A Weekend to Ourselves + Roasted Veggie Yogurt Bowls

Saturday

Arthur slept in until 7:30 or a bit after on Saturday. I’m not exactly sure when he woke up, to be honest, but I heard him gently shrieking (as oxymoronic as that sounds) at 7:40 or so. He wasn’t full-on crying or wailing, just trying to be heard while both his parents dozed. After releasing the kraken, he spent a good long time nursing, before we hung out upstairs and played different versions of peek-a-boo. He particularly loved my “discovering” his body poking out of the soft crocodile basket he’d buried his head in, as I tickled his feet, then legs, then torso, before extracting him. It was pretty cute.

Always happy to take a selfie

We had our usual shopping run, followed by a mid-morning snack, since he didn’t have his usual breakfast with his pops. Then it was time for another nursing session, one I went into with trepidation - I did not want another repeat of his nap refusal fiasco from the previous day. And boy, was I right to be nervous. We spent about 45 minutes with him restlessly nursing and chomping on my poor nipples before he finally fell asleep. But he did sleep, so I guess that’s something.

He slept again when his poppa took him for a walk at 4:00, for another 45 minutes. So it was a pretty good nap day for Arthur! He had a pretty good appetite throughout the day as well, whether it was his cod liver, African peanut stew, mac ’n goat cheese, watermelon, or kiwi! It’s funny how obsessed he is with kiwis; they seem to be his favorite fruit by far despite their tartness. Who knows, though, maybe next month it will be something different.

Besides sleeping and napping, Arthur spent some time video chatting with someone new - Tante Lauren! It was the first time the two of them "met", and I think they approved of each other. Lauren certainly thought Arthur was adorable, and he screeched and smiled a lot at her as well!

I’d say Arthur was in a pretty darn good mood throughout the rest of the evening, through bedtime. He doesn’t take two naps a day often these days, but when he does, boy it helps!

Sunday

Arthur woke up a little after 7:00 on Sunday. He was in a bit of a mood through his first solid breakfast with his dada, but after nursing cheered up - at least for a while. We spent most of the morning upstairs, before it was time for a bath, more susu, and, thank goodness, a nap.

We were back to buying vlaai instead of making it on Sunday, and Arthur accompanied us for the long journey to the bakery. He extended the walk with his papa afterwards while Mama worked on her booty, and then it was back home for more susu: our usual routine.

A deceptively sweet veneer

Arthur was pretty restless throughout the afternoon. Afternoon snack time was chaos, and changing his diaper afterwards was even worse. Lately he's been extremely active whenever we change his diaper, and insists on rolling onto his stomach and getting up onto all fours. It was especially bad today, and makes changing him really really challenging. I was reading other parents' strategies on Reddit, and it seems it's mostly either distracting their kids with something (which is a hit or miss with Arthur) or pinning them down with their elbows or legs. So that's fun.

Arthur took a second nap (!) when his dad took him for a walk a bit after 4:00. He got about 5 minutes of sleep while still outside, and continued gently snoring in the stroller for another forty minutes or so after they got home. He didn't even wake up with us bustling around in the kitchen - once again, I think he really needed it! Still, he was kind of fussy after his nap, and still rubbing his eyes like he was tired - I wonder if he's got a bit of a bug or something. Ah well, hopefully tomorrow is better. I will say, several times during the evening, he stood with no support for a couple of seconds - I think he's getting closer to walking!

Sunday is Miklós's day to cook dinner, but, now that the grandparents were back in Hungary, I was excited to try a new recipe on Saturday. I usually try to go by what's on sale at the moment, and this past week cauliflower and carrots both were, so this recipe seemed like a good fit! And it was pretty dang tasty! It's hard to go wrong with roasted veggies and a yogurt-tahini combo. I served them with some homemade quick rolls, and it was a lovely homey meal. Here's how I made it:

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Roasted Carrot Cauliflower Tofu Bowls with Tahini Yogurt (serves 2)

Ingredients

• 1 small head cauliflower

• 4-5 large carrots

• 1 block (325g) extra firm tofu

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• spices, to taste (I used salt, MSG, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika)

• Yogurt Sauce:

  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt

  • 2 tbsp tahini

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

  • ½ tsp garlic powder

  • ¼ tsp pepper

  • ½ tsp salt

  • 2 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves

  • cold water, as needed (maybe ¼ cup)

  • pinch of red pepper (optional)

• bread rolls/rice/other grain of choice (optional, to serve - I used quick yogurt rolls)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.

2. Slice the tofu and boil it in salted water for 5-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can press it. Drain and pat dry with paper towels, then spread over the baking tray.

3. Break/cut the cauliflower into small florets and add these to the tray.

4. Quarter the carrots lengthwise, then cut them in half. Add them to the tray as well.

5. Drizzle olive oil over the veggies and tofu, and sprinkle seasoning on them. Toss to coat.

6. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until slightly crispy on the outside.

7. While they are baking, make the sauce by whisking together all the ingredients.

8. Spread the sauce on two plates, then layer the veggies and tofu on top when they are done baking.

9. Serve warm, preferably with some sort of grain!