Dinner for Three

I have never been much of a cook, not even during my post-college years and I was living on my own.  I think I somehow managed to get by on just cereal and sandwiches.  The Food Network always caught my attention and whatever Giada or The Barefoot Contessa were making always looked delicious, but I never really felt the need to try it for myself.  

Today, I'm blessed to have married someone who could care less if all I made him to eat were pancakes or grilled cheese sandwiches.  My husband is usually the one who cooks in our house if we all want to have a great meal.  But lately, his work schedule has been all kinds of crazy so I've had to get more comfortable in the kitchen - for the sake of our son.  Nine months ago, providing food for our little guy was no problem.  All he needed was pureed first foods, that was such a breeze! I made him applesauce, pears, plums, peaches, mango, pineapple, beets, spinach, carrots, asparagus, sweet potato, peas, avocado - you name it!  If it could be steamed and pureed, our son ate it.  

Our little guy enjoying his pureed peas (July 2011)

But then, he graduated to more textured food and needed meats incorporated into his diet.  This is where it got tricky.  Pureeing beef was just gross - it would come out chalky, smelled funny, and just didn't have a good flavor and then the chicken was just too dry.  I ended up buying stage 3 meals from Plum Organics and now Sprout and that just made life so much easier.  And now, since he mainly eats table food, we have become more mindful of what we eat because he wants to eat what we eat.  We've only fed our son organic fruits, veggies, meats, and dairy since he was 6 months old so we've now incorporated that into our own diets. 

Now let me tell you, if you haven't hopped on the Pinterest band wagon, you must! Pinterest has saved my family! I find such great tasting and easy recipes all the time.  I love that the ingredient list is short and is mostly stuff that you already have in your pantry.  Last Friday, in observation of Lent, I made Shrimp Sandwiches with Chipotle Avocado Mayonnaise.  These sandwiches were amazing! The avocado mayonnaise really added flavor to the meal.  The only downside here, not enough for seconds...boo :(

Then on Sunday, because I didn't want the leftover avocado mayonnaise to go to waste, we made these Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches.  Again, another great lunch!  It's such a great feeling to know my husband and son are well fed and love the food they're eating.   

Last night was another seafood special night.  This time, I made Crab Cake Stuffed Shrimp along with Baked Tilapia with Spinach, Tomatoes, and Herbs and a side of asparagus.  Both were great recipes for all of us to enjoy.

Slowly but surely I'm liking this whole idea of cooking, sometimes it's not so bad but then other times I get discouraged when what I make doesn't come out looking like the picture from the recipe.  Oh well, at least I have the encouragement from my husband and even if it tastes bad, he'll say it's delicious with a big smile on his face.  

Hello World!

It's official...I've just joined the blogosphere!  I'm a little nervous but a wholelotta excited too :)

For starters, my name is Lorie and I'm the proud owner of Royal Feather.  Royal Feather is my online boutique that I started after my son was born.  While I was pregnant, I scoured the internet to find the best options of everything for him - car seats, strollers, baby monitors, breast pumps, bassinet / co-sleeper options, diaper bags, bath towels, bath time necessities, etc. - I just wanted to make sure we were prepared for our little guy.  Once he was born and the weeks went by, I realized that my "Mommy Must-haves List" had grown immensely! And I was so obsessed with my son and the things he needed that I found myself looking for other parents to share all my newfound knowledge with!  

After numerous nights of brainstorming with my husband (and some much needed encouragement), I decided to launch Royal Feather last year.  Doing so has been one of the most rewarding ideas I've ever had!  Being able to connect with other parents and sharing experiences is so amazing.  While I was pregnant, I didn't receive very much advice about what to shop for, what things were essential or what we could do without.  Walking into Babies R Us for the first time and seeing aisle after aisle of things I had never heard of (Soothing Nipple Cream...seriously? I'm going to need that?!) was extremely overwhelming.  So after we went through new experiences and milestones (and continue to do so) with our son, being able to pass on any useful information and advice is something I love to do.  Mind you, I'm totally aware that we only have 1 child right now so that doesn't make me an expert.  But I'd like to think that I can give some pretty good insight if need be ;)

Royal Feather is currently stocked with all merchandise that I hand-selected myself.  I try to make sure the children's gifts and accessories I select are as green as possible - BPA, phthalates, & lead-free and made with organic cotton and are unique items that will take you and your child through multiple stages in their life.  And as an added little bonus, I also included a few home decor pieces as part of my shop for all you Mommas and Poppas that enjoy decorating your home as well.  I know how difficult it can be to head out to the store and shop for "breakables" with a baby and/or toddler in tow.

As a follower of my blog, look forward to reading about projects I find on Pinterest and hand off to the Hubs to complete (love you honey!), new recipies I'm brave enough to try, and just the fun-filled adventures that fill our lives daily.  Cheers!