A Pea in the Pod - The Store! (This is not a social media announcement!)

Wanting to buy a new wardrobe full of stretchy, Lycra based, expandable clothing is not a good reason to have another baby.

And yet I found my thoughts wandering in that direction as I shopped with a good friend of mine at A Pea in the Pod recently.  Some women get "the itch" while they are packing away all those super cute newborn footie pajamas, but I packed away the dreadful breast pump at the same time.  But shopping for cute, fashionable clothing, well that's another story...

You see, I wasn't so hip on maternity clothes early in my pregnancy with Jett, with one very important, completely fabulous exception...my first ever pair of truly designer jeans.  I ordered my first pair of Citizens of Humanity jeans when I was expecting Jett, rationalizing that if I was going to get chubby and feel exhausted and cranky, I might as well look good doing it.  It was my investment piece, and after that I limited myself to slightly larger clothes that I could wear post-pregnancy, some hand-me-down pieces from my aunts, the clearance rack at Gordmans, and a couple of cute work pieces from Target and the Gap.  Other than my on-time excursion on A Pea in the Pod online, I didn't fully take advantage of the situation. 

Looking at all of the fabulous clothes in the store, I even wondered if one particular black lace dress could pass for pea-free wearing mamas (different than pee-free for those of you who have boys.)  The twenty year old sales associate admitted to buying a few pieces herself and I could see why.  Really good maternity designers are brilliant people.  They have to take the season's fashion trends and transform them into smart pieces that can be worn for nine months+ of a transitioning woman's body and still look as good at the end, as the beginning.  They have to be cautious of pattern placement, sleeve length, and fit.  Not to mention the genius that must go in to designing maternity jeans; making sure that pocket placement and overall fit will not be compromised due to the large tummy panel in place of a traditional waist band.  But, when done correctly these jeans will cause one to wonder why all pants don't have an expandable, smoothing, panel of wonder (very helpful at Thanksgiving!)

So as I looked on with envy as my adorable friend tried on countless fierce fashion items, I sent my husband a text that said, "Such cute clothes, I'm getting the itch!"  He didn't reply, but later handed me the credit card and said he thought it was time for me to go shopping at JCrew.  That's one way to cure that problem!  That, and when I returned home that day I promptly went down in the basement, pulled out my favorite jeans ever, and plopped the Medela box on top.

Sneaky Saturday Smoothie

How do you get an independent toddler to eat his veggies?  I believe this is a question that every mother across the planet has asked at some point.  Our sweet babies who were once interested in any food because it was new and exciting soon gain their own opinion.  This extends beyond veggies to nearly everything under the sun.  Should we play outside?  No.  Do you want to color?  No.  It's time for a bath.  No.  You need to eat your green beans. No, no, no.

In addition to "turning two" a good three months early, Jett has also been on a very picky food jag.  It's nearly impossible to guess what he will eat, and he's just on the tipping point of being able to communicate what he wants.  I felt myself starting to get upset over lunch yesterday when he refused to eat anything accept sweet potato chips, but instead of allowing myself to get frustrated, I got creative. 

One thing Jett has always been very interested in are smoothies.  When he sees the blender or food processor come out he gets very excited.  Straws are also a really big novelty right now.  So with that in mind I broke out the food processor and made a very sneaky smoothie that included a huge helping of fresh spinach, frozen raspberries and a banana.  Here is the recipe (kind of, I didn't measure so within reason just eyeball it.)

1/2 cup ice
1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cup fresh spinach
1 banana
3 oz low-fat vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup raspberries (frozen or fresh)

Blend ice and orange juice until frothy.  Add spinach and puree.  Add banana and yogurt for a smooth texture and additional nutrition. (Jett wouldn't eat the banana I cut up for him so I just threw it in.)  Finally blend in 3/4 cup raspberries.  The more raspberries you add the better the color will be.

This sneaky smoothie was a huge hit, not only with kiddo but with mommy as well.  I gave Jett a huge bowl full with a spoon at lunch, and he finished off the rest in a cup with a straw at snack.  Spinach is incredibly nutritious, and I really like it, but many people don't because of its dark earthy, slightly bitter flavor.  However, when added with citrus it brightens and in this smoothie was impossible to distinguish from the other great flavors. 

I can't say that I blame Jett for not being in the mood for veggies.  Sometimes I'm not really in the mood for veggies, but I think I'm on to something here...

Do you have a smoothie recipe that you love?  Please post back and share!