Yuppie Life: Gobble

This week we received our first box from Gobble.  Like many other meal services out there the idea is that you can get new meal ideas, get fresh food delivered, and hopefully quickly on the table. The price per serving is higher than what you might pay in the grocery store, but then again what busy couple/family has time for grocery shopping.

I got this box with a promo code I found in one of my mom's groups so only paid $3.99.

It arrived in a regular cardboard box that seems to have been sent by 2-day air.

Luckily I was home to get it given the instructions on the box. Typically though I wouldn't be and I don't know if I would want this type of packaging setting outside on a hot Florida day.

Inside was a recipe card, a bubble wrapped freezer bag with an ice pack and all our ingredients.

Okay the this type of service is not for an environmentalist. There is way too much plastic involved and I had to squeeze our mash potatoes out a of plastic sleeve.

Gobble claims a meal on the table in 15 minutes using only one pan. I timed my efforts and it took me 31 minutes total to complete the tasks.

We had the Beef Filet which came with baby carrots, snap peas, and garlic mash potatoes. I followed their cooking instructions with some hesitation. (Is my non-stick skillet oven safe? And wasn't there some rule that I wasn't supposed to put my cast iron skillet on my electric stovetop? Spoiler: I went with the cast iron and the stove seems no worse for the wear.) I used their instructions to for medium, but it came out a little underdone for my taste. So I put mine back in the oven after the meal started. 

I forgot to take a picture of the final product because by then the husband was hungry and the baby was fussing. However, the taste was definitely on point. The food seemed fresh and the spice mix add the right amount of seasoning to the meat. The simplicity of the recipe choice though made me think  I would be better off just buying these ingredients and cooking them on my own. Others on their site look a bit more complex so that might make it worth it.

Want to try it? See https://www.gobble.com/

Bi-Baby: Today's Research

So many books and manuals out there about how to raise a baby, but so little seems to be written on how to raise a biracial child. So over the next few months, I hope to turn to the original research, the latest and greatest out there to see what it has to say.


Today's study comes from Sarah Gaither who examined:

Are biracial infants better or worse with other racial effect?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_dDXfFuEfY&feature=youtu.be


In her study she looked at the novelty effect to see what were the races of the faces babies look at longer. Biracial infants seemed to have a different processing patterns than monoracial infants. They seem to be more advanced at processing faces than monoracial infants. Perhaps due to the exposure to multiple races in their daily lives.

Interesting?

Clean House Introductions

I've just spent three days scrubbing our new rental from top to bottom in between appointments for service providers, dropping off rental cars, doing a bit of real work and while managing a head cold.

Yes you can hire people to do this for you, but I feel like it's been a great intro to your new home. I've laid eyes and hands on pretty much every nook and cranny. I know the cute quirk and where the dust bunnies hide. I know I'll learn more about this place in upcoming weeks but cleaning from top to bottom was a great introduction.

Empty Room

Sitting now in my mostly emptied apartment. There is definitely something to the Japanese style of living.

Last year we visited the Imperial Palaces in Kyoto and Toyko. It was kind of the opposite of what you and I would normally consider royal grounds-no gaudy furniture, no over the top decor. We laughed a bit because the rooms are basically just empty. Now they do have really nice floor coverings and painted walls. But it is definitely much more simple than most "Royal" palaces.  

Imperial Palace Kyoto: Image from Wikipedia

Yet now sitting here, I can see the piece in that kind of space. Not a lot to visually occupy your mind, but what you do have is spectacular. Definitely something can be said for that.  

Moving...

When I was younger, I used to adore moving. I loved the opportunity for a fresh start in a new place where you could reinvent yourself if you wanted. I was always excited about the newest adventure and new chapter.

This is the first time that I have moved with great sadness. I adore my coworkers. I love this city. I loved pretty much everything about this experience. I am excited about better weather, hopefully a better lifestyle, closer to family, smaller town which will make my husband happy but I'm still a little sad about this transition.

Today's Obsession: Closets!

I've spent practically the whole day in my current closet packing and trying to stay warm. (Yep, our heat is out again, and my closet is practically the only enclosed room in the place where the space heater actually made a difference.) I have also been thinking hard about what to do with the closet in my next space. This was like a dream closet. It's large and walk in. I was able to organize everything with the existing rods and the addition of a shoe rack.  My next space.... not so much. So I'm thinking about turning this bedroom into a closet:

It's of course bare so I have to put in everything to make it a useable space. We also still want to encourage guests, so I have to make sure that it's presentable enough for someone to sleep in when they visit. So I have a lot left to do here. But my mind is already leaning towards the future.

Weather fails!

Here in Chicago the true winter has settled in. When the cold is blasting us from all sides, all I want to do is snuggle under a down blanket and wait for it to pass. Over the past couple of winters, I've learned to bundle up, learned to soldier on, and learned to just make it happen. The climate is so inhospitable here. I have to let go!