It's An Ugly Cake, But A Darn Tasty One!

So to update, the flu knocked out myself and the girls this week.  Feeling a bit too confident, I bragged on Facebook that the girls would be back in school today.  Apparently the Strep virus, had other things in mind.  Now I have one girl and one boy, each with Strep.  I've seen healthier weeks.

On the plus side, I am saving all kinds of gas money this week by not leaving the house.  I am finally feeling better and my sweet tooth is going crazy staying here in the house.  I crave two things when I get better, McDonalds and chocolate.  Yes, it is kind of gross, but both my parents and my husband will vouch on me for this one.  It is a sure sign of recovery.

Staying at home, means no grocery trips.  I took a look around the kitchen and decided to whip up a diet chocolate bundt cake.  I do really love a good bundt cake.  It is so nicely portioned for you, looks pretty and is a breeze to store.

I have made Weight Watchers 1 point cake-mix cupcakes before.  I liked the light texture and feeling.     The recipe could not be easier.  It calls for one box of cake mix, one can of diet soda and two egg-whites.  Fortunately, I always keep cake box mixes around, for just such a chocolate emergency.

After I mixed everything together, I decided to be extra decadent and add a cup of white chocolate chips.  I think that is the least I deserve after this week, right?

Diet Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

1.  Box moist cake mix, chocolate fudge flavor
2.  Can of Diet Soda (I used diet/caffeine free cola)
3.  2 egg whites
4.  1 cup chocolate chips (I used white, I like the contrast)

Instructions:

Assemble ingredients and pre heat oven to temperature indicated by the cake mix

Mix together first 3 ingredients

Add chocolate chips last 

Fold in chips

Be sure your pan is sprayed with non-stick baking spray

I baked the cake for 40 mins as indicated by the box.  I did use a wooden dowel to check for doneness.  I removed the cake from the oven and let it sit for 5mins and then flipped it over onto a cooling rack to dislodge it from the bundt pan.  

As you can see from my "after" pic, something went kind of wrong.

Oh no!  Breakage!

Looking back, I would say I should have baked it for the full 45 mins and let it cool and additional 5mins before flipping it over.

There were large chunks left in the bundt pan.  I went ahead and used a spoon to get those off the pan.  Let me tell you, it might be an ugly cake, but it tastes fantastic!  Moist with chunks of delicious chocolate and slightly gooey.

If you follow Weight Watchers Points Plus, you are looking at 12 servings with 5points per serving.    Now this cake doesn't taste "diet", the eggs whites give it some heft and it is not as airy as the cupcakes I had made before.  The little bit extra of white chocolate chips really makes the difference.  The mouth feel is much more satisfying!

Enjoy!

Being 40 - The Year Of The Whine

I hadn't really expected turning 40 last year to change me.  I didn't feel any different than at 30, and I was in a much less stressful place than even 5 or 10 years ago.  I really saw it as this badge of honor.

I think someone forgot to remind my vanity that things CHANGE at around 40.  Take my last OB visit for instance.  My lovely, beautiful, and perfectly in shape doctor had the GALL to hand me pre-menopausal pamphlets!  I was in too much shock to do what I wanted (throw them at her skinny young butt) and just sheepishly smiled and said "Thanks" as she walked out.  They didn't even make it to my purse.  They were in the trash in 0.5 seconds.  When did the doctor become YOUNGER than me?  Suddenly I had a new appreciation for older people who would complain about the whippersnapper of a doctor taking care of them.

Started having migraines too.  I wasn't really ready for that one.  I mean, what the heck?  Again, my precious OB doctor sweetly reminded me in an email about my "older" parts and hormones changing and blah blah blah.  Now I have to take more medicine for that everyday.

At least the hubby likes them!

My recent cake-topper for aging?  I started wearing glasses.  Now, maybe you understand the title of this post.  I am officially proclaiming myself a WHINER.  We all have our Achilles heel.  I have lived with my head 100% full of grey hair since I was well before 30 years old.  It started when I was 15 and just got worse every year.  In return, I expected my 20/10 vision to last forever.  Apparently, my eyes were never informed of this expected deal, and last week I got my first pair of glasses.

I really, really do not like them.  And yes, that is whiny and selfish and not appreciative of the rest of my good health.  But it is the milestone of official aging that I was hoping would stay away for at least another 10 years.

Ok, ok, ok.  That is DEFINITELY enough whining for now.  I am all for being positive, but I am not one for being fake.  So let me try to change my attitude.

So here is to turning 41 in a few months.  May the hormones stay balanced, the migraines stay small, the grey hair stay covered, the glasses stay stylish and the OB's butt get big.   Nah....I'm just kidding about that last part.   Sort of.

Family Snuggle Time

Our family is very sensory-oriented.  There a plenty of hugs every morning and afternoon as the kids go and come home from school.  If I get near a sofa, I am usually surrounded by at least two kids within seconds to snuggle up with me.  We even have Family Snuggle time in our bed every night before bedtime.  We take 30 or so minutes to snuggle all together and either talk or watch a little cartoons together.  This time is so precious to me.  It is our way to end the day completely together as a family.  For my husband and I, this is really important for us when we are working.

Sunggling is also imperative if there is any sickness.  I am usually not able to get anything done because the kids will literally have to have a hand or body part on me at all times.

Last night was a first for us.  The two girls and myself, came down with some kind of incredible stomach flu bug at almost the exact same time.  Our bedroom became triage and the site of some hideous side effects of the stomach virus.  We decided to keep the three of us together, while my hubby was nearby on the bottom bunk of my son, in case we needed him.(love that man)

Of course, both the girls wanted me RIGHT next to them, and there was no way I could sleep in the middle of our bed.  So I had my littlest one next to me and the older one laying across the bottom of the bed, horizontally.  That way we could still kinda touch with our feet and reassure all of us that we were still in this together.

Sleeping was not good, because every time I heard a sound, I would wake up to make sure no one was getting sick in their sleep. I would touch each girl reassuringly as they slept, checking for fever and trying to comfort them even as they slept.

I love making them feel better.  Snuggling works like magic to soothe them, to comfort them and let them know how much I love them. 

Then this morning, when I woke up and the girls were already gone, I found that it was I who missed their comforting touch.  Ha!  Guess they have magical powers too?

Daddy taking our pic during family snuggle time!

Reason #276 Why I Love My Husband

OK...maybe even more reasons.  My hubby just made the grocery list, planned a menu for the week AND took all three kids with him to the store... So I can stay home and watch the game.

It is not because he doesn't love football... He just loves making me happy.  He is the kind of guy that I hope my daughters are going to wait for and fall in love with.   And he's the kind of guy I hope my son grows up to be.

I love starting the new year feeling so blessed.

Learning To Let Go

You would think having grown up with a brother, I would be more familiar with how boys bond when they hang out together.  Nope.  I have two girls and can tell you at least ten different things they love to do together.  My son, however, is the only boy and it has always been a struggle to have friends come over.

There are plenty of reasons.  We have changed schools a few times, he doesn't enjoy team based sports, the kids he likes don't live close, and he has his own quirks that aren't always accepted by other boys.

Every time we have had a friend over, I am always trying to over plan and helicopter around to make sure everyone and everything is OK.  Last year, I called my husband, worried that the friend was bored because they were in my son's room, silently reading comics.  I asked him what I should do.  "Nothing'" he replied.  "Just leave them alone.  That is what guys do."  Well that just sounded crazy.  I, of course, ignored that.  I interrupted them and tried to convince them to do something I thought would be more fun for them, and it didn't really work.  I had completely messed up their mojo.

Flash forward to this year's winter break, and we have been lucky enough to have a really great kid come over twice.  We got an Xbox this year from Santa, and the boys are just crazy for their new Skylanders game  They played for about an hour, took a snack break and decided to play another game called "Portal 2".  That is when the helicopter instinct started intruding on my thoughts.  "Maybe I should have them bike for a while?  Maybe I should have them outside?  Maybe this is to much video games?"

I quashed those thoughts and actually stopped to really watch them.  The game they were playing is a brain teaser which requires the boys to communicate and cooperate with each other to achieve their goals.  COMMUNICATE and COOPERATE.  What more could I ask of him?  They loved it and they were bonding! 

After his friends left, I asked my son if he had a good day. "Yeah.". Then I asked if he enjoyed having his friend over to play with.  His mouth widened into a big smile while he said, "Yeah.  That was the BEST."

I am learning to let go of my preconceived notions of what my kid's interpersonal style should look like.  Maybe now I can stop trying to change him and accept his own way of connecting with others.

My son's idea of quality time

Grown Up Escape in San Diego

My poor hubby has his birthday right in between Christmas and New Year's.  That doesn't sound too bad, but trying to motivate people into coming to a party during that week is nearly impossible.

Happy Birthday!

It has been several years since we went off and did something on our own, so we decided to leave the kids and head down to San Diego's Gaslamp District for a night out.  First we had to find a place to stay.  We almost always avoid large chains if possible, either for hotels or eating out.  We love supporting mom and pop and boutique like places.  We settled on a great deal at The Bristol San Diego.  It has an ideal location only 2 blocks from Horton Plaza and short 5-10min walk to the bustling Gaslamp center.  At first I was worried about the walk, but the Gaslamp is so vibrant and crowded on the weekend, we would have wound up in a hotel that was much nosier than where we were.

Everyone we talked with at the hotel was so friendly and sweet.  The reservations lady even upgraded our room for free when she heard it was for my husband's birthday!  We enjoyed a huge room with a king size bed and a great view with free wi-wi and one of the prettiest lobbys we have ever seen.  The holiday decorations were still up and they even have the lobby smelling like a winter wonderland.

Entrance to The Bristol lobby

The Bristol's lovely REAL Christmas tree

We loved the spacious room at The Bristol

For our night out, we booked a tour called "Brothels, Bites and Booze" with 3 other friends, through So Diego.  It was incredibly fun, tasty and filling!

Deb our fun tour guide!

For over 2.5 hours, we were given a guided tour of different buildings throughout the historic area, interspersed with stops at five different restaurants and bars.  The tour guide told us some very interesting stories of the origins of San Diego and the "colorful" brothels that used to be there.  We were amazed at how many there at been and how they operated.
The food was plentiful.  We could barely eat the delicious gelato at the end because we were so full!  The most amazing food was at Bolillo Tortas.  We were served a creamy bean soup, corn on the cob with cotija cheese and chili powder and cream cheese stuffed jalapenos wrapped with bacon.  The horchata they served was the best we had ever had.

Yummy mexican corn with bean soup

Cream cheese stuffed jalapeno wrapped in bacon

Our beer flight from Rock Bottom Brewery

Amazing slider and fries from Bare Back Bar & Grill

Gelato made fresh daily at Cremolose

Wyatt Earp actually ran a saloon and brothel here

We were happy to have a slight walk back to the hotel to digest some of the food and drinks.  In the morning we woke up and went for a walk down to the Zanzibar Cafe.  We picked the restaurant based on the Yelp reviews and did not disappoint.  My meal consisted of Eggs Benedict served with basil hollandaise sauce.  The eggs were absolutely cooked perfectly and the herb potatoes were well seasoned and cooked to a soft, not mushy texture.  My husband was in love with his Sunrise Panini that had eggs, Boursin cheese and roasted tomato.  The cheese melted right into the eggs and bread.  It was like a delicious grilled cheese breakfast sandwich.  Honestly, it was the best breakfast sandwich I have ever tasted.

Eggs Benedict with basil hollandaise and applewood smoked bacon

Zanzibar's Sunrise Panini with roasted tomato and Boursin cheese

After a leisurely stroll back to the hotel, we did some window shopping at Horton Plaza and then decided we were ready to go home.  We loved our quick getaway and we cannot wait to come back to the Gaslamp for another one.

Wonderful city view from our room