Another Crazy Monday

As a result of the excessive work of searching, applying and interviewing for jobs, I have built up a huge list of things to do, as well as lacked the time to go to the gym and exercise, lacked time to spend with Amerie and pretty much left me slightly stressed, sluggish and feeling guilty. So not only have I been doing Monday cleaning duties, I also have been playing catch up! Thankfully, though, I was able to go to the gym and so I feel more energized again and I did tackle of few tasks, but I’ll be working on that all week..I know it..uh!! Along with all that, I’m getting super anxious as I wait for a phone call on whether or not I got the job up north so I still have my fingers crossed and I’m still praying that I get it!! I need it and I want it soo bad!! It will be such a positive life change for my family and I!

So this morning Tim and I got up super early and I packed his lunch and made him some breakfast and I had a need for some French toast but of course, what would be my side…weirdly I wanted frozen fruit..I began freezing fruit for several reasons: one, I always made homemade baby food so they were great to have to grab and defrost for a delectable baby mush, for finger foods, or to put in teethers. Two, freshly frozen fruit is great for smoothies and Amerie and I love making smoothies..enough said! And three, whenever we buy a bulk of fruit or my fruit begins to ripen before I can make it into a meal, I go ahead and peel, slice and freeze to use later on and I love to eat frozen fruit. I find that eating them frozen brings out more of the flavor, so yeah..I have a bunch of frozen fruit downstairs so I figured hey that sounds good! And it was delicious…of course, they soon began to defrost and which left a pool full of sweet fruit juice, giving my crispy French toast something to soak up and enjoy! As for Amerie, I actually made her French toast with cinnamon swirl bread (which left the house smelling so warm and cozy), some berry yogurt and sliced grapes and blueberries.

For Lunch, I made a Hummus, Tofu (Tempeh really) and Cucumber Wrap found in my borrowed Skinny B Cookbook. I subbed the tofu for the recipe required tempeh but it came out an absolute surprise. I guess the mixture of the creamy hummus and the little bit of balsamic vinaigrette had me feeling like I was eating a creamy Caesar wrap..it was such a shocking surprise and after I realized how good it was, I was sad to find most of my wrap already gone, so I savored every bite, dwelling in the yet another flavor I have longed to taste once more. On the side, some leftover red beans tossed in mango salsa and topped with sour cream and some cantaloupe. As for Amerie, I made her chicken the same way I made my tofu and made her a simple hummus and chicken wrap, a salad of tomato, mozzarella and cucumbers tossed in balsamic vinaigrette and some cantaloupe chunks. Unfortunately, today was one of those days when nap time interrupted with lunch time and I soon turned around to find Amerie drifting away in dream land in her highchair. I wasn’t able to catch a pic because she woke back up again and so I decided to get her out and into bed while she was still tired and half asleep…because for most toddler, if you don’t get them in for nap when they’re tired and sleepy, you will soon find them wound up, doubly energized, slightly cranky and very resistant to any form of rest for at least another hour or two and as I brought her upstairs she was beginning that stage but I got her back to sleep just in time! Whew!

She slept for a good while, giving me time to get some things done..once she awoke we headed on to the gym which was a refresher for her and I cause we both walked out happy and energized. As for dinner, a simple meal: We all had boneless pork chops, diced then sauteed and seasoned with simple salt and pepper, or for me , a boca cut into strips and “fried” til crispy all around, baked potatoes and corn on the cob buttered with a sprinkle of lime juice, salt and cilantro..mmmm a hearty American meal. Amerie threw down on the baked potatoes, her new love I guess, and not only had her dinner, but she ate the rest of her marinated mozzarella from lunch, a small black plum and four mini Nutter butter cookies and milk for dessert! Lemme tell you, this girl can eat…and of course, it was all of her current addictions: potatoes, plums, cheese and peanut butter! She's a growing toddler with a very weird appetite!

As a conclusion...Another busymaking day…Any tips on how to rest =-)