Monday, August 18, 2014

The Ry Guy Report: 14 Months

Ry helping Mom Pinterest.... He loves the computer already!

Weight  19.6 lbs

Height  28.5 inches

Milestones
  • Took a few steps, but prefers crawling
  • Signs "Dog", "More", "All Done", "Potty"(we use the same sign for both potty and diaper)
  • Waves bye-bye
  • Tries to imitate words
  • Babbles with inflection
  • Looks at the correct picture when image is named
  • Assists when being dressed
  • Climbs up stairs
  • Climbs down stairs
  • Demonstrates preferences, points at what he wants
  • First sentence!

Fun in the sun!

Likes
  • Climbing on top of boxes, stools, storage bins, etc.
  • Playing with Daddy's computer and computer chair
  • Feeding himself with a spoon
  • Putting objects back into larger containers
  • Sorting and stacking....anything.....
  • His Baby Einstein radio (Thanks, Aunt Beka!)

Dislikes
  • Not having his way
  • Daddy leaving for work
  • Sitting still
  • Bed time

The Quotable Ry Guy:  "All Done", "Kitty", "Dog", "I want Mommy", and "Did it!"

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Maple Nut Granola Recipe


My friend, Beka, recently posted about granola. That got me thinking I might want to make some myself. Yummmmmm....I love granola! In my opinion, homemade granola tops store-bought, pretty much always. Especially this granola!

I finalized this recipe about 2 years ago, but just realized I although I had added it to my Recipage, I never did a post about it. Ooops. The inspiration for this recipe came from Good Cheap Eats, but I gave it the ol' maison|raye tweak until it suited our tastebuds.


Things I love about this granola:
  • Yummy (duh)
  • Portable
  • Crunchy
  • Uses a natural, "real food" sweetener
  • Don't have to stir it while baking! (This is HUGE for me)
  • Can sub use any kind of nuts you like or have on hand
  • Uses basic ingredients always in my pantry (I buy pretty much all the ingredients in bulk)
  • Is allergy-friendly (dairy-free, peanut-free, egg-free, soy-free and gluten-free if you use certified gluten-free ingredients)
  • It actually holds together in large-ish pieces, which are easy to grab

Side note, this is an awesome, portable snack to take camping or on vacation (or to keep in a container in your desk at work). And, it makes fab yogurt/fruit/granola parfaits.


I sometimes pour the little crumblies into a bowl, add a small handful of dried or fresh berries and top with milk (previously cow milk or Ashley's Cereal Sauce, but lately I use coconut or almond milk). I wish I had a picture of all that yum-ness in a bowl, but I ate it. Sorry.

You definitely need to try this granola. Hear that?  NEED!!!!


Maple Nut Granola
by Raye
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Keywords: bake stove top breakfast snack oatmeal nuts maple syrup
Ingredients (8 servings)
  • 5 c. old fashioned rolled oats (do not use quick oats)
  • 1 c. chopped nuts, such as pecans or almonds
  • 1 c. shredded, unsweetened coconut
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 c. maple syrup
  • 1/2 c. coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
  • Preheat oven to 300* F.
  • In a small saucepan over low heat, combine syrup, vanilla, salt, coconut oil and cinnamon and stir until smooth.
  • Stir together nuts, coconut and oats in a large mixing bowl. Pour warmed liquid ingredients over the oat mixture. Stir to coat evenly. (It will seem like there's not enough liquid to go around at first. Just keep stirring. It may take about a minute to get the dry ingredients totally coated.)
  • Press into a 15x10 jelly roll pan (rimmed baking sheet). Bake for 40-45 minutes without stirring. Remove from oven and gently break up with a spatula.
  • Cool completely before serving or storing. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
  • Note, may omit nuts during the baking process and simply add pecans or a dried fruit/nut mix or nut/seed mix when serving to accommodate individual tastes within your family.
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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

The Ry Guy Report: 13 Months

 
 

Weight  19 lb
 
Height  28.5 inches
 
Milestones
  • Balances on his own while standing still
  • Walks with a little help
  • Follows simple directions
  • Pulls himself up easily
  • Climbs (crawls) up stairs (scary for mom!)
  • Crawls very quickly
  • Signs "baby" and "all done"
  • Sorts objects

 
Likes
  • Splashing in the pool
  • Blueberries
  • Squash
  • His "Walker Wagon"
  • Toy trucks/cars/helicopter/submarine (he moves them all back and forth and says vroom) 
  • Cats
  • Baby Signing Time DVDs
 
Dislikes
  • Either Mom or Dad leaving
  • Falling down
  • Mosquitos
  • More than 2 cats at the same time
 
The Quotable Ry Guy  "Kitty" and "Vroom"

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Allergy Friendly Raspberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

About a month ago, Ry Guy and I were diagnosed with multiple food allergies, including eggs, soy, dairy, gluten, and peanuts. Looks like the allergies are connected to our eczema, too.  I'm in mourning.

{insert sniffle here}

I confess, I was pretty depressed about it for a few weeks. Then, I decided to not let it control my life. I've found that there is hope and you can actually reverse some food allergies. In fact, I'm taking an online class right now on reversing food allergies and I'm learning so much already. I hope to see improvement in both Ry Guy's and my eczema soon...

Anyway, I wanted dessert this past week when I was up visiting my family, so Mom suggested I do something with the raspberries she had in the freezer or the rhubarb from the garden out back.

So, I did something with both of them. At the same time. Here's the result.


Don't you just want to snatch that right off the page and stuff it in your mouth?  If you like tart desserts, this is for you.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

The Ry Guy Report: 12 Months


Weight 19 lbs

Length 27.5 inches

Milestones
  • Pulls himself to standing
  • Crawls really well
  • Cruises around the furniture
  • Feeds himself chunks of solid food
  • Follows simple directions (like, "come here")
  • Got his 6th tooth

Likes
  • Watching kids
  • Sitting up at the table with the adults
  • "Helping" Mom empty the dishwasher and fold the towels
  • "Playing" piano
  • Books


Dislikes
  • "No"
  • Wearing hats
  • Sunburn!

The Quotable Ry Guy  "Mama, Dada, Banana"

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Sweet and Tangy Broccoli Salad Recipe


I learned to make a version of this awesome broccoli salad while working at a sandwich shop/deli during college. It was a big seller and I can understand why - it's amazing!

Crunchy broccoli, smoky bacon, sweet raisins, savory red onions in a sweet and tangy dressing? Um, yes please.


This bowl of yum-ness is a real crowd pleaser. I always get rave reviews when I bring it to pot-lucks and picnics or serve it at parties and BBQ's. In fact, I love this salad so much, I even had my caterer serve it at my wedding!

This version differs slightly from the original deli version; I use a lower sugar to mayo ratio. And I prefer to use homemade mayo, but you can certainly use a good quality storebought mayo instead.

This recipe makes quite a lot, so it's perfect for picnics and parties. Enjoy!


Broccoli Salad
by Raye
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Keywords: salad side bacon spring summer
Ingredients (16 servings)
    Salad
    • 4-5 crowns broccoli
    • 4 oz bacon
    • 1/2 lg red onion
    • 1 c. raisins
    Dressing
    • 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 c. olive oil mayo
    • 6 Tbsp vinegar (white or apple cider)
    • 1/2 c. sweetener (evaporated cane juice, granulated white sugar or honey)
    Instructions
    1. Salt the broccoli liberally, then stand them (florets side down) in a colander and run them under cold water. This will get rid of any bugs that may be hiding in your broccoli. Set aside to drain.
    2. Cook bacon until crispy and drain well. Set aside to cool.
    3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together mayo, vinegar and sweetener of choice. Peel and dice the red onion; add to the dressing mixture in the bowl. Chop the bacon and add to bowl along with the raisins.
    4. Using a sharp knife, cut off the florets from the stem. Use your knife to pare off any woody parts of the stem. Dice the stem and add it to the bowl. Separate the florets into bite size pieces and add them to the bowl.
    5. Gently stir to mix salad together. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Will last for 2 days in the refrigerator.
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    Friday, May 16, 2014

    The Ry Guy Report: 11 Months

    Happy Mother's Day!

    Weight  19.5 lb

    Length  28 inches

    Milestones
    • Pulls himself up on furniture without assistance
    • Feeds himself almost all finger foods
    • Feeds himself soft foods with a spoon (if food is placed on the spoon for him)
    • Drinks a small amount from a cup with assistance
    • Got his 5th tooth!
    • Demonstrates preferences (toys, foods, etc.)
    • Army crawls (on his belly - but, forward motion at least! Finally!)
    • Can pick up the tiniest object using his pincer grasp.
    • Independent wrist/hand action

    Ry loves his daddy!
    Likes
    • To explore independently
    • Feeding himself
    • Music (tries to "sing" along)
    • Walks in the stroller
    • Routine!

    Dislikes
    • Socks
    • Hats
    • Sunglasses
    • Being away from Mommy
    • "No"
    • Eczema

    The Quotable Ry Guy:  No new words yet. Just Mama and Dada and a whole lot of gibberish.

    My intrepid explorer, off to see the world...

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