Toddler Favorites

I don't know about other toddlers, but my one definitively prefers her plate to be organized and her food to be separated. Like; in this case, the fishcakes can not touch the ketchup - until she herself dips it in. The vegetables cannot touch any of the other bits either. And if we are having pasta and sauce, the sauce and the pasta must also never meet until Nahla actually makes them herself. Enter this genius plate this clever mama bought in Paris last weekend. I love when things make me and Nahla equally happy - like here; I am happy because she will actually eat this whole meal - and she is happy because she, the little control-freak-in-the-making, can do so with her food still clean and pure from one another! Score!

Thai Tot

My little munchkin is getting more adventurous with food by the day - and I'm loving it. Thursday night we went out to YaYa's, one of my favorite Thai restaurants in Oslo, and Nahla surprised both BF and myself by scoffing most of what we let her have a taste of. Which rocked my world! I love love love the fact that she is not one of these kids who are afraid to try stuff. Thai? Done. Now; I'm going to have to get her weaned on sushi!

I Have A Secret Obsession...

Larabars. Oh My God. So so yum. And 100 % natural. So sugar. No dairy. No additives. No gluten. No nasties. Just raw fruit and nuts and juices pressed together into a little bar of perfect yumminess. Larabars are my sweet treat - without the guilt! The come in lots of flavors - I LOVE banana bread, pecan pie and key lime pie - and if you knew me well, you'd know that there is ALWAYS one lurking in my handbag.

And the best bit? Nahla LOVES them too and thinks that these are sweets! This really warms my heart as I am above average interested in food and health and I so want my princess to love healthy food that nourishes and protects and not fall into the junk-and-sugar trap. If you want some serious and hilariously well written info about how to eat good stuff, avoid junk and generally learn more about why we should put good foods into our bodies, you should read the Skinny Bitch books by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. I first read the Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven book when I was pregnant and LOVED it. Far from being the diet book it sounds like, it really teaches you what is really lurking in the foods we eat on a daily basis and what this is doing to ourselves, our babies and the world around us. Powerful important stuff!


Enough of the lecturing (although, seriously, get on Amazon and order a copy, you will NOT regret it!)

Larabars (which you can order from here) are so yummy I would eat them whether they were healthy or not. The fact that they are is just a big fat yummy healthy bonus!

Tapas Tot

"Yum, Mummy; these patatas bravas are just soo nice! Uh-oh; all gone!" Needless to say Nahla is not in any way scared of trying new stuff in the food department, and today as we relaxed with friends and tapas at The Market Bar, she ended up eating nearly Mummy's whole portion of potatoes!

Organix Is Upping Their Game...

.... and we're liking it! I HEART that here is a company that makes healthy, yummy, organic food for babies and toddlers on the go, so easy to throw in your bag when out and about, and then if feeding time approaches, instead of having to grab something less healthy as you have a screaming hungry child, you can give them something fulfilling, nutritious and down right yum! Keep up the good work, Organix people!

The Green One...

... is the best one! According to Nahla anyway! And what is even more perfect, she even likes it just as a little squeeze into her morning porridge too- meaning a slightly sweeter and fruitier bowl of porridge- and yet no nasties! LIKE!

Fury...

... when I don't get to pour the lovely tomato chicken stew all over the floor, like I want to. Mummy shudders to think what I will be like at two...

Speaking Of Food...

... THIS is how happy a HIPP dinner will make you! (Note: This was tonight- for the record, sometimes dinner time makes her VERY unhappy- regardless if I am serving the exact same thing that made her jump with joy the previous time she had it! Babies are very complicated creatures!)

Currently Reading...

... and being VERY inspired too. To those who know me, my obsession with healthy food and nutrition and comes as no surprise really. In college, the majority of my papers were on food and health, the secrets of the food industry and other topics in this genre. I am an avid reader of books regarding this issue. (Nutrition for Dummies, Skinny Bitch, The Kind Diet, SuperMat and Food is Better Medicine Than Drugs anyone?!) I WITHOUT EXCEPTION read the back of every item of food I buy. If at all possible, I choose organic. I avoid E-numbers, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, white over-processed flour products. I try to avoid cows-milk as much as possible. I try to cram as many Superfoods into my daily diet as I can and I LOVE Gillian McKeith. Told you; totally obsessive!

Food is a long and complex issue- especially after becoming a mother and suddenly finding myself responsible for my baby's health, well-being and life-long relationship with food. I try and make sure Nahla eats only organic. I want her to love and enjoy her food, and- in time- be aware and mindful about what she is eating and why. I want her to grow to love fruit and vegetables and all things good for her. But- and this is important- I know that I will never want her never to have treats. To not be able to go to birthday parties and have cupcakes and candy. Or to bake with me and lick the bowl of icing. Life is all about balance- and as the saying goes, it's not what you eat between Christmas and New Years that matters, it's what you eat between New Years and Christmas that does. And I know- and believe wholeheartedly- that if you eat lovely fresh healthy good-for-you food 80% of the time, the 20% doesn't really have an impact on your body and health. And as well, the more lovely food you treat your body to, the less crap you are going to want to shove in your mouth.

Anyway, I am sure there will be many more posts regarding this close-to-my-heart issue, tips, ideas, recipes and more, but for now, I just wanted to recommend this book to everyone that wants to learn a bit more about the raw-food movement, try out some very yummy recipes and just, maybe, try and substitute your nightly Jaffa cakes or Oreos for something a tad more healthy- and yum!

New Breakfast Favorites...

... here chez Mummy and Nahla, is SKYR (a sort of thick protein-rich yoghurt) and organic green chai tea for big people, and new Organix Banana and Raisin porridge for little people. YUM!

More New Flavours

It's so hard to believe that come Tuesday, my little munchkin will be 10 months old!! How did this happen? How did this first year slip in, days flying by in a blur of baby and bottles and boobs and a lot of travel?! So much has happened, so many skills, so much development, so so much love.

It's almost hard to keep up with babies this age, as everyday seem to offer something new. Today it was lunch. Because for the very first time we bought- and ate- a dish labeled "From 10 months". Long gone are the days of just plain porridge. Or pureed banana. Today my little munchkin had organic aubergine and sweet red pepper provencal from yummy Plum Organics. And it went down a treat, let me tell you. Clearly Nahla was ready to embrace some new flavors, because she finished every little bit. And made Mummy proud!

I love the selection of baby food available here in Ireland, so much better than Norway. I love that even when I resort to buying her dinner, I can make sure she is eating only organic- a matter very close to my health-conscious heart!

Messy Business

Mummy thinks I manage to make an awful lot of mess when I eat- so last night she made me have my yoghurt in the bathtub!

My Breakfast Is YUM!

Now let me show you how much I LOVE my breakfast- I EATED IT ALL UP! PS: Today was PLUM Super Porridge day- and Mummy mashed some banana in too!

Feed Me, Mummy!

Nahla was most definitively having an "eating day" today- as opposed to the days where she is not interested in food what so ever and sleep/play/making a mess is at the top of her agenda. But today it was food. Food, food and more food. Anything pretty much would do, as long as she could eat it. And this evening, after having had not only her own dinner, but also parts of mine (salmon, spinach and sweet potato- yum!), she managed to dive into my handbag, get out a packet of Ella's Kitchen Baby Brekkie (the mango one), and just sat there clutching it until I realized she actually wanted to eat it- and fed my poor starving child! And now, fed (a lot!) bathed, read to, cuddled and kissed, my little pumpkin princess is catching her z's and dreaming of raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens! Night, xoxo

Breakfast Baby

While Mummy is having (yet another) bowl of quinoa porridge, Munchkin is having some spelt bread with organic ham! Told you she was a strange one with food! And for the record, she is totally posing in this picture- as she was screaming with joy a mere two seconds earlier! My little drama queen!

Spoon-Lickingly Good!

Yesterday Nahla was having yet another one of her infamous hunger-strikes. Nothing- and I mean NOTHING I gave her seemed to do the trick. Ella's Kitchen- pretty much the entire range? No way. HIPP yoghurts? Nada. Some rice and tomato sauce? Nope. But then, as we were icing the cupcakes for the baby shower, my little 6-year old cousin let Nahla have a little taste from her spoon. And to say she liked it would be an understatement. My little sweet-tooth tot! She opened her little mouth with great anticipation when Therese's spoon was approaching- and literally lit up with joy when she was allowed to hold the bowl and poke around with her sticky little fingers! Don't worry, I am well aware that icing for dinner is not going to work going forward. But today, we let it slide!

Meal Time Magic

Having discovered the really cute baby products by French company BEABA when in Paris earlier this summer, I had yet to learn about the amazing invention that is the BEABA Babycook. Seriously, this little magic-machine will turn even the most reluctant of domestic goddesses into kitchen wizards in one-two-three! Apparently no French (yummy) Mummy would be caught dead without one. And for sure, the French know their stuff! This one-of-a-kind, patented little countertop appliance functions as both a steamer, blender, warmer and defroster to help you prepare fresh, healthy and yummy meals for baby. We like. It quickly steam cooks vegetables, fruits and meats in 15 minutes or less, all the while preserving their vitamins and flavors. Even better. The easy-to-use buttons let you puree and blend food to the desired consistency making it super smooth, chunky or anywhere in between. Now, that says it all really, M.U.S.T H.A.V.E! Plus, the slightly organic cool shape of the thing totally matches the cool "grass mat" bottle drying rack I brought home from Paris! Martha Stewart, watch your back!


(All images from here)

OUR town!

Much as being home in the north of Norway with Bestemor and Bestefar was very nice and very relaxing, I think both Mummy and Nahla enjoyed being back in Oslo again. Today we headed downtown for some much needed sunshine, a lovely latte, take-away lunch from Bagel & Juice and a spot of retail therapy too- just to celebrate our return to shops! Nahla's hunger strike has now officially ended, she could not get enough today, first of her own HIPP blueberry yoghurt, then some of Mummy's cream cheese bagel too. I never thought the sight of a baby eating- and making a mess at that- would make me filled with pure joy, but there you go; motherhood does strange and wonderful things to you!

The Face Of Determination

This is what pure determination look like- for sure. "I will not eat, I will not eat, I will not eat!" And after figuring out that the reason I was trying to make her laugh was so I could shove a spoon in her mouth, Nahla has even learnt to laugh with her lips sealed shut- amazing!

New Food Habits

As Nahla's hunger strike is still somewhat ongoing- some days are worse than others, and by worse I mean less food in baby, more food on Mummy/floor/clothes- I am currently favoring the somewhat flaky approach of "whatever, whenever". Meaning that instead of the semi-strict routines we had on her meals prior to the strike, I am now happy as long as she eats anything- and at anytime. Yes, I know I will most definitively return to our routines once this phase comes to an end, as I am totally dependent on routines myself and like to be prepared, knowing what is going to happen next, but for the time being, this works. I still think it's a teething thing. Another tooth came through the other day, meaning there is now a total of 6 teeth in my little darlings mouth- with number 7 right around the corner by the look of it. And while all this is happening, and Nahla is still refusing most of the stuff she used to LOVE, like anything from Ella's Kitchen, most of the food from HIPP and all of the stuff I made myself, I have decided that I- for the time being- have to throw all my stricter-than-strict food rules out the window. So yesterday, when out for Saturday café lunch with my parents, Nahla's grandparents, when my dad offered my princess a french fry- and she seemed to want it- I just closed my eyes and tried to forget about the unsaturated fat content- and focused on enjoying the fact that my little love ate the whole thing! And then another one! And then she had a little taste of Mummy's milkshake and loved that too. Little sugar-plum-fairy that she is. The saving grace- at least- was that for her evening meal she had 1/2 pear, lots of watermelon and then a rice cake. All is well that ends well, as they say!