Carbaholics rejoice: the slider

It is no secret that I enjoy carbs. Actually, I would class myself as a carbaholic. I do love my bread, especially English muffins with peanut butter, occasionally topped with a sprinkling of chocolate chips. (I am also a chocoholic as well). And it looks like darling daughter is following in my footsteps as she will constantly say "bun, bun" or "toast, toast" when we are eating dinner. She wants either the bun we are eating or a piece of bread.

I don't usually blog about products but I'd be lax in mentioning to any fellow carbaholics out there about a new product by President's Choice. The company recently launched its new product slider thins, which are mini-burger buns. Although I'd be all about mini-burgers if I wasn't watching my red meat intake these days, these slider thins are ingenious. They are a wonderful for toddlers. Not too big, and not too small. Just perfect for little hands. When darling daughter is saying "bun, bun" or "toast, toast" I usually give her a slider. I bought this bag on Friday and as you can see, we only have four left. They've been a hit.

They are also perfect for adults in helping fulfill their carb cravings. Two buns are 110 calories. Top one bun with your choice of cream cheese, along with a side of fruit, and you are good to go.

Watch out for green beans

Before children, I always wondered how kids got crayons, food and other items stuck up their nose. At the time, I snickered at the thought. A crayon stuck up a nostril? As if. How does that even happen?

Well, karma can be a bitch. And what you thought was funny before having kids, don't seem so amusing when you do have them in your life. This evening at dinner, darling daughter was more interested in playing with her food than eating it. At one point, she stuck a green bean up her left nostril and it got stuck. Dear husband attempted to get it out and darling daughter began panic and cry. He started to get frustrated that he couldn't fish the green bean out of her nose. Thoughts of taking a panicky, sobbing toddler to the emergency room with a green bean stuck up her nose started fill my head. Luckily, I have more nimble fingers than dear husband's and I was able to rescue the green bean in question. Who knew, that cut up green beans could fit so perfectly in a toddler's nose?

Sadly, for dear daughter, we had a chuckle at her expense. We were more relieved than anything else. Poor little chicken. Gotta watch out for those green beans. They can be dangerous.

Being eaten out of house and home

I didn't think the teenage years started, well, until the teenage years. I thought I'd update my readers on the baby food making situation. About a month ago, I ditched the purees for finger foods. (No more baby cubes for this kid, except for the ones that have been forgotten in my freezer). Except for the mess they leave on the highchair tray and seat, finger foods have made life a lot easier. No more feeding darling daughter with a spoon. No more screaming baby when I hit the puree button on the blender. Yes, meal time has been a lot easier and quieter with the introduction of non-mushy food.

But lately, it seems like dear husband and I are always running to the grocery store to stock up the refrigerator. The above photo shows a sampling of some of the food I bought today. Darling daughter is a cheese fiend. I can't keep enough of it in the house. We buy cheese by the bricks. Blueberries are the best finger foods ever. All you have to do is wash and serve. Although we have yet to try peppers, they will complement the quiche I hope to make for her later this week. (We are having an issue with meat. Darling daughter doesn't like it. Therefore, I'm searching for other meat alternatives).

But holy moley, it seems like our food supply in the refrigerator is dwindling on a constant basis. Tonight I spent $70 at the store, and most of that food will go towards sustaining darling daughter's energy levels. I'm not complaining, but I am amazed at how much food a 13 month old can pack away. On the weekend we went to a birthday party. As the dutiful mother that I am, I fed her before we went. While we were there, she packed away several cubes of fruit, had a bit of pasta salad and couldn't get enough of a hamburger bun. And this was on top of the fact that she had only eaten an hour before.

In the last month I have become a master chopper of cheese, plums, strawberries, watermelon, grapes, honey dew melon, cantaloupe, nectarines. Cheerios are a big hit. Sometimes I sneak in vegetables. (It is a work in progress). Yes, finger foods are easier. But it seems like we are making a lot more trips to the grocery store, though.