Who knew that putting together tiny outfits would be so fun? Before Elsie arrived, and even while she was still a baby, I didn’t realize the joy I would get out of dressing a little person–especially one who is walking. Now she can wear shoes! And she likes when I put them on, and more importantly, she keeps them on (she wore socks only for the whole first year). It’s been a blast to explore the kids sections of stores and catalogues and put together a mini-sized wardrobe for fall/winter. I gravitate toward “casual-hip” wear for E, versus more traditional girly options, but I do like to throw a few sweet patterns into the mix.
For her current size (12-18 months), I made a conscious effort to create a mix-and-match wardrobe. Every item is within a color palette of blueberry, navy, gray, rust, cranberry, raspberry, and cream, which means we can pretty much pick up any top and any legging and they’ll go together. I love that this makes it not only easy on us but it also allows room for creativity–there are so many different combinations. Throw in a few irresistibly cute shoes and cold-weather hats, and our mini has quite the stylish closet. (I need to step up my own game.) Elsie just needs some winter boots before the snow hits us this weekend!
Click through the images to check out some of our favorite outfits this fall, and see links below for everything pictured.
This time of year can really test your healthy eating habits. With cookie exchanges, party nibbles, and extra cocktail consumption, holiday season is full of temptation. Fortunately when it comes to main events like Thanksgiving, we’re usually helping in the kitchen. I always like to make sure there’s some balance to the heavier foods and sweets with some lighter, nutritious sides. This sautéed pear and caramelized onion salad is super simple to make and works great alongside traditional holiday flavors; it’s a recent favorite of ours so you can bet it makes an appearance on the table this time next week. Roasted pepitas give it a bit of crunch, and the cranberries a touch of sweet. Dress the greens with balsamic dressing, and you’re all set. Intimidated by caramelizing onions? Read these common mistakes. Hope you enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 red pear, thinly sliced
Mixed greens
Baby spinach
Handful of dried cranberries
Handful of roasted pepitas
Balsamic dressing (homemade or store bought)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the onions and let them cook, stirring occasionally, until they turn golden brown. Caramelization takes about 30 minutes. Drizzle with extra olive oil or add a bit of water if needed to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan and to deglaze the brown bits. Season well with salt and pepper.
2. In a second skillet over medium-low heat, saute the pear slices just until slightly softened and warmed, about 5 minutes.
3. In a serving bowl, toss greens and baby spinach with dressing. Top with the pears and caramelized onions, cranberries and pepitas.
Since becoming a mom, there’s a whole new joy in putting together gifts for expecting girlfriends. I admittedly wasn’t very good about this before–like most, I usually bought off a registry for baby showers and called it a day. That method, of course, has its own merits as you fulfill a need on the parents-to-be’s long list. But now that I have some experience under my own belt, I love sharing both personal recommendations with friends and putting together special care packages of some of my own favorite things for new moms. It’s fun to get to be a little more thoughtful and creative based on the friend. Hanna Andersson pajamas are one of my absolute favorites to give; they’re such great quality and come in a full range of sizes and fun, colorful patterns. We’ve gifted quite a few of them to friends this year. Do you have any go-to gifts for babies? And don’t forget mom: I like to send a little something for her too (like a candle or book).
Here are a few of our favorite things that I recently packaged up and sent off to a friend:
When it came time to plan Elsie’s first birthday, having family and friends in attendance to celebrate her milestone was most important. The second-most-important on my birthday checklist? A smash cake, of course!
With Elsie’s dairy, nut, and egg allergies, it became my mission to make the perfect recipe for her special treat. In addition to being vegan and nut-free, I wanted to avoid a lot of refined sugar in her first exposure to dessert. I also wanted to add raspberries, which are her very favorite food. I landed on a vegan vanilla cake recipe from Whole Foods, which is sweetened with maple syrup. I tripled the recipe, making three 9-inch round cakes; I used two for a large cake and used a 4-inch cookie cutter to cut out three mini layers from the third for the smash cake.
With organic raspberry jam and vanilla frosting in between each layer, plus fresh raspberries piled on top, the result was a delicious, naked little cake perfect for tiny hands to dig into. But I’ll be honest: Elsie just ate the raspberries off the top along with some of the frosting before the novelty wore off, and then she was whisked off for a post-party bath. Everyone else thoroughly enjoyed the cake though!
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 teaspoon egg replacer
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup expeller-pressed canola oil
2 teaspoons white or cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Organic raspberry jam
Vanilla frosting (homemade or store bought)
Raspberries, for topping
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray and flour a 9-inch round cake pan using olive or canola oil spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk together egg replacer, soy milk, maple syrup, oil, vinegar and vanilla until completely combined.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flours, baking powder, salt and baking soda, then add to bowl with milk mixture, stirring to combine.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake approximately 35 to 40 minutes, or until done when tested with a toothpick. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
*Recipe makes one 9-inch round cake. To create a layered cake, double the recipe and bake in two 9-inch round pans. To create a mini smash cake, bake one 9-inch round cake and use a 4-inch round cookie cutter to cut out three small cakes. Layer raspberry jam and vanilla frosting in between the cake layers and finish with vanilla frosting and fresh raspberries on top. Recipe adapted from Whole Foods.
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