A day in the life of Wyatt

Sometimes I find myself wondering what other moms do all day, sometimes I look back on the day and wonder what I did all day. . .

Sometimes we do really fun things like go to Longwood Gardens with the Moms group from our church.

Sometimes we do awful things like go to the gym. A bad experience for everyone involved -- Wyatt was hating life in the kids club because, well I don't know why, I guess because I wasn't there. The poor girl who had to hold a screaming baby for a half hour I'm sure wasn't loving her life either.

So, we'd much rather do things like go to our Raise a Reader class at the Library. 

I highly recommend doing classes at the local library if you have the time. Its so much fun for the kids and a great place to meet other moms too!

My favorite Gluten Free Restaurants

Lately I've been getting so many questions about the gluten free diet especially when it comes to eating out. Jeff and I love to eat out and I've done lots of research for the Exton/ West Chester area.

Here are just some of my favorite places to find gluten free food...

1. Iron Hill - this is one of our favorite places to go in town. They have an extensive menu with many choices. My favorite things to get are the wings (they bake them instead of fry them) and the shared hummus plate with veggies. You can get full meals here and their menu does change seasonally so you can order new things. One plus here is that they serve Red Bridge which is a gluten free beer. 

2. Nonnas - is an Italian restaurant in town and it is amazing. They have gluten free pasta and can pretty much make any of their dishes gluten free for you. They also have gluten free bread that you have to ask for.  Top it with gluten free chocolate cake and you will walk out of there stuffed!

3. Bonefish Grill - Has an amazing gluten free menu. It is not as extensive as other restaurants but you can get chicken, fish or steak with various sauces and sides. Although the famous bang bang shrimp is not gluten free they do have another appetizer which is called Saucy Shrimp that is almost just as good. The flourless chocolate cake that they serve with rasberry sauce and vanilla ice cream is to die for. Sometimes Jeff and I go there just for the dessert.

4. Outback Steakhouse - They have a great menu and an awesome chocolate thunder from down under dessert as well.

5. Shoo Mama's - This is a newer sandwich/deli type place that opened up in West Chester right at the intersection of 202 and 926. They serve breakfast sandwiches on bagels and tator tots that are gluten free. They also serve all kinds of sandwiches on either bread or a bagel. The cream cheese they have is amazing - we ate lunch here the day I went into labor ;). This is a great place to stop if you're traveling or in town and want to pick up lunch to go.

6. Issac's Deli - Issac's has a gluten free/allergy menu that you can ask for when you get there. They do have a flat bread that is gluten free so you can basically build your own sandwich. I reccomend the magpie :).

7. Cheeseburger in Paradise - So I just ate here the other night for the first time in a long time and realized they serve their burgers and sandwiches on a gluten free bun. I ordered a burger with the bun and it was really good. Their fries are also gluten free which is a huge bonus because a lot of chain restaurants do not have a separate fryer.

8. Red Robin - Also has a gluten free bun for burgers and sandwiches. I believe their fries are also gluten free.

9. Harvest -  My all time favorite place to eat. Their gluten free choices are usually marked on their main menu. They also have gluten free bread so you can order a pizza/appetizer made on the gluten free bread. They order it from a local bakery so each week the bread is a little different. Most of the meals are under 500 calories so its a healthy option.

10. Peace a Pizza - serves gluten free pizza. Two locations (one in Exton and one in down town WC is very convenient for us).

I hope you enjoy these restaurants as much as I have! Feel free to comment if you know of any other great gluten-free restaurants/menus in our area :) 

Easter

Wyatt's first Easter weekend was super exciting. We went over to Jeff's parents house for lunch on Saturday and he had an Easter Egg hunt with his cousins. Even at 6 months old he loved picking up the eggs and shaking them to see what was inside. 

So excited about all of his eggs!

Searching for eggs with Mommy

 

Wyatt stealing eggs from his cousin James. 

Nana and all of her babies :)

On Sunday we went to church and then headed over to my parents for lunch. They just recently fenced their yard so the boys had a ton of fun playing out back. 

While all the dogs were playing out back, I slept in the rocker. I woke up and thought I had dozed off for 5 minutes, apparently it was 2 1/2 hours and it was glorious!! 

 

 

Wyatt loved exploring his Easter baskets. Especially the singing and dancing bunny basket from Mimi. 

 

I made a few gluten free treats for Easter.

I can't really take credit for the cake, my friend Kesh had a cake decorating party and she made cakes for all the girls to decorate. It was so much fun! We had so much fun spending time with family, hope you did too :)

Baby Food Baby Food

Since my struggle with gluten, I've learned that what you put into your body really affects you. If I eat crappy things, I feel crappy. Breast feeding was really hard for me but I stuck with it because it is what's best for my baby.  I knew once we started solids that I wanted Wyatt eating fresh organic fruits and vegetables. I also knew that it would save us a little money and I'm always up for that but I didn't realize how much work it would be.

I started out with pears. The first batch I did I only made about 4 pears. I learned my lesson after that and did 12 at a time. Its easier to make bigger batches. After peeling and cutting (which takes the longest) I put them in a pot to steam.

After they steam, I transfer them to the magic bullet. I've also been using this Cooking for Baby book that my sister got me from William and Sonoma.

I have to hire a babysitter while I blend them because Mr. Wyatt man doesn't like the loud noise. My babysitter usually keeps him happy.

After its blended I pour it into little freezable cups or ice cube trays. After the ice cube trays are frozen I transfer the cubes to freezer bags. I like using these containers because I can just pop the whole thing in the microwave to defrost when I need one. The ice cube trays are great for storage in the freezer though.

 So far I've made zucchini, green beans, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, plums and pears. I've found that when blending sometimes it helps to add  a little of the water to reach the consistency you want. For very watery vegetables like zucchini, I add a pinch of oatmeal to thicken it up. Right now pears and sweet potatoes are at the top of his list.

My babysitter takes his job very seriously. We find him on the job after hours many nights.