.cats, of all sorts.

as mentioned in the previous post [here], i am loving all things of the feline species. and these are my top picks for kiddos. 

purchase here:
single panther sweater || this rad sweater would be great for a girl or boy. a tutu skirt or jeans. i'm sold!
grey tiger sweatshirt || i actually purchased this sweater for jack, however will have to wait till he's 2 for it to fit. yes, his 2 year old pile is growing by the day, but when you have adorable shirts like this grey one, how can i not purchase it? sigh, that is life.
single tiger onesie || i loved this onesie so much, that i actually stripped a mannequin for it! and yes, it was featured on a jack's threads post [seen here].
multiple black panther sweater || like i said above, this is just plain awesome.
multiple tiger onesie || mini rodini makes some of the most unique pieces for children and this one tops the list. super cool if you ask me.
tiger leggings || same as above, but in legging form. sweet!
meow sweatshirt || i think this may be my next buy for our wee guy. something about this reminds me of the super trooper movie and it makes me smile everytime i look at it. i think it'd make a great layering  item as well!

.jack's threads: big kitty.

one of my newest obsessions seem to be any sort of the feline species printed on baby clothes. think tigers, panthers, lions....any sort of cat really. and with all these hip companies popping out baby items with those purring little critters on them, we couldn't be happier over at casa d' treb.

they actually sort of remind me of that early 90's fad. tacky fuzzy blankets, framed velvet pictures, and even giant tattoos [sorry in advance if you are currently sporting a tiger jumping off your entire back. it's just not my thing]. do you know what i'm talking about?

so when i came across this cute onesie, i was completely smitten and knew little jack needed it in his wardrobe.....like right meow!!

jack's threads:

sweater || joe fresh 2012 [similar]

tiger onesie || zara

leggings || zara

shoes || old navy [similar]

slouchy toque || zara [similar]

.almond meal cookies with chocolate chips + coconut.

ever come across a recipe that makes you think about it non-stop? you find yourself salivating just at the thought of it? well, these cookies are simply just that for me. 

first of all, my friends morgan and greg are to be thanked for this find. see greg brought a few of these glorious beasts to work with him to share with my husband and i remember getting a text from pete that simply read "you have to get this cookie recipe from morgan". and if you knew my husband, you knew that he does not send those type of text's over anything sweet [he's a complete health freak!] so i knew they had to be good.

and holy hell, he was right!

my new favourite cookie recipe by far! easy to make, crispy and chewy, and not too sweet. a little reminiscent of a macaroon, but even tastier in my opinion. made with almond flour/meal instead of your tradition flour, which gives it a nuttier taste.
oh, and did i mention it's gluten free?? my only complaint - it makes about 20 small cookies.....
all i have to say is you gotta try this one out people!!

and thank you morgan and greg!

Almond Meal Cookies 

with Chocolate Chips + Coconut

[recipe from the Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook, makes about 20 small cookies]

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups Almond Meal/Flour

1/4 cup chopped Dark Chocolate [we used Cacao Nibs]

1/2 cup shredded Unsweetened Coconut

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Salt

1/3 cup Brown Sugar [you could also use Muscovado]

1 Egg

3 Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted [you could also use Melted Butter]

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1] In a large mixing bowl, stir together almond meal, dark chocolate chops, coconut, baking powder, salt and sugar.

2] In a separate bowl, beat egg until uniform in color and doubled in volume.

3] Whisk in the coconut oil and vanilla, then add to dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

4] Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or even overnight.

5] Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

6] Shape dough into 1-inch balls, place on baking sheet with 1-1/2 inch space in between each. Press down slightly to flatten a bit.

7] Bake until edges begin to brown, 7 - 10 minutes.

8] Remove from oven and let cool before serving.

.our jack, at 4 months.

our little man is 4 months already. i know i keep saying it, but holy hell!

life with this child just keeps getting better and better. his little personality is forming and it's just so cool to be a part of. he is also filling out into one handsome little devil if i don't say so myself, but then again, i am utterly biased and that could be the mama bear talking.

so here's some fun pictures [although my camera settings were completely off today [such an amateur!], so terrible quality.....] of our jack bugg. and his little personality.

you can see jack's 3 month update right here.

.kid things: jcrew for little ladies.

[shop: 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 ]

okay, can someone with a little girl in their lives please go and purchase something off this list?

i mean come on with the cuteness!

and bonus! each of these items are currently on sale!!! 

run! [or just click in the SHOP section] to get your hands on any of these goodies. i give you full permission to make me jealous with your little lady adorableness ;)

.edmonton review: nineteen.

on saturday night, the hubby and i got a babysitter for jack [thank you babcia!] and we had ourselves a proper date night. and woah, was it needed.

it had been ages since pete and i had sat down, just the two of us, over some good food and wine and just chatted, without distraction from a certain wee little fella. just us two adults, enjoying each others company.

after unsuccessfully getting a reservation at another place [maybe next time!], we crossed our fingers and tried to book a table at another fairly new restaurant, called XIX [Nineteen] that has been on my 'to-visit' list for a while. and as luck would have it, they squeezed us in!

as we arrived, i was pretty impressed with the decor. it was dark and moody and just the sort of romantic atmosphere we were looking for. the clientele on the other hand, ranged a little older than expected [think early to mid 50's-ish] and a very classy bunch. then after we thought about it we weren't that surprised at all considering the owners come from blackhawk golf course [a private swanky club], so it's kind of expected.
the menu was filled with many creative dishes, especially the appetizers [holy moly, we wanted all of them!] and we had a hard time choosing what we wanted to order simply because they were all drool-worthy. after settling on some mussels [smothered in a gorgonzola cream sauce] and ahi tuna [with spicy thai noodles] to start, and duck breast [with a hoisin chicken confit] and blue crab crusted grouper [in a wild mushroom friscassee] for our mains, we devoured each and every morsel. they were delicious!
and although a little on the pricey side, the wines and drinks were very reasonable. which, in our opinion, is very important. so in the end, they balanced each other out.

also, while on our date, i realized something....that these type of nights are crucial. just me n' pete out on the town. it's crucial for many reasons, but mostly just to keep things exciting. and a little romantic. and just help to keep our relationship flowing. babies are fun, sure. but diapers and spit up, not too sexy.

which brings me to another point. these kind of nights are crucial to my own sanity. i loved getting dressed up, curling my hair and putting some make-up on. wearing heels again! oh, how i've missed my heels! for a few moments tonight, i completely felt like myself again.
and so we decided on our way home, that we were going to do this every month. plan a day each month just for ourselves. for me and for peter. for our relationship. and for jack's grandmothers [because i think they totally look forward to babysitting!].

it really was the perfect night that i was hoping for, out with my sweetheart.
and then seeing that little boy when we got home was damn awesome too.

.weekend roundup, from my phone.

crafting some more olliblocks to add to jack's toy box. girls, boys, and animals.

giggles and smiles from the cutest boy in town.

playtime with grammy + gramps.

finally trying out red ox inn's vegetable lasagna [recipe here] at home and licking our plates clean.

more pool time fun with mama & papa.

babysitting & lots of playtime with babcia.

date night, just the two of us.

after a late night and early morning, a very welcomed new favourite - the vanilla spice latte.

some light reading.

yummy nibbles for jack. [this boy is growing so quickly, our pediatrician said to get him on some foods as well as breastmilk a little early! i have a feeling that i am going to start feeling very sorry for my grocery bill throughout the coming years!]

**i also thought i'd point out some funny notes about this picture. we should title it 'how life changes when you have children!'

.jack's threads: the valentine's outfit.

today jack wanted to show off his new valentine's day outfit for you all. because lets face it, he really is "mom's little heart".

us treb's are all just lying low this holiday. jack playing with a few new valentine's gifts [some valentine's blocks and a new book] and mama + papa with a heart-shaped pizza and perhaps shared with a bottle of wine and a movie.
happy valentine's day to you all ♥

jack's threads:

t-shirt || zara
checkered button down shirt || joe fresh [similar]

jeans || gap

bow tie || joe fresh [similar]
valentine's blocks || olliblocks

.hemp protein bars.

lately i've been on a huge healthy baking kick. it's partly in an effort to put better things into my body during those sweet-tooth cravings, especially while i breastfeed my son, but it's also partly because of one particularly special friend of mine. yes, chels, that's you! she definitely knows her stuff on organic healthy cooking and inspires me on a daily basis!

this girl is simply an amazing cook. everything i've had from her is incredible....soups, cakes, coconut 'whip cream' and those awesome 'major milk making cookies' [which i'll be posting the recipe very soon!], but the other day she was over and gave me a little taste of these super healthy hemp protein bars that she had made and i was hooked! what a great way to quench hunger, get a little extra protein [also extra energy!] and additively tasty too! peter and i were both craving them the instant she left and i knew i had to have the recipe, which she kindly obliged and now i can share it with all of you.
tip: these would also be great to have post workout!

also, chelsea is currently blogging for urban organics so head on over and like their facebook page for more tasty recipes and tips on healthy eating! she also posts a smoothie of the week recipe, which i cannot wait to jump on the bandwagon with!

Hemp Protein Bars

[via Green Kitchen Stories, seriously go check out their gorgeous photography. mine don't even come close to doing justice! makes about 15 bars]

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1 cup dried shredded coconut

1/2 cup hemp hearts [shelled hemp seeds]

1/2 cup hemp protein powder [you can use hemp hearts instead]

4 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp bee pollen [optional, and i used honey which worked great]

Wet Ingredients

20 fresh medjool dates, pitted

6 tbsp coconut oil, room temperature [which is in its hard state. you can also use butter instead]

4 tbsp cacao powder

1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp ground vanilla

Add After Blending

6 tbsp rolled oats

2 tbsp poppy seeds

Directions:

1] In a food processor or blender, pulse the dry ingredients quickly. Do not over-process, you want it a little crunchy. Place the mixture in a bowl and set aside.

2] Add all wet ingredients to the food processor or high speed blender and run until pureed. This might take some time, and if your blender isn't strong enough you might have to help out by stirring around a few times with a fork or add a dash of water [that's what I had to do!]

**If you don't have a food processor, place your pitted dates on a plate and mash with a fork until they are sticky and smooth as caramel, it'll take a few minutes. Then add the remaining ingredients one by one and kneed it by hand until well combined.

3] Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, add oats and poppy seeds and stir until well combined [I had to use my hands to combine]. 

4] Spread the batter evenly into a 11 x 7-inch [28x18cm] baking dish. Make sure it becomes quite compact [I, again, used my hands to spread and push the batter down]. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Cut into bars. Wrap them in paper and store in an air-tight container in the fridge, which will keep for around a week.

.a funny papa and his baby boy.

the other day jack, pete and i were playing on the couch. it was one of those moments that you want to take a mental picture of and preserve it for the rest of your life.

it was such a simple moment. just the three of us, hanging out. it was a fairly cold day and we were cuddled up by the fire. papa had just come home from work and we had just come home from a playdate. 

then papa grabbed our boy, made him smile and it was in that very moment, it was perfect.

watching the two of them play. converse. interact. love. just makes it all so worth it. i love watching them together, my two favourite people, with all my heart.