You mean haven’t heard about the new chewable Dora the Explorer birth control?
Ok, maybe those are just vitamins.
But Dora the Explorer birth control does exist.
And it comes in the form of…
… Gigi! (Otherwise known as, and mistaken for, Dora.)
For any new readers who’ve not yet had the pleasure of “meeting” Gigi, she’s my sassy five-year-old quasi-hermanita (translation: little sister). I say quasi because she’s not really my sister. She’s my dad’s girlfriend’s daughter. But she’s been en mi vida since the very first day she arrived to America when she was 10 months old (she’s adopted from Guatemala), so I consider her familia.
Why, you may wonder, am I referring to a beloved familia member as birth control? Well, last week, I had the pleasure of spending an entire día with Dora because she had a day off from escuela. Note my use of the word pleasure, which is not meant to carry any tones of sarcasm. I truly enjoyed my Dora-filled día, but it was utterly exhausting. Kudos to las madres who muster up the energy to deal with kiddie chaos day in and day out, but un día with Gigi was enough to confirm that there will be no mini foodies en mi futuro for a very long time.
Mi día con Dora kicked off with a desayuno disaster.
The previous night, I’d dreamt up a decadent bowl of oats. And we all know what ensues when you conjure up a creation in the midst of slumber. (This is assuming that everyone dreams of food. Right?) You awake fully intent on making that delicious dream a reality.
Or maybe I’m just a foodie freak. But when I dream of Jeannie foodgasms, I make ‘em happen.
So, let’s get to the bowl of my dreams. The base was my standard banana, egg white oat bran. The topping was the culprit behind the drool on my pillow. I envisioned my creamy oats drowning (in a happy way) in a pool of strawberry pomegranate syrup.
I’ve never made any sort of fruit syrup before—but I had my first pint of seasonal strawberries and some POM samples that Kristen generously sent my way a few weeks ago—so I figured it was worth a shot.
The only problemo? I had to pick Dora up in 20 minutes—and didn’t have the time to simultaneously stir a pot of oats and an experimental pot of syrup.
A normal person would have abandoned Plan Oat Bran and thrown together a quick yogurt mess. But I’ve always been next to normal. At least on the food front.
So I convinced myself decided that creating my very first fruit syrup in the microwave was entirely plausible.
The strategy? 1 cup of fresh strawberries sliced + 1/2 cup POM Wonderful + 1/2 cup water + 3 tbsp. sugar. Microwaved for 8 minutes.
Needless to say, this wasn’t what I was going for.
Yep. 1 cup of strawberries and 1 cup of liquid came out looking like this.
I’m guessing 8 minutes was a little too long. Woops.
That was really fun to clean.
I’d already made my oat bran (1/2 cup Hodgson Mill’s oat bran + 1 cup water + 1/2 sliced banana + 1/3 cup egg whites)—which thankfully made it out of the microwave in fine form. So I plopped my “strawberry pomegranate syrup” on top and called it breakfast.
Except my 2 tbsp. of strawberry gunk looked depressingly meager on my big bed of oats.
So I decided to douse it in almond milk and cinnamon.
I can’t remember the logic behind that decision—I was frantically packing snacks and getting myself in order for mi día con Dora—but it was a great call.
Super creamy oats with a hint (italics, bold and underline necessary to emphasize the word hint) of strawberry and pomegranate. Not the bowl of my dreams—but I didn’t hate it.
I scooped Dora from her madre, and then we were off.
Places to go, people to see…
By that, I mean supermarkets to visit, supermarket workers (who admittedly know me by name/think I’m suspicious for spending so much time perusing the aisles) to see…
Sí, Gigi and I were off to do some grocery shopping!
Gigi’s madre hates grocery shopping, especially with Gigi because—for some strange reason—Gigi behaves terribly during supermercado trips with her madre. We discovered that Gigi not only behaves during—but enjoys—grocery shopping with me—and we need not address my amor for food shopping. So I volunteer my grocery store services whenever Nancy (la madre de Gigi, la novia de mi padre) is in need.
One thing I’ve learned regarding Gigi and food shopping: She always “gets hungry” on the way. I guess the idea of entering a magical mundo of food-filled aisles whets her appetite. Can’t blame la chica.
I packed provisions.
We had a riveting discussion about the difference between Special K bars and Clif Z bars—wherein Gigi learned that Z bars are not only healthier, but also more filling. She assured me that no bar was too filling for her big girl appetite.
Somehow, a quarter of her way into the bar, she went back on her word and declared fullness.
And, so, 3/4 of a Z bar ended up on my lap.
And by in my lap, I mean in my mouth.
Maybe this “mommy” thing isn’t so bad after all…
We got our goodies…
…and headed home to get our lunch on.
At this point, I was again reminded that I’m definitely not ready for mommydom. This sounds entirely trivial—but I’m not used to catering to anyone’s cravings but my own. And mommydom means your cravings come segundo. No me gusta.
You see, I’m big on the whole intuitive eating thing. I’ve not read the book—but I avidly practice the “eat what you’re in the mood for” principle.
I was in the mood for an omelet. Gigi was not. I wasn’t up for making separate lunches—nor was I interested in force-feeding an omelet to a stubborn five year old.
So I got creativo and made the following pitch:
Gigi, what if I told you that we could turn eggs into cupcakes?
Dora signed off on this proposal, and we set out to make Caitlin’s mini quiches egg cupcakes.
We mixed up 5 eggs, 1 cup of broccoli, goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, poured the mix into cupcake tins and baked them at 350° for 35 minutes.
Gigi didn’t like the whole waiting 35 minutes aspect of our egg cupcakes—so we had a lunch appetizer of Jarlsberg nachos and hummus.
You know I never speak badly about my beloved Sabra—but the Chipotle hummus was disgusting. This is the only Sabra flavor I’ve met and not liked. It was weirdly smoky and just very awkward tasting.
Malo.
Bueno.
Good thing we had other Sabra options.
Greek Olive saved el día.
Actually, egg cupcakes saved el día.
These were incredible—and so kid-friendly.
I threw some mozzarella and parmesan on top of mine and broiled them for an additional two minutes.
Gigi went the straight-up mozzarella route.
Egg cupcakes? ¡Delicioso! Foodie & Dora-approved 
.
After several more horas of chasing Gigi, I was happy to drop her off with her madre and unwind by making myself an unrushed, non-kiddie cena.
First up, roasted broccoli.
Simply tossed in EVOO and sugar, then broiled for 8 minutes.
Luckily 8 minutes turned out beautifully this time around 
.
I also roasted my last kabocha squash of the season 
.
See you next fall, mi amor…
And whipped up a big bowl of cold sesame noodles.
I don’t have a recipe for this one because I was ravenous and just threw together a basic combo of soy sauce, peanut butter, almond milk, garlic, sesame oil and honey.
And garnished with sesame seeds and crushed peanuts .
I knew how Gigi felt waiting for the egg cupcakes earlier. It was not fun waiting for these to get cold. But SO worth it.
I think I really needed my precious kitchen time after a day of running around with/after Gigi because post-cena, I got the baking bug.
As usual, I embraced it.
I finally made April’s low-carb sweet bread, which was AMAZING.
Even more so topped with cream queso and strawberry preserves.
I guess the strawberry craving from my dream was still lingering… .
Preguntas: Do you dream of food creations? Por favor, tell me I’m not the only one. Do you have kids? If so, how do you manage ENJOYING EATING while catering to kiddie taste buds and an on-the-go lifestyle?
Feliz lunes, foodies! I hope you’re all enjoying fantastic weather, wherever you may be!
Amor,
Sarah
Props to you, girl. I am terrible with kids… Motherhood is not in my cards (sorry, mom, if you were expecting grandchildren…) Looks like a fab day though! Kids are so cute- I just…am too much of a kid to be in charge of one
Foodie dreams? Always. I wake up drooling most mornings. TMI?
Dora is SO full of personality- I love it. From afar. I, like you, could not handle mommydom any time soon. Hell naw.
I am SHOCKED that the chipotle Sabra is bad! I didn’t know they could make something I wouldn’t eat in one sitting! Astounding.
I do dream of food creations, but most of those are lucid daydreams.
OK, I have to get back to “working.” Gah. I’m too distracted right now, though!
LOVE YOU!!! xoxoxoxx
Hahaha … I have much birth control around me in the form of a ‘Dora’ too.
I don’t have much patience for kids! I hope I have it for my own.
HAHA i have quite the amount of birth control in my life as well. your birth control is SUPER cute! love the egg muffins
You have the cutest birth control EVER!!
That’s pretty good birth control right there, I agree!
Gigi is aDORAble. I want to tag along with you on that date! I also had her haircut for 5 early years of my life, and a brief summer last year. Some things never change.
Awwwwwwww, Dora is aDORAble!! What a delicious day!!
HOW CUTE!! she is sooo adorable! youre gona be a great momma one day
MMMM your oats look GOOD! even w. the jam fail!! you saved EM!
haha, 16 & pregnant is my favorite form of bc!
I’m seconding that!
me 3!
Oh my God. Your Sabra stash. I want. Now.
My kids are gonna have to adapt to my weird foodie ways, because there’s no way they’re ever getting frozen chicken nuggets!! Although, I would like an excuse to keep more kiddie cereals in the house…
Hope you’ve had a great Monday!!
You are so great with her! Egg CUPCAKES?! great way of describing it. You’ll be a great mother one day
feeeed meeee.
seriously dora aka gigi is GORGEOUS! you guys look a like too! weird that you’re not related. i mean not weird but weird in the way that you look so a like yet aren’t related what so ever genetically
hahaha enough blab julie.
egg cupcakes! and i’m shocked seriously shocked that the chipotle hummus is not good. i would think sabra would do that one right for sure.
hmph! when can we play!?
I dream of food on a weekly basis. When I tell people about it (well, used to tell people about it…I’ve learned my lesson after many weird looks/comments) they always used to tell me that I was probably pregnant, but NOPE…I just love food that much.
Also, I don’t have kids (well, if you don’t count the million rug-rats I work with) – but when I babysit my nieces and nephew I always cook two separate things because they are picky, picky and I don’t want to eat cheese sticks and white bread. However, I have managed to do some sneaky things with pureed veggies and macaroni and cheese.
Ahaha, I absolutely love your title! I’m happy you had a great day with your sister, even if taking care of kids can be a handful at times. It looks like you got some pretty delicious eats in, as well. I must admit I’m a bit jealous of your kabocha
.
Have a lovely day!
xox
Dora is a cutiepie, but yeah, I’ll def remember this post the next time my bf and I are tempted to be a little wreckless. I cannot imagine my mess of a life with a child in it right now! And I love you egg cupcake idea–totally stealing it. Don’t worry, I’ll footnote you
http://www.firednfabulous.blogspot.com/
Dora is a cutiepie, but yeah, I’ll def remember this post the next time my bf and I are tempted to be a little wreckless. I cannot imagine my mess of a life with a child in it right now! And I love you egg cupcake idea–totally stealing it.
http://www.firednfabulous.blogspot.com/
dude. you and dora are too cute. do peeps ever confuse her for being your daughter bc that used to happen to my bestie amiga practically cada dia with her youngest hermana. anyhooo, yeah, when it comes to food, i cant cater to others’ cravings, not even kyles, so clearly baby making needs to be left to the pros (or those content with their estomagos growling for longer than 5 seconds). not me on either front.
last night i dreamt of a vegan creamed spinach. pre-dairy-free existence it was def mi favorito. im gonna make it happen yo
this was the cutest post ever- Dora (hehe) is adorable but it is hilarious how you refer to it as dora the explorer birth control bahahaha.
those egg cupcakes look awesome!! food bloggers create the best things ever, i swear
xoxo
shelley
http://findinghappinessandhealth.wordpress.com
Aww! You’re great with kids. I am not. My shopping trips with my sister tend to involve me snarling “Shut up and let me shop!” with her going “You’re taking foooooooorever! Who CARES if THIS granola has pumpkin seeds or walnuts?”
Your peanut sauce recipe sounds lovely–what ratios do you use?
omg! this is precious! you did such an awesome job with her! and i can only imagine your exhaustion!!
that crispy broccoli and kombucha looks like its just calling for some ketchup
ok i definitely dream about food LOL
i go to bed looking forward to a nice sweet piping hot bowl of oats in the morning…i once voiced this to my family and they looked at me crazy 
i never realized that was weird!!!
o and ur sister is soooo adorableee!!..the dora birth controls freaked me out at first…glad to know those dont actuallly exist
Sad you didn’t like the Chipotle sabra. I loved it!
Dora/Gigi is adorable, and I’m so impressed that she ate those quiches. I never would have at that age. But they look amazing now!
Your lil sister is a cutie!! Very Dora-esque
I take chewy vitamins and I’m almost 20. Haha! My little brother is only 1, but if I’m with him at meal times we usually end up sharing everything, cause he won’t let me eat something with out wanting a bite too……Annoying but it keeps him quiet 
<3 Tori
Best post yet! I sware you top yourself every time
And I loved all the spanglish up in heree! Gigi is incredibly precious, but I give ya mayjuhh props for volunteering to take her somewhere where she usually flips out! You totally figured the trick out–make sure the kid’s well fed and/or not sleepy! PROBLEMO SOLVED!
Sorry about the eh bowl of oats and shrunken syrup (hahah??!), but those savory cupcakes…wowww!! They look so good! And so fun to make. You’re going to be a great mom, someday
But i’m with you. Can’t imagine putting a little kidette before myself anytime soon and oh you knoww i dream about food on the daily–moreso when i’m home though! More to work with
Holla nachos! I love home-made nachos.
XOXOXO
Sarah! I love your blog! My mouth starts watering every time I read it! You are so lucky that Gigi would eat those quiches! I’m a nanny and the only thing the kids will eat are chicken nuggets, pizza, pasta and ice cream. Seriously. That’s it. If I suggested “egg cupcakes” they would shoot back of look of disgust. Trust me, she’s one of the easier kids.
I think you did a great job con Gigi/Dora! She was entertained, well-fed and educated. What more could a person want for their child?! Love those egg cupcakes and I’m glad Gigi did, too. I’m sorry about the yucky hummus. That stinks! But it’s a good thing you’re a hoarder like me and had a back-up. Your low carb seet bread looked heavenly. I’m just sorry you had to endure the microwave strawberry-POM syrup disaster first
babysitting = best birth control ever. suriously. and i heart dora/gigi. and i heart you. and i hearted our convo this morning. more to come mi amor…
Gigi looks just like Dora! She is going to have the best Halloween costume EVER.
ahh so so so cute!!
the egg cupcakes look SO good!, I love your food! its beautiful and so balanced
dora birth control pill?!?! ehhhh don’t know about that haha
YES I dream of food creations
I was laughing so much as I read this post! Gigi’s really cute, and I give you a ton of credit for tricking her into eating healthily!
I wish i could have tagged along Gigi’s adventure!! That looks sooo fun!! I could eat everything in this post!! Egg cupcakes, roasted broc., nachos, kabocha, THAT PASTA! MMMMM.
adore.
happy Wednesday, mama cita!
hahaha isn’t it funny when youre with kids you’re like, NO WAY NOT FOR A LONG TIME!!! haha. reminds me of that show when parent’s would give teens who thought they were ready to have babies, they’d give them their kids for a week and then most all of them would change their minds and be like helllllllllll no! haha
“Dora” is too cute!
I have 2 little girls (who are obsessed with the “real” Dora). I usually end up cooking dinner for them separately cause they eat earlier than my husband and I do. But whenever we do end up eating with them, all they want is to eat the food off of my plate. So my theory is that as long as a “grown up” is eating it, kids will want it too
That’s a really cute idea to get a kid to eat healthy – quiche “cupcakes!” Giada de Laurentiis did something similar w/ mac n’ cheese cupcakes, plus other vegetables and bread crumbs, etc. that the kids picked out.
Love the blog and I LOVED the mushroom cap ideas!
how adorable is she! what a fun day. and i couldn’t agree more, babysitting is the BEST form of birth control. and it doesn’t cost a cent. ha.
the eggy cupcakes looks delicious. i’m going to have to give them a try.