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pomegranate chicken thighs
October 29, 2021

Life Lately

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Hi friends!

I can’t believe October is already coming to a close – this whole month has been a total whirlwind!

If you’re looking for something fun to make for Halloween this weekend, try my Halloween-themed Spiderweb Maple Brownie Cookies. Yummy and cute, and not total sugar bombs either. 🙂

Here are some random life snapshots as of late, starting with Zara and Wes having a staring contest. (He’s very intrigued by her, she’s mostly indifferent.)

baby looking at cat

Wes is such a sweet little baby – he is super smiley these days, especially when big sister Riese is around as he absolutely adores her.

He’s juuuust about able to roll over from back to front. So close! For now, we help him. 🙂 He can successfully go from front to back, though! 

He’s very into touch and feel books these days, and likes practicing using his voice a lot by having “conversations” with me. 

And I think we are hopefully through the 4 month sleep regression situation now (yeahhh, forgot how fun that was), fingers crossed.

Wes will be 5 months on Monday – time truly flies! I still need to write his birth story… whoops… and it’s also time to brush up on my baby led weaning because we are probably only a month or so out from starting him on solids! 

Speaking of food, we’ve been embracing all things fall over here – if you haven’t tried my pomegranate chicken thighs recipe yet, do it. It’s so delicious. 

pomegranate chicken thighs

Plus grain salad bowls and variations of my Harvest Bowls on repeat with various different roasted squash, and leftover pomegranate arils! 

grain salad harvest bowl

Riese also wants everyone to know that spooky Halloween-themed pasta is way cooler than regular pasta (those are spiderwebs, ghosts, and pumpkin shapes)!

halloween shaped pasta with meat sauce

This was a great freezer and pantry themed meal: pasta + a jar of red sauce + an unseasoned frozen peppers and onion veggie mix (technically for stir fry, but it was perfect in the meat sauce) + some defrosted ground beef. I think the only fresh thing from the fridge was some baby spinach! 

We finally did something we’ve been meaning to do forever, by the way, which is create a low to the ground drawer for Riese with all of her plates, bowls, cups, and utensils.

This way she can set her place by herself… and we have a bit less to do to get a meal or snack on the table, which is nice because meals feel incredibly hectic these days. I feel like all of my meals are basically inhaled because inevitably someone is crying or asking for something. 

toddler height dish drawer

Along those lines, Riese had a total meltdown one morning at breakfast this week because, as she scream-told us: “I DIDN’T WANT OATS IN MY OATMEAL!!!!”

Right, got it. Makes total sense, obviously… Matt and I were trying sooo hard not to laugh because it was just so ridiculous and amazing. Kids are nuts. 

Anyway! I did get to enjoy one super mindful, tuned in meal recently, though – my friend Jen and I had a mom’s night out a couple weeks ago!

girls night

This whole night was SUCH a treat.

Jen loves yoga as much as I do (we actually met at yoga, shortly after our first kids were born; and once we realized our kids were only a couple weeks apart in age and we were also both dietitians we started hanging out and the rest is history – now she’s one of my absolute best friends!), so we started our mom’s night out with a 6 p.m. yoga class at Karma Yoga Studio in Falls Church, where one of her favorite instructors was teaching. 

I can’t even remember the last time I did an evening yoga class and it was soooo nice – I forgot how lovely it is as a wind-down from a hectic day! 

By the time we changed and walked to dinner at nearby Thompson Italian we were both super relaxed and ready for a fun meal. My friend Gretchen recommended this spot to me and it did not disappoint! 

We started with some fried artichokes (not pictured, so yummy), their delicious house bread with olive oil (also not pictured and also so yummy), and a really good apple, fennel, and hazelnut salad with cheese. 

salad at thompson italian

For dinner, we shared a bunch of stuff: pork tortellini, roasted brussels sprouts, and arctic char with lentils.

All of it was absolutely amazing but my favorite dish of the night was the pork tortellini. It came with a butternut squash and brown butter sauce that was to die for. 

dinner at thompson italian in falls church

Best night! We are going to try to do girl’s night more often because as fun as it is to hang out with our kids, it’s important to have time to actually have uninterrupted conversations, too. 🙂 

Are you dressing up for Halloween this weekend?

Matt and I didn’t get any costumes (we want to do a fun family-themed costume situation sometime, but this year wasn’t that year), but Wes is going to be a cow and Riese is super excited to be the “Princess in Black” – it’s one of her favorite chapter book series!

There was a Halloween parade in our town last weekend and Riese got to test out her outfit – she was a fan. 🙂

And yes clearly we need to make a new flower for her costume this coming weekend because that one (just made from paper) got wrecked pretty fast! 

I hope you have a great weekend, my friends! I’ll leave you with some links of interest from around the web:

  • Loved these Empty Mason Jar Storage Ideas – lots of creative uses in there
  • I was the October “RD of the month” over on the Tomato Wellness page – check it out!
  • 25 Kid-Friendly Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner ideas – more ideas are always helpful 
  • Great post from a blog friend about how her approach to fitness has changed over the years, and especially since becoming a mother – I resonate with a lot of this: A Shift in my Fitness Mindset
- anne
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15 comments
  • Kori Daniel October 29, 2021 · 11:22AM:
    Super fun meals and girls' night yoga + dinner! I love the photo of Wes and Zara staring at each other. I hope our fur-babies take well to our baby. Congratulations on being featured as the Tomato Wellness RD of the Month! Hope you all have a fun Halloween weekend!
    Reply
    • Anne
      November 1, 2021 · 11:58AM:
      Thanks Kori! Hope you had a great weekend too, and congrats on your pregnancy :)
      Reply
      • Kori November 1, 2021 · 2:32PM:
        Thank you! <3
        Reply
  • Roadrunner October 29, 2021 · 12:11PM:
    Glad that all goes well, Anne, thanks for the update. Great random info! Enjoy Halloween!
    Reply
    • Anne
      November 1, 2021 · 11:58AM:
      Thanks! Happy Halloween!
      Reply
  • Ashley October 29, 2021 · 12:33PM:
    Great idea about the kid drawer for Reese! My son is her age and he would love this. I'm looking to update and streamline our kids' plates, cutlery and cups - any recommendations? thanks!
    Reply
    • Anne
      November 1, 2021 · 12:04PM:
      We love the cutlery, plates, and cups we have! Here are Amazon (affiliate) links to all the stuff: stainless steel cutlery // stainless steel cups we have both the plain 8 ounce ones, and also these 12 ounce ones that are slightly larger and have colorful grippers // these are our plates and our bowls. Hope that's helpful!
      Reply
  • Ana October 29, 2021 · 12:48PM:
    Oh, the happiness of a "just right" Halloween costume! And who would want oats in their oatmeal?! LOL Fun to see a slice of life - thanks!
    Reply
    • Anne
      November 1, 2021 · 12:04PM:
      Thanks, Ana!
      Reply
  • Kris S October 29, 2021 · 1:46PM:
    The kids are growing so quickly! Everyone looks adorable :D Miss you all!
    Reply
    • Anne
      November 1, 2021 · 12:04PM:
      Thanks Kris! Miss you!
      Reply
  • Jen October 30, 2021 · 12:27AM:
    Thanks for the lovely shout out, I enjoyed moms night out just as much! So needed, so perfectly relaxing and delicious. I’m so grateful for our friendship 💕
    Reply
    • Anne
      November 1, 2021 · 12:04PM:
      So grateful for you, too!
      Reply
  • adrianna October 30, 2021 · 10:41PM:
    so happy to read an update and so super glad you guys are doing well! lots of virtual hugs. enjoy those perfect little babes 😀😍
    Reply
    • Anne
      November 1, 2021 · 12:05PM:
      Thanks so much Adrianna!
      Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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