Sprouts::Sprout Bread as Baby::Baby Food. OK, maybe not.

First of all, is it at all possible to have a clean baby when they start eating solids? I mean, for real. You bathe them, and then have to feed them a few hours later, at which point they become covered from head to toe in whatever it is. I really can't give Ollie a bath every time he eats. We usually do bibs, and towels in the lap. I'm not really sure why he doesn't have one on in this picture. But I think that short of a Haz-Mat suit, there's nothing that would keep his clothes clean. Or his face. Or his hair. It's every where. I guess that's just part of the experience.

I've had some fun making a little bit of baby food. Yesterday I made about a months worth of food for about $5.00. Way better than the jar foods, that are about $0.75 a piece. This batch is frozen peas and pearl onions cooked in chicken broth. I tried it, and man, it was good. O agreed when I mixed them with his usual sweet potatoes at dinner last night. Yum.

Mangos and Blueberries.

I know I know. It's going to be a friggin mess. Oh well. I wasn't really thinking straight. It tastes good though. Maybe we'll have to eat that naked. Just before a bath.

My collection: You know what's in the trays. In the bag already frozen is apples, sweet potatos, carrots, and pumpkin.

My lovely assistant.

So maybe you already saw my stuff on Facebook about this, but I've had the itch to sprout for a little bit now. Specifically to make sprouted grain bread. I always buy it, and it's so good. And sprouted grains are so much better for you anyway. I found out that someone at church knows a lot about it, so I talked to them on Sunday and got the courage to try it. It was awesome! Within about 18 hours my wheat sprouted. It was exciting! Here is it soaking.

After it soakes, you drain it and lay it on its side (so excess water can drain out) and keep it in the dark. I used a paper bag because I don't have extra cabinet/pantry space, and I knew if I hid it somewhere in that abyss that I'd forget about it and it would get moldy. So here it is, working away.

Today I made bread using the best wheat bread recipe, courtesy of my cousin Janine. I actually got it from my mom, but Mom got it from Janine... I just made regular wheat bread and cut the water back a bit, and added my sprouts, which had been pulsed in the food processor.

Next I'd like to make actual sprouted wheat bread. With sprouted wheat flour. I have another batch sprouting already, and am hoping to figure out how I can dehydrate them without a dehydrator, in my oven, and then grind them in my mill. I'm a little nervous about that though because they have to be super dry or they will gum up in the mill. I'll keep reading and see what I find...

This bread is so yummy, and despite being made with exclusively wheat flour, it really isn't tough or dry at all! Quite the opposite actually, it was so soft that I squished it when I cut it with my semi-dull serrated knife. SOOO yummy though. Mmm. AND it was easy. I don't want to post the recipe on here yet without asking Janine first though, so if you really want it just email me :)

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Aside from this, we've had a pretty laid back January so far. Ollie has been growing like crazy, and we're sure he's going to crawl soon. He is constantly grabbing and pulling himself all over the place, he just hasn't really figured out the leg part yet, which is key. He's sitting like a champ, and is already pulling himself up to standing, as long as he has a really good grip on something sturdy.

Justin was an incredibly thoughtful hubby and bought me a Kindle for Christmas. I LOVE IT. Its not something I would think to get for myself, and I'm not saying I wont ever buy another book, but it is so awesome and convenient, especially when youre holding/nursing a baby and dont have 2 hands to turn the page. I've been reading a bunch and am really really enjoying it.

Another example of how sweet and thoughtful my hubby is:

I bought a coat when I was in high school from The Trail House in Frederick, MD, and I have loved that coat. I've loved it so much that there are love holes in the pockets and the elbows are getting thread-love-bare, and its stretched out and mis-shapen. Its warm and cozy, but not too bulky. I have looked and looked and looked and scoured the internet for another coat just like it, but have never been able to find one. I figured they just stopped making it, as it's probably 8 years old now. I bought a few other fleece jackets to try and find one as good as this jacket, but they paled in comparison. None were as warm, comfy, or fit quite as well as that jacket, so I kept wearing it, love holes and all.

Well, Christmas Eve Justin really wanted us to open a present each, and so he came down the stairs with this big awkward looking package. I opened it and seriously could not believe it when I saw the exact coat, but brand new. He found it! A new coat, the exact one that I loved so much, but in a new color, Brown, which is always a good choice.

Is he the best or what? Take a look.

Old Coat.

New Coat.

He is the best.