Daily Garnish

Is it Friday yet? ☔️😴

Tuesday morning snack options — pretzels (always a crowd pleaser), cheese, celery, peppers, and apples.

School lunches are so 2019! 2020 is the year of the homeschooled kids’ charcuterie snack plate! Fresh melon, white peaches, sliced cheddar cheese, salami for Graham, and pistachios. Making one of these around 10am every morning!

Staying home and simplifying has definitely reignited my love for being in the kitchen. Maybe because I am now asked for snacks all day long? Who knows! I type this as I’m eating a bag of popcorn for dinner, but LAST night I made a delicious family style meal with homemade warm baba ganoush as the centerpiece. Any other eggplant lovers out there? It’s such a divisive vegetable, but it’s my very favorite!

Will 2020 be the year that I share here more regularly? No idea, but have to start somewhere, right? Three different lunches for three very different little eaters. Graham hates sandwiches and eats meat, Cullen is all veggie and doesn’t like cheese, and Maeve doesn’t eat much of anything but I’ll never stop trying!

Three cheers for the return of outdoor dining season. Homemade rice bowls with my favorite sauce from 's cookbook. Almost as good as going out to eat. Almost.

Something out of nothing -- looked in the fridge and we had zero groceries. Cooked the only two fresh things I had -- chanterelles and carrots, made some wild rice, and roasted some chickpeas. Topped with Zhoug sauce from Trader Joe's and ended up super tasty.

Brown rice congee, turmeric broccoli, and chanterelles. Delish!

There are so many times in this season of life when I feel like I'm failing. My time and energy is divided and distracted, and I often feel I'm letting someone down. After looking at some uninspired and expensive store bought options, last night I stayed up for three hours and baked 36 allergy-friendly homemade cupcakes. Every measure, pour, and stir I thought about how much I love my sweet boy, and how good it felt to put the last bit of energy I had that day into doing something special for him. Despite going to bed late and getting up extra early, the look on his face when he saw them this morning will carry me through today.

Smashed avocado on seeded sourdough from the farmers market, after a 3 mile loop around Greenlake. So basic, so good.

Not a ton of time this morning -- grab and go. Leftover apple crisp crumble from last night's dessert, snap peas and hummus, Greek yogurt, and applesauce!

New year, new lunchbox -- same old struggle to get them packed by 715am! On the menu today -- sunbutter and jelly on hamburger buns (gotta mix it up!), green grapes, sliced cucumbers, and a few whole prunes.

Sneaking in a late lunch before we walk to the school bus stop.

Ultimate guilty pleasure -- delicious veggie packed pasta bowl from BlueApron eaten in front of bachelor in paradise. Who else is watching!? Check out the latest post for more yummy meals. http://www.dailygarnish.com/2018/08/whats-for-dinner.html

Oh hey there!
http://www.dailygarnish.com/2018/08/so-long-summer.html

So Long, Summer. - Daily Garnish Well hello there!  It’s been a bit, huh?  We are in the last days of summer here – school starts next Wednesday.  And with that brings the return of schedules, busy mornings, and a bit more order and routine to life.  I’m also seeing it as the end of my self-imposed “maternity leave” ....

8am. Baby got up too early and is already back in bed. Four year old upstairs happily doing legos in his room. Six year old still sleeping like a teenager. Mom taking in this rare morning moment of peace.

Maeve’s Birth Story. - Daily Garnish Monday May 7th started out like any other Monday. We’d had a really fun and productive weekend – finished up a ton of yard work and gardening, assembled new balcony furniture, built a small fence out back, and cheered at several little league games. But Monday showed up again as it always does ....

Meeting Miss Maeve - Daily Garnish Hello, hello!  Since we last talked – I had a baby!  Maeve Joy Malone joined our family at 10:55pm on Monday, May 7th.  She is total perfection and we are all madly in love with her.  She is a tiny peanut – only 6lbs, 13 ounces – and she surprised us by showing up five …

New mama snacks in the sunshine. My very favorites from Sunsweet!

Latest breakfast obsession -- homemade acai bowls. Frozen acai and mango blended with a can of full fat coconut milk. Topped with diced fresh kiwi, granola, and diced Amazin prunes from Sunsweet. Such a tasty way to start the day!

Latest post up on the blog, featuring all my favorites from Sunsweet! So glad I was able to visit with them last September and discover this awesome, healthy snack which is now a staple in our house!

Sunsweet Snacking! - Daily Garnish This post is sponsored by Sunsweet.  It’s officially MAY!  I can’t believe it!  No matter how you slice it, we will have a baby this month.  So crazy.  Obviously the impending arrival of our little one is pretty much the only thing on anyone’s mind at our house.  I’m trying really hard...

Current favorite lunch -- avocado, tomato, and salt & vinegar potato chip sandwich.

Ready or Not: Full Term! - Daily Garnish Hello hello!  Well since I’ve done exactly one pregnancy update this time around, it’s probably time for another one before it’s too late!  I keep waiting and waiting for a nice sunny day where I am showered and looking nice, and Casey is available to take some nice photos with our good came...

We might not be on a tropical vacation this spring break, but we can pretend to be! Amazing new acai and pitaya bowls in Ballard. Kenny Chesney tunes piped through the speakers. We definitely found our new spot today!

This is all the food that came home untouched in lunchboxes today. I was so sick of throwing so much away every afternoon. Today, I unloaded it all into a snack plate and brought it into the playroom after school, and the kids could not have been more excited to gobble up their rejected lunches. Winning!

See our latest yummy meals from Blue Apron, and get a discount for $40 off your first box! https://cook.ba/2pH1d2S

Arizona Adventures - Daily Garnish Hello my friends!  We are back from a wonderful adventure in Arizona!  It was a very last minute trip for us – planned in the midst of our February blues.  We were all in desperate need of some sunshine and some healthy family fun together, so we decided to take a last hurrah as a …

WELCOME MARCH! 🤗🤗🤗

February. - Daily Garnish Well hello there!  Let me tell you guys a little story about what I like to affectionately call – the worst month ever.  February is always one of my favorite months!  Spring is coming, my birthday falls in February, sunshine tends to return to Seattle, and there is lots of love and celebration...