takes eating very seriously.  I fear he may have inherited my sense of portion control.  For the boy that never stops smiling, he is all business in the high chair.

So far we’re having fun with it, and I love watching him react to new flavors and tastes.  My (foolish) hope was also that perhaps a little food in the belly would help him sleep a little longer at night. 

Unfortunately the little tooth poking out above (his third!) is throwing a wrench in my plan.  We are back to waking up 2 and 3 times a night these days – no fun.  Hoping it comes in soon and the poor little guy gets a little relief!

Until then, I’ll just continue to be really tired and slightly cranky.  Nothing new, really.  Even on the sleepiest mornings, having breakfast with my foodie baby is a great way to start the day. 

I try to be really selective about what I share with you.  But even among the things I do share, I end up having favorites.  Sometimes I make things and think – that was good, I’ll definitely post it.  And other times I make something and feel like I’m running to the keyboard proclaiming that everyone must make this noooow.  Like the blackened tofu – we are still making that 2-3 times each week!

This recipe ended up surprising me.  I’m not sure why, since it has many of my favorite things.  But it’s good.  Like really, really good.

While a lot of people talk about having a sweet tooth, for me it’s all about salt.  Although who am I kidding?  I love sweets too.  But I have to make a conscious effort not to over-salt things or else Casey threatens to hide my salt cellar.  Olives are one of my favorite salty indulgences, and I was surprised by how well they pair here with earthy beets and sweet citrus. 

This year there is no question – I am most definitely a mom.  Casey asked me if I wanted to spend the day being pampered with pedicures and massages, but all I really wanted was a day outside in the sunshine with my family.  And so we did exactly that.

We started our day off nice and early at Magnuson Park for the Run Like A Mother 5k!  A friend of mine had gifted me an extra entry, so I figured it was a great chance to get another race in as part of my half-marathon training. 

We got there a bit early so we hung out and gave Cullen another round on the baby swings. 

It was a great spot to have a family race – so many kids climbing and swinging all over the playground!

And then just before 9, I left Cullen and Casey and headed to the starting line.  One of my mom friends – Katie – ran the race with me, so we lined up and got ready for the race to start!

I didn’t really have a plan or a goal for the race, since I’m really just now starting to get back into running and speed work.  My hope was to break 30 minutes, which seemed realistic.  Katie and I started out in the middle of the pack, but quickly realized it was a narrow course and there were a lot of walkers.  We darted in and out and ended up running in the grass for a bit to make our way up to a pace that felt more comfortable.

My goal was to run around a 9:00 mile for the first mile or two, and then go all out from there.  It was so nice running with a friend!  Katie and I ran side by side and chatted about running, baby food, Seattle, and more.  It was a strange course – much more like trail running than I had expected.  Over half of the course was on gravel, and parts were even on grass.  At one point we had to run across wood boards over a big muddy pond!  So considering the terrain, I was pretty happy to be keeping up a good pace.

Right around the 2-mile marker, I decided I was going to go all out and give it everything I had.  I tried to ignore my watch and just focus on my stride and my breath.  I rounded the corner and was shocked to see that my time was much faster than expected.  I ended up finishing in 26:04 – an 8:22 average page!  I know my first miles were closer to the 9:00 range, so that last mile must have been speedy!

I was on cloud nine afterward.  It felt so good to have a redeeming run after struggling so much during the half marathon.  And I am so thrilled to have a running and racing buddy here in Seattle!

It’s so nice to have a friend pushing a stroller next to you, who understands the logistics of running with a baby.  And it was fun to come around the corner and see our husbands cheering!

After the race, Casey and I headed to brunch at Sunlight Café – a cute little vegetarian spot in Seattle’s Roosevelt neighborhood.  We started with fancy goblets of kombucha…

I got the Huevos Picante – a whole wheat breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs and salsa, baked with enchilada sauce and served with black beans, home fries, and guacamole.  YUM!

Casey got the Sunlight Vegettable Tofu Scramble – mixed vegetables & organic tofu in a garlic-ginger sauce, served with home fries & half 7-grain organic english muffin, with a lemon-tahini sauce on the side. 

Back at home we all took long naps – Cullen in his crib, Casey on the couch, and me in a lounge chair in the backyard.  All our favorite spots!

We wrapped up our day at Juanita Beach Park, where we went for a 4 mile walk exploring some of the surrounding areas and trails along the waterfront.

We used the maps on our phones to navigate down a steep hill toward another little hidden waterfront spot – Kiwanis Park.  Good thing we have an all-terrain stroller – it was steep and all gravel!

But once we got down there it felt like a little hidden paradise.  Hidden beaches with Lake Washington splashing right onto the shore. 

Absolutely gorgeous.

It was exactly what I had hoped for – a gorgeous day in the city that I love so much, with the family that I couldn’t possible love more.  While I know Mother’s Day is supposed to be a celebration and day of thanks for moms,  I spent most of my day thinking about how grateful and thankful I feel to have this privilege. 

While I certainly don’t need a special day to make me feel like I’m doing a good job, it is nice to know that all the dirty diapers, midnight feedings, and hard work I put into this role are appreciated.  Many thanks to my two favorite boys for giving me such a wonderful day!

I’ve been reading and mapping, trying to figure out some spots we might like near our new house.  This past Friday was the opening night of the Juanita Friday Market, and so it was our first trip to Juanita Beach!

Casey was able to take the bus directly to the beach from work, so Cullen and I packed up and met him there.  He surprised me by showing up with Mother’s Day flowers!  What a sweet way to kick off a great weekend (pictured below once I got them home!).

The beach and park area has a really cool walkway that extends out into Lake Washington over the water.

The beach had lots of families and kids – swimming, digging in the sand, and sleeping on blankets.  Such a great spot for a sunny day!

I imagine Cullen and I will be taking lots of walks here this summer.  We will wave to downtown Seattle in the distance!

The park also has a huge playground, and we decided to give Cullen his first ride in the baby swings!

He wasn’t so sure at first, so we started off slow. 

But within minutes he was cracking up and loving it. 

I know I say it all the time, but he really does just keep getting more and more fun.  For so long I had looked forward to him being able to enjoy things like this, and now that it’s finally happening, it’s even better than I could have imagined. 

Once the swings were old news, we checked out the market.  It was small, but I have a feeling it will get bigger later in the summer.  A good mix of crafts, food, produce, and other artists.

Casey and I were both already hungry for dinner, and we were excited when we saw this giant pile of veggies grilling…

Patty Pan Grill had good veggie options, as well as cute healthy messages geared toward kids – loved it!

Vegan bean tamales with grilled vegetables.  Out of this world.  Already looking forward to next Friday so I can eat this again!

A great way to start our first weekend in our new ‘hood.  It’s fun to have all the places we already know and love in Seattle, as well as new parks and spaces to find in Kirkland.  Back soon with our Mother’s Day fun!

This simple rice bowl combines a few of my favorite things – kale, lentils, and coconut.  I know coconut is one of those love it or hate it types of flavors.  I personally can’t get enough.  It tastes like summer!