French Toast – Bam!
I don’t know if it’s a craving for a blend of eggs and carbs for breakfast or what, but I am just loving this combo!!
Cinnamon Swirl topped with seared banana, coconut and Barney Butter. Yay.
Today was my first day back to PUMP CHALLENGE! Unlike what some of you first guessed, this was not a breast pumping issue. It was my return to my Body-Pump-like class at the gym. It’s like Body Pump only that we use the same equipment, but Chris doesn’t let us stop for a rest, and we do a lot more boot camp style lifting than real Body Pump does.
The class was hard, but it has always been hard. What I found most interesting-yet-not-surprising was that the exercises I modified during pregnancy (abs, chest) were hard and the ones I didn’t (shoulders, triceps) were just about the same as they were 2 months ago. Guess keeping up for those 9 months paid off in some places.
Mazen enjoyed kids’ zone (as evidenced by another nap) and I took advantage of the babysitting and showered at the gym.
Then we raced home, nursed, and went out to meet Karen for some Thanksgiving grocery shopping and errand running. Her car was being repaired, so we spent the day together. Shopping and baby watching are more efficient with two!
{Annnnd the rest of this post is all phone photos – giant camera + diaper bag are not compatible!}
First, lunch at Whole Foods. I had a great salad with lots of veggies, chickpeas, some grain-based salads, a curried fish, a potato and PLANTAINS! <—dessert!
After we stocked up on some essentials, we headed to Tradeeeeeeeeeeer Joe’s!! Wheee!
It was busy and Maze was itchy, so I didn’t get the full experience, but I spotted some of my favorites!
Karen and I also shared this for dessert, but it was surprisingly disappointing. Didn’t have much flavor at all!
Maze didn’t know what to think about TJs…
Bor-ING mom!
We headed back to Karen’s to drop off the groceries and nurse and then to the bakery to pick up Matt and then to TOYOTA
Where we jumped up and down in our car outfit because…
We are now the proud owners of a Toyota Highlander!!! I could not be more excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a much-needed yet very big and scary purchase. I’m planning to do a follow up to my Kia Sorento post on BERF on why we chose the Highlander. Bottom line: it had the most bells and whistles, the best reputation, was the right size for our needs and had the best drive.
We wanted to test out our new wheels, so the three of us went out to dinner to celebrate. We chose somewhere couldn’t walk: Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie, a famous pizza establishment.
Glass cup of vino
An excellent spinach salad that Karen and I shared. The spiced pecans were the best part – and lucky me I have some at home!
We shared a pizza with Italian sausage, portabella mushrooms and kalamata olives. It was a salt explosion, but oh-so-good. Whole wheat crust!
Doodlebug (Karen’s nickname that I can’t stop using) was well behaved in his father’s arms.
And on the way home, I discovered the Broadway station on satellite radio (we get a 3 month trial).
CATS was on first followed by Beauty and the Beast – yesssss!
{ 119 comments… read them below or add one }
Congrats on the new vehicle. I’m a Honda girl myself (on my 2nd Accord now), but Toyota makes a nice car, too.
This morning I made eggs and toast with honey, and right as the eggs were done cooking, I thought, “Damn! I should have made French toast!”
Maybe tomorrow morning.
The Broadway Station! I’d be in heaven. Congrats on the new car!
I think I’d move to the US just for Trader Joes!! Sigh.
Your boy looks so much like you in some photos! Glad to see life as a mum is treating you well Kath
x
Congrats! I am turning 33 soon and have YET to buy my own car, always had hand-me downs. I bet that was super exciting!! Also your phone pics look great!
Maze will grow to appreciate TJ’s, I’m sure!
My boyfriend had a Toyota Highlander for years and then when it came time to replace it, he decided on a 2nd one! He loves it and it’s very fun for me to drive too — great car!! Congratulations Kath, Matt and Mazen on your new purchase!
You’ve just reminded me I have pumpkin butter in the pantry! Also THANK YOU for also thinking that cookie butter candy bar is basically overrated. I said that once and people thought I was a weirdo. The chocolate overpowered the cookie butter and it wasn’t worth the calories to me, I’d just have each separately and call it a day.
Yay for your new set of wheels!
Love it! Toyota makes such a great vehicle. We have a Toyota 4Runner and love it! I can’t believe how big Mazen is getting either – what a cutie!
Maze looks so big in the pictures with Karen!! Even though I don’t know you, it’s fun to watch Mazen grow since he is just one week older than my little Benny!
Congrats on the new car!
Doodlebug – LOVE it!
YAY!!!! You will be soooo happy with Toyota. I just got a new Venza, and we have had toyota’s in our family for years! They run forever, the maintence care package is awesome, and they are just the best! So happy for you three
New baby new car new TJs. Life is amazing huh?!?
What a great looking SUV! Congrats on the new purchase. I hate shopping for cars! So stressful! We bought a new car at the beginning of the year only to have it hit and totaled two weeks later. Then I had to go back and shop more! :/ Looking forward to your review!
Congratulations on the new car! Maze is such a cutie
I’ve been reading and hearing about individuals who lost weight on a diet of only eating at starbucks/mcdonalds/chiptole and I was curious to hear your thoughts. Is it really just calories in v. calories out to loose weight or does it really matter the type of food we eat too?
Obviously, eating real whole foods gives you energy and good health that fast foods cannot, not to mention there is unhealthy fat linked to eating an unhealthy diet but in terms to strict weight loss does it really matter what a person eats?
It seems this topic has been on the news and online lately and I would love to hear an RD perspective.
Thanks Kath! Wishing you a beautiful Tuesday with your cute little one
It is just calories in versus calories out. But you’re right there are so many other factors to consider that equal more than weight alone. There are some healthy options at a restaurant too . But it would be 1 expensive diet.
Ever seen the documentary Fathead? It somewhat focused on the calories in, calories out notion. I do not agree with the documentary, but it’s interesting!
You’ve motivated me to try out your spiced pecans this week! Fun post!!
I was disappointed with that chocolate bar too! You should try the dark chocolate salted caramel coconut one next time – crazy good!
All sorts of awesome on this post! Tjs, babies and new cars oh my! My noahbug loves tjs and the great harvest next to it might i add. When he was about 5 mo old, we were checking out at tjs and he began giggling at the sound of the beeps while we were being rung up! It was priceless. Now (18mo) he sits in the cart waving at everyone and kissing his baby bro in the moby. At great harvest, we always try something new. Without fail, the second he takes a bite of bread or sweet he proclaims “mmmmmmmmmm”. Love it!!
Congratulations!!!
Glad you made it to Trader Joe’s and got some yummy smoked trout! That speculoos bar looks amazing. Too bad it wasn’t that great.
Congrats on a new car! It was really exciting when I got my new-to-me car last spring, so I feel your excitement.
You are going to love having a Toyota!! We have the Rav 4 and Camry and oh my goodness best cars ever! Toyota is so reputable and you can literally drive the wheels off their cars.
Purchasing a new car is so exciting and scary at the same time! Have fun!
I think you mean the four of you went to dinner? Is that a new or used highlander. My mom
drives the hybrid version and loves it.
Can’t wait to hear why you chose the Toyota Highlander over the Honda Pilot… my husband and I have been looking at these two for MONTHS! Someday we’ll make our move and actually buy one. Congrats on the new car!
The push button ignition and touch unlock handles put the Highlander in front for this mom who hates keys. We did love the Pilot though.
Kath – have you ever considered CrossFit? Just wondering
I don’t think it’s for me. I’m sure I would get injured! Plus it’s too expensive with my gym membership, which I would never give up for its variety and childcare. But I’m sure it’s an excellent workout.
Love Doodlebug! Still call my 16 year old that, along with Kendallboosky, Kendallboo, Boopeedoo, KKBoo, Boo, KK, and Peanut. Just can’t help the nicknames with her-and she’s used to it-she responds to all of the above!
HIGHLANDER for the WIN!!
So happy you made this choice- we love ours!
Congrats on your new Highlander! Toyota is a great car and will last a long time. Enjoy it! Is the color black or blue?
Love the Doodlebug nickname.
Black : )
Nice! Good choice.:)
Congrats on your new purchase!
Congratulations on your new car!!! I’ve heard good things about that car, and I’m really just an SUV fan in general!
Gotta politely object on the Speculoos- LOVE those things. I’m not a big fan of Speculoos in general, but I totally love the dark chocolate combo.
Congrats on the car. I always hate the car buying process (and payments), but it feels so good once you take off from the lot with it!
Maybe my bar was bad/old?
I’ve tried it before too and didn’t like it, even though I love the cookie butter spread on its own from T Joes! Different taste preferences I guess.. I just schmear some cookie butter onto pieces of dark chocolate instead : )
I didn’t like it either. I was expecting it to be more like gooey thicker cookie butter in the bar, but was a thin, bland smear
You’re the first person I’ve heard say they didn’t like the speculoos! It’s my favorite!
Well in general I loooove it but the speculoos in this chocolate bar tasted like cardboard
Doh!
I just tried that chocolate bar with the cookie stuff inside from TJs for the first time this weekend – and I loved it! I’m definitely not a chocolate connoisseur though, so my taste buds may not be the most discerning!
I love doodlebug! Much sweeter than “Stinky”
My husband had a Toyota Highlander ages ago, and after a year he realized it was too much car for just us. He traded it in for a Honda Civic! We love the low gas mileage and of course the safety (we dislike SUVs because of their tendency to rollover – my husband’s a firefighter and has since seen too many injuries/deaths from rollerovers to drive an SUV again). We also have a used Subaru Outback for moving large things and hauling our canoe, and the low center of gravity is much safer. It’s more than big enough for us + our baby, and although it has higher MPG than our Civic we don’t drive it very often (we use the Civic for most of our driving).
GREAT choice, Kathy! My mom had her 1st Toyota Highlander for over 10 years & just decided she wanted an upgrade and got the same one as you! But her first one was still going strong! And I looooove my new Matrix! Toyota is the best all around!
I love highlanders! For us, it was between that and the Murano, and we ended up with the Murano.
That pizza place looks amazing! Yay for wine! How many glasses can you have when breastfeeding?
It depends on a lot of individual factors, but I stick to one
Congrats on the Highlander! Mine has 200K miles and is still going strong! Will prob get another Highlander or 4Runner when the time comes. We’re a Toyota family
That car = wicked cool. Congrats
I have a blogger ? for you if you have a second! I am almost out of photo space on my blog (I blog with wordpress but have my own domain) and it wants me to purchase a space upgrade which is rather pricey! Do you know of a way to extend your space and allow more photos without breaking the bank?
Other than making sure your photos are compared before upload (windows live gallery can do that) or moving to a self host, I don’t..
Okay, thanks anyway!
If I may jump in…you could also consider hosting photos with a different service (I use Flickr Pro, which is only $25/yr). It’s also good because if you don’t back up your blog files, which is a totally separate process from baking up your database, you could lose *everything* if you crash or are hacked. I think that’s what happened to CNC’s Tina a few years ago. I’m a huge proponent of backing up your sites anyway (I think I have written at least five posts on why and how!) but Flickr also makes it easier to organize your photos.
If you do that, you just embed your image files in your posts, so there is no hit against your storage space.
Congrats on the new car! I’m a huge fan of Toyotas. I have had my Corolla for 9 years now, and I still love it
YAY for a new car!! Can’t wait to hear more about it!
Glad you decided on the Highlander. We’ve been very happy with ours!
Congrats on the Highlander! I have a black 2011 one and love it!
Congrats on the new ride! Fancy stuff! We’re in the search in the next year most likely for something about the same size. My husband is a huge toyota fan so chances are that’s what we’ll end up with too…
Did you drive the Mazda SUV? That is the one I am considering most. lol, we shall see who wins.
Neither of us liked the Mazda sadly. Just little things that we didn’t like like the seat comfort
congrats on the new car…very cute!
Congrats on the new car! How exciting
I’ve heard great things about Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie! My boyfriend will be in Cville for Thanksgiving weekend and we were thinking of getting pizza one night – would you recommend Blue Mountain Brewery (which you’ve raved about before) or Dr. Ho’s??
Blue mountain hands down, but Dr ho’s is really good too
Thanks, we’ll definitely check it out!
Is this 2012/ 2013? We are interested in one too,and trying to decide!!!
’13, although I don’t think there is much difference
Toyotas are great. I love trader joes it seems to be much cheaper than whole diosa. Even though i love them both!
Congrats on the new car, how fun. I listen to a Broadway station on Pandora and LOVE cats, saw it live when I was about 10.
Wow Mr. Maze has gotten so big. ; )
Yay! Congrats on the new ride!
Congrats on the car!! And yum on the Whole Foods
.
Haha I think Maze is going to grow up at TJ’s
And that’s awesome!
Eeeew, I hate the speculoos bar with the spread in the middle! You so hit it on the head, it’s very disappointing. BEWARE not to get the spread in the jar, it tastes like uncooked spiced dough, which may sound good but it’s really not. Better to stick with Biscoff I’ve found.
I thinkBiscoff is the best too
Congrats on the shiny new car!
YAY!!! So glad you got the Highlander. I read your post about you being in the market for a new ride. I wanted to post a comment about the Highlander but never got around to it. We just purchased our second one in April. Love, love, love it. I would of kept driving the old one but it had over 90,000miles on it and hubby said it was time to trade it. Never had one single complaint with the old one and am loving the new one. Who doesn’t love a new car!? So congrats and enjoy it!
P.S your son is darling!
i’ve been reading for years and this is my first comment! congrats on the new ride and most importantly mr mazen – he’s stealing the show! so cute …how do you think the spiced pecan recipe would do with say walnuts or almonds?
Thanks for your comment! I think it would definitely work with other nuts. Maybe the ones with more nooks and.crannies better than almonds
Hi Kath,
Just wanted to stop in and say congrats on the new ride
I am expecting my first child in March and we got the Highlander ’12 in anticipation of our little one. I like the fact that it has room but doesn’t feel like you’re driving a monster. You’re going to love it! And yes, there is no difference between ’12 and ’13. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!
Oooh. Congratulations on the new car! So exciting!
Car is gorgeous! Hella jealous! I want to see more pics
! I almost bought trader joe’s pumpkin butter on amazon just to get it to Ireland..is it worth it?
Only if you don’t have any other pumpkin butter available there
i adore trader joes pumpkin butter and send it to all my friends who cant get to it as part of their christmas gift. ive had about all of them, and TJs is the best!
Love the highlander! I drive one as well. Fits 2 kids, the dog, bikes, camping gear, love it love it. Also spent 2 years living in Mexico and drove it there too! Congrats!
Congrats on the new car! Definitely adds some excitement to getting in the car for awile!
Delurking to say that your baby is way.too.cute. As much as I like seeing beautiful food, I loveeee seeing pictures of Mazen! Adorbs.
BTW that french toast looks amazing!!! You can check out some good recipes on my blog!
Congrats on the new car! So exciting! I’m still in “new car” heaven with my (pre-owned) Jetta and I bought it in April or May! ha!
Congratulations on the new car, a friend who is a mechanic said “if everyone drove a Toyota, we would be out of a job” he was advising me back in 2000…… with limited budget I bought a used 1995 hatchback Toyota Carolla, it is serviced regularly and is still going strong . I am still happy with it and will replace it soon (with another Toyota) ONLY because it has no airbags and I often have my Grandsons in the car now.
17 years old and never misses a beat, gotta love a car that is so reliable.
Yay!!!! Congrats girl! I have two kids and would give anything for an suv. It will be so useful!
I am on my 4th Toyota (drive over 100 miles a day, every day except Sunday) and have loved them ALL! No bells and whistles with my minivan though. When I bought it the guy said I was lucky it had floor mats because I kept insisting I wanted no extras. Hope you love your Toyota too. I think you can’t go wrong with them.
I just got back from TJs (in Madison, WI) and picked up some smoked trout per your recommendation.
Congrats on the SUV! Husband and I each hav RAV4s and they have worked out great for us.
Congrats on the new car! Can I ask though, why you didn’t go with the Hybrid Highlander? You seem so into the environment, being green, etc. so I was surprised you didn’t get a more eco-friendly car (and one that gets better gas mileage!). I know several people who have the Hybrid Highlander and absolutely love it. Just wondering!
It was just so much more expensive. Our budget wouldn’t allow. We hope to reduce our footprint by walking everywhere we can. And we have Matt’s Accord for non family driving.
You will never regret the Highlander. I had mine for a year and I love it more every time I drive it. And I’m so not into cars, I just like it when something makes my life easier, which the Highlander perfectly does.
May you enjoy it tons!
**that should say I’VE HAD mine for a year.
Congrats on your new ride! I love the color and wow, have fun with your new wheels! It’s a great looking SUV!
“Karen and I also shared this for dessert, but it was surprisingly disappointing. Didn’t have much flavor at all!” <– Ugh. That's disappointing and I've almost bought it. Thanks for the honest field report!
Congrats on your new wheels! I’ve got a Toyota Rav 4 and absolutely love it. And that trip to TJs… yum to everything! I’m going to be making my first trip there when I travel to California in December for work, and I’m so so excited to finally be able to get my hands on some of the products you and other US bloggers talk about!
Congrats on the new car! I can’t wait to read your follow up. The Highlander is on our list (we lost my husbands car when Sandy flooded our parking lot) but then we thought it might be too big. I think we might have to put it back on the list though, especially if we plan on having baby #2 in a few years.
Your breakfast sounds soooo appealing! I’m going to make the same for breakfast tomorrow.
Also. That picture with Maze yawning is just too adorable. He is such a cutie.
I didn’t like the cookie butter bar either! I thought that I was the only one!
Try TJ’s sunflower seed butter AND pumpkin butter together. You’re welcome
Haha. I can only imagine (Breast) Pump fitness classes: “Alright ladies, get out your pumps…” Too funny!
“We must, we must, we must decrease our bust!”
Satellite radio is awesome! Enjoy your trial. It was a lifesaver for me during a recent rental car road trip with my mom. The two stations we agreed on were Classic Vinyl and New Wave.
Congratulations on the Highlander – we have a 2008 and love it. Never any problems.
New cars are amazing. Back in 2011 I got a brand new Outback and driving it off the lot with 4.2 miles on it was definitely a highlight!
Not sure if you explained already but why a big SUV over some sort of midsized crossover? Are you guys planning on more kids in rapid succession? My parents had 3 kids 3 years apart so there was never more than one kid in a carseat at a time (this was before boosters through age 7!) and they never had a problem squeezing our family of 5 into a sedan. I bet if you have kids in bigger carseats plus an infant seat with the rules nowadays though you might like the room…
Every time I read your posts I want french toast! Yours always looks so good!
That Maze yawning picture is to die for!!!
So adorable in his car outfit!! We started calling my niece Doodlebug when she was born and still call her Doodle now as an 8 yr old!
i love the cookie butter bar! but it is definitely a different taste/texture than the spread. and i like my dark chocolate very mild, so that could be a factor too.
congrats on the new car!
wanna try sunflower seed butter, looks good~
wow awesome PIZZA~
Looks like a fun day! Congrats on your new wheels!!
I tried that chocolate bar too and was dissapointed as well! Now, I always get the dark chocolate PB cups for 99 cents and they are always divine!
I see you guys walk a lot, is this your first car? Congrats!
We had two Hondas prior and are selling mine
So this post made me curious about sunflower butter. I LOVE Trader Joes brand of plain peanut butter but decided to change it up a bit and get the sunflower buter. Oh. My. Goodness. SO GOOD! It’s going to be hard to go back! Thanks for the recommendation!
Congratulations on the new set of wheels… it looks like a mahoosive vehicle? Are you a confident driver as i would be scared to drive that i think??? LOL
I’m a little scared, but it drives tightly and doesn’t feel huge!
Pretty new ride! Congrats!! I love when new cars are sparkly from the dealership.
black is a great color choice!
We absolutely love the Highlander!!
Congrats on your new Highlander!!! We have one as well, no kids yet, but the perfect family vehicle – can’t wait to fill it
Mazen is so cute, you dress him so sweetly everyday!