Good morning!!
We packed a lot in today, including two outings and lots of laundry!
VIDEOS
Breakfast was easy – the last of the baked pumpkin oatmeal topped with the usual garnishes
Decafff!
After breakfast and M’s morning snack, we went to Whole Foods for a few groceries. He decided to sleep in his car seat, so I decided to enjoy lunch there!
Typical salad – greens + raw veg on the bottom, fun things on top. Highlights were some caper-dill tilapia, curry shrimp, couscous salad and grapes.
After I got home, I couldn’t resist a bite of each of our leftover desserts. I’m so out of the habit of not eating dessert since we’ve had so many things brought to our house since Mazen’s birth. I need to rope in my sweet tooth!
We are loving the Alice In Wonderland-looking flowers that Hedge sent us! Thanks Karen!
Our afternoon was filled with Virginia beauty in the countryside
At the new-ish Pippin Hill Winery!
My mom group decided to take our meeting somewhere really fun, and what is more fun than being in such a gorgeous setting on a warm day.
We gathered together a ton of chairs and enjoyed the fresh air. Lots of the babies in my group are 6-8 months old, so it’s always fun to see them play.
We enjoyed glasses of wine while we chatted and played.
I had the white blend, which was perfect on a HOT day like today. (Where are you hiding fall!?)
Karen came along with me to enjoy the afternoon and play with Maze
When we got home from our outing, I snacked on spiced pecans and half an apple that was leftover from pancake morning.
And put dinner in the oven!
Matt came home just after that and I went to feed the baby while he finished the meal. Here was an amuse bouche he brought me while I was nursing!
We had a stellar combo of:
Date, Pecan + Bleu Cheese Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Baked Pecan Butternut Squash
and
Sautéed Kale
The recipe for the pork is an oldie but goodie – see it here!
The kale was just steamed in a few tbsp of water and then garnished with olive oil and smoked salt.
For the butternut, I halved them after 3 minutes of microwaving to soften them up (great tip in the comments lately that I always forget to do!). I baked them face down in a thin layer of water for 20 minutes at 400* and then flipped them over, dotted with butter, pecans and brown sugar and baked for another 25 minutes.
We have leftovers!
Maze loves playing with his monkey now – they are friends!
Love the amuse bouche! What a great hubby you have!
oh my gosh, give me that cakeee!
That first photo of Mazen made me smile! So cute! What a fun day with your mom’s group! And wow, that pork and butternut squash looks incredible. I’m going to have copy that meal! 🙂
The weather has been so beautiful recently – looks like a great spot to enjoy a fall afternoon. That dinner looks so gourmet!
What a wonderful smile to see before bedtime here for us in Korea;)! I love the play-date at the winery, what’s better than babies AND wine?! Also can not wait to try out that baked oatmeal recipe this weekend, we’ve become a bit like the Canned Pumpkin hoarders at this time of year! Thank you for the beautiful post and pics (as always) they make me excited for our return stateside someday!
I get stuck in the habit of having desserts after every meal too. At one point I was even having chocolate after breakfast! I e thing that helps me is to brush my teeth or have a sugar-free mint after a meal to sort of re-set my palete. You don’t want to mess up your fresh breath with more food!
Sounds like an amazing day Kath! He is so darn cute and getting so big so fast!
That first picture is the cutest picture of Mazen to date! (bold claim, I know…) 😉
Also, I am soooo making butternut squash that way. Looks great!
I loooooooooooove reading your blog! I get so many good recipes and get to look at your little guy! My son is 7 months old and it’s so nice to look at your cute boy growing and remember all the little things I’ve so quickly forgotten! Thanks!
I have a big butternut squash sittin in my kitchen…thanks for the recipe. I will be using this!!!
Fall isn’t hiding over here in Utah! We’ve had our first dusting of snow! Maze is do darling and looks so happy! Your food is beautiful!
Omg, I love homemade marshmallows. Soooo creamy and good! It looks like you had another beautiful day with your baby boy!
Whoops… Just realized that that isn’t a marshmallow… It’s cake!
That butternut squash looks yummy! I have one sitting on my counter (and still some soup leftover from the last one) so maybe we’ll do that! And yay for first friends!
I need to make some of that baked pumpkin oatmeal!! Maze is looking adorable and happy as always!
Such a big, adorable toothless smile from your lil’ man!
Looks like you had a fun afternoon and if you’re looking to get rid of that apple pie… 🙂
So glad Maze has a Monkey friend!
What a fun outing! That place is gorgeous.
Maze is so adorable! He is smiling so much now 🙂
Maze is such a happy little baby. I love the smiley photos – so adorable!
Being back home means that I’ve had more sugar (not necessarily in dessert form) and I too need to bring it in. My sweet tooth is just CRAVING it all the time. 🙁
Mazen looks just like you Kath, especially with that precious smile 🙂 It is amazing to see in 6 weeks how much he has grown and how smiley he has become.
Ooh that winery looks gorgeous. I love places like that. They make me feel all warm and vibrant inside.
Raining like cats and dogs here…
Why, good morning Maze! You have such a sweet, giggly smile – is Mama making silly faces at you or tickling your toes? 🙂
Such a happy smile! I have the baked oatmeal on my list of things to make this weekend – I already can’t wait to buy the pumpkin (I’m out – how sad!).
The baked butternut squash sounds delicious! I am going to have to try that.
Yay for fun outings!
Wow, Kath! The photos of the winery are gorgeous. It’s making me feel cooped up in the office. I need some fresh air now! Question-do you remove the skins from the squash or just scoop the pulp out as you eat? Have a wonderful day!
We just scooped as we ate
That first picture of Mazen is adorable! Love it when babies laugh. 🙂
And I just made sauteed kale for the first time over the weekend. It was SO good with some lemon and garlic mixed in.
Baked Pecan Butternut Squash – oh wow, sounds delish, Kath! And love that you were able to enjoy the winery. Nice!
What a great smile of Mazen’s in the opening pic 🙂
Maze has a beautiful smile!!
That winery is absolutely gorgeous! The Virginia country side is so pretty, you’re lucky to live in such a gorgeous area! And that first picture of Mazen is too cute!
That smile!!!! So sweeeeet!
that dinner looks so delicious!
Lunch at whole foods is always such a nice treat! And very cute about Maze and his monkey 🙂
I’m not a pork eater, but I would definitely try that. Looks yummy. Now to just find someone to make some for me 🙂
seems a little strange to have a mothers’ group outing (with babies) at a winery, with drinking.
What a beautiful dinner! It looks really impressive considering it doesn’t sound too hard to make. I’m adding it to my list of things to try!
I love Pippin Hill! Such a pretty venue with so much outdoor seating. We celebrated Mary’s birthday there last weekend and had a blast 🙂
Now I need to go roast the butternut that’s been sitting on my counter for 2 weeks…
Kath, in the last two posts I have a State Farm add that overlaps with the blog and I can’t read/see the pictures, it’s right after Kerf Sponsors, am I the only one with this problem??
Thanks I just noticed that too and sent it to my team. This is happening a lot (it’s because my right sidebar is thicker than my left) so I’m brainstorming solutions!
Great little baby get together! That squash looks YUM!
Adorable baby!
The winery looks like a beautiful spot to socialize with friends! Pictures are gorgeous!
Gorgeous smile! It’s so fun to see him becoming more of who he always was, if that makes sense.
I have your site setup as my home page on my computer and what a wonderful, adorable little smile to see as soon as the page appears. 🙂 His face just lights up. They just become more fun as they get older.
You live in such a pretty area. That picture from the countryside is breathtaking.
Do you always drink decaf or just because you’re breastfeeding? I’m just curious whether regular caffeine affects you in other ways.
Maze just keeps getting more adorable.His smiles are prescious. That is my kind of fall dinner. Will have to check out that pork tenderloin recipe since I stocked up on that cut of meat at Costco.
What a nice afternoon out with your mom’s group and how lovely that Karen could join you.
The oatmeal looks amazing! How do you reheat it? Can the whipped banana oats be reheated the next day too? Thanks!
Yup! Add a little milk or little water to soften them up
Sorry I should have asked this to begin with too… Do you reheat in the microwave, in the oven or on the stovetop? Thanks for your help and such a quick response!
oh, in the microwave – just be sure to add some milk to soften it as you heat it or it will be one big glob!
Mazen is getting so big! What an adorable smile!
I love those leaf plates too!
Kath, I have to laugh. I dont think I know anyone who does more laundry than YOU!! Perhaps you do really small loads so you have to do them often? Whatever it is, you have certainly been an inspiration to me because I HATE laundry but your posts make me just stop procrastinating and do it! Lol.
Also, can you please post a few pics of your Whole Foods run soon? I love to see what you bought and then copy you. 🙂
Haha I spread it out…bedding and towels on Sunday, parents on Monday, baby another day (usually 2 small loads a week) and today I washed our shower curtain liners! I love doing laundry
How frequently do you wash shower curtain liners? Mine are plasticy and I’ve never washed them, but I feel like I should! When I try to spray cleaning stuff on them, I feel like it does nothing. But I don’t want to go through the hassel of taking them off the hooks!
Not very often, but ours was getting gross. I put it in the washing machine and it comes out almost like new! My mom taught me that trick : )
Sometimes I have to add bleach though, and a white towel (or an old towel just for the purpose). The towel adds friction.
I added Shaklee Nature Bright and the actual curtain for friction
I’ve always washed liners but never considered friction – good tip!!
Awww that first smile is just too adorable!
Beautiful pictures of the countryside!
What cute smiles that boy is giving you recently!!!
As for the wine, that sounds divine—but if I had that in the middle of the day, I’d have to come home and take a nap.
That dinner looks SO amazing! The white wine looks pretty refreshing too!
Hi Kath,
I’m enjoying the updates now that you’re a mom. Mazen is adorable! Hey, I’m wondering if you could give us some breakfast inspiration with some non-oat meals? You’re probably too busy with the baby, but maybe when things settle down, you could do a week of grain-free or at least gluten-free offerings? I can’t eat oats due to the gluten – and the cross-contamination that occurs even with gluten-free oats – and would love your unique take on a great breakfast or a week of meals that feature other ingredients. Just a thought!
Cheers!
Hey Birdie, Thanks for the suggestion, but I don’t think I’d want to eat gluten free for a week : ) Whole grains are a staple of my diet and I have no trouble digesting them. What about yogurt with fruit, trail mix and a gluten-free cereal? There are some really great recipes around the internet for things like quinoa porridge or tofu scrambles.
Your meals always inspire me – now I want to bake butternut squash and pumpkin oatmeal!
Hi Kath. How do you save half an apple without it browning?
I have no idea! Matt wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.
You can spritz lemon or orange juice over a cut apple, and that will prevent it from oxidizing, thereby turning brown. Then just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and it should keep for a little longer. 🙂
Maze is starting to look so much like Matt!
How cute is your little guy and he looks so much like you around the eyes, gorgeous photo.
My friends always think I’m crazy drinking decaf.. I love the taste of coffee but not the hyper buzz! I love your photos, even just the pecans and half an apple snack is so nicely composed. And Maze, always a treat to see him – and smiling to boot!
The winery is gorgeous! And dinner looks great, I love how you had a full menu going on. The butternut squash looks especially yum :-).
Fall is hiding here in Alaska. Snow everywhere here already!
Am I the first to say that I think your baby looks like your sister!? I see her in every pic…
Kaci and I will DEFINITELY be making your pumpkin banana baked oatmeal soon! We’ve been eating on the Apple Scrapple and the Popeye rolls, and oh my gosh I cannot get over how delicious your GH breads are! Yesterday was a sad day because we finished our last slice of Dakota. 🙁 It looks like you all had a wonderful day, and I hope you have a fantastic Thursday!
Looks like a lovely day at the winery! Love the picture with Maze and the monkey!
I love me a good amuse bouche! Household dinner need more of them!
Oh. My. Gosh. Can I pretty pretty pretty please come to your house for dinner! My goodness 🙂 That bleu cheese stuffed tenderloin literally made me salivate. And I am immediately trying that pumpkin oatmeal too, thank you!!!
I just went to a wedding at Pippin Hill Winery in September! It was one of THE most beautiful weddings I’ve EVER been to…and such a nice respite from the bustle of DC! So cool to see your pics of Pippin Hill after having a special time there myself!
I want to get married again there!
That piece of cake looks delicious! Believe it or not… I had the best vanilla bean cake while I was in the hospital after I delivered our son a few weeks ago.
Your dinner looks awesome!!!
Karen is super-stylish here once again!
Do you need to refrigerate the pumpkin oatmeal after you make it? I took it out this morning to cut a slice and it smelled like it had gone bad! Thanks for all your recipes and blog! Love all the ideas 🙂
Yes, definitely. That’s too bad.