Rachel Nancollas - Where's the Granola?

Where's the Granola?

Rachel Nancollas

7/12/25 - Saturday

Highlights: we had a fun morning - packed in a Ross playdate with Elliot/Adrian, synagogue, and swim class. Also did date night with Josh/Polina. I even took a nap - what a day! Bummer: we continue to live in whinemere. Also maybe we should go to bed earlier

7/9/25 - Wednesday

Highlights: Won an "Above and Beyond" award at work! Lots of coworkers pinged me to congratulate me, felt great :). Bummer: Mega tantrum a la Elodie while leaving the JCC because I didn't bring Popsicles. Hilarity: There was a big thunderstorm last night complete with tornado warning,

Friday - 5/30/25

Highlights: took the day off with Elliott for his birthday!! Super relaxing book reading time (finished my book in less than a week), fancy tea party, adult conversation. It was a delightful day. Bummer: none. It was really a great day Hilarity: Ciel's commitment to a party hat

Monday - 3/26/25

Highlights: Elliott is home! Nice family breakfast, spa morning! Finished my book and started a new one, perfect weather Bummer: approximately zero listening most of the day from the kids :/ Hilarity: Ciel put a necklace around his waist and declared, "I am Saturn!"

5/24/25 - Saturday

Highlights: weather was beautiful. Had a really nice walk with the kids after dinner. Elodie and I had a pretty good time together during Ciel's nap. Happy we made it for the last bit of synagogue. Bummer: that point trying to get home before nap where I wasn&

Sunday - 5/18/25

Highlights: weather was perfect, good trip to Mitchell playground. Beading with Elodie was fun. Bummer: Elodie would not nap with me Hilarity (this is from a few days ago): Ciel was taking a bath and put soap suds on his head and said, "I am a cupcake!"

Hilarious conversation

Elodie (to Ciel): you know there's liquid in your body. Your blood is a kind of liquid. Ciel: yeah! Elodie: you know if a monster ate you, there wouldn't be any more liquid and then you couldn't walk

Friday, April 18

Highlights: Aquarium!! Bummer of the day: all sleeping in the same hotel room is a gamble, sometimes amazing snuggles, sometimes (last night) coughing that kept everyone awake. Hilarity of the day: Elodie says, "sometimes when I eat a potato (she means tomato) I wiggle a lot"

3/25/25 - Tuesday

Highlights: super fun doonya dance class, great morning with the kids, cherry blossoms 🌸. Bummer: paper cut + (via cardboard box) Hilarity: Ciel explaining to me that he needed to go to the hospital to get medicine because his teeth hurt because he's getting new teeth. (He was thinking of

3/20/25 - Thursday

Highlight: weather was beautiful, trees are starting to flower - DC is really beautiful in the spring. I've been solo parenting this week and it's gone really well - I've had a lot of fun with the kids. Work has also gone well -

3/8/25 - Saturday

Highlights: really fun evening with the kids including reading about a craft project in highlights and then doing it as a family. Bummer of the day: another cold! How do I have so many colds?! Hilarity: Ciel taking to himself going to sleep, "the driver on the monster truck

Thursday - 3/6/25

Highlights: breakfast with Elliott at the Lyle! Great evening drawing animals with the kids and Ciel was super silly tonight at bedtime. Bummer of the day: nothing? It was a pretty good day. Hilarity: this one is old, but I haven't updated in a while - we were

7/24/24 - Wednesday

Highlights: leading our working group meeting and generally just feeling like I'm proud of what I've accomplished with digital datasheets, sewing a pocket into Elodie's dress (less skill there, but it was still cool to do), Ciel giving me a big hug when I

7/21/24 - Sunday

Highlights: Elliott feeling better, successfully taking both kids swimming solo (including changing them), Harris for President 2024(!), family dinner at Ted's Bulletin. Overall it was the kind of day where the scales tipped towards the fun side of having two kids over the intensity of it all. Bummer:

7/18/24 - Thursday

Highlights: great weather! Scootered/biked to daycare, it was nice to be out of the car. Also had coffee/pastry with Elliott at drop off, a delight. Great wake up with Elodie this morning. Really enjoyed catching up with a friend from grad school. Bummer: still a lot of evening

7/17/24 - Wednesday

Highlights; working on a really cool coding problem, family breakfast, family coloring (although it was short lived). Catching up with an old Olin classmate and talking about CAD. Also the kids were playing an imagination game where Elodie pretended there was a crocodile chasing them - they ran around the

7/16/24 - Tuesday

Highlights: really fun night of playing with the kids. Dinner was eaten by all! Bummer: hottest day evar Hilarity: finished "We have a ghost" - it was pretty good. Definitely kind of sad ending, but there were a number of funny moments

7/15/24 - Monday

Highlights: Elodie was home today and she had a really great day. Did some craft projects, made lunch with Elliott, took a long nap, went to target to get new shoes. Just generally a lot of listening and fun times with her. There was one moment in the car when

7/14/24 - Sunday

Highlights: Ciel sitting on the toy forklift at a birthday party in 95 degree heat asking me for "more fizzy wa-er". Managing to achieve the whole family nap as a transfer from car nap (basically a miracle), Watching the kids have a dance party to the Jewish songs

New thing: 7/13/24

Highlights: playdough creations with the kids and Oma/Opa. Hearing Ciel's delighted shrieks while he pet our neighbor's dog. "Bummer of the day": so. many. tantrums. Gah. Also still in this walking boot and it's a million degrees outside. Funny moment: Elodie

Beyond Meatballs

These are great. I served them with potato/carrot mash Ingredients * 3 packages of beyond meat * 1 bunch scallions * 1/2 cup ketchup * 1 cup panko breadcrumbs * 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce * Salt & Pepper * 2 bags baby carrots * 2 lbs potatoes (chopped) * 4 tbs vegan butter * 1/4 cup oat

Vegan Corn Bread

Excellent vegan cornbread. Adapted (basically removed half the sugar from: https://www.noracooks.com/the-best-vegan-cornbread/) Ingredients * 340 g corn meal * 320 g flour * 100 g sugar * 2 tbs baking soda * 1 tsp salt * 2.5 cups oat milk * 2/3 cup oil Process 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees 2.

Dairy-free, soy-free nut -freerecipes

Ciel seems to have a dairy/soy protein intolerance so I've been avoiding milk/soy the last month. It's pretty hard to find good vegetarian, dairy-free, soy-free recipes, so I'm compiling a list here! * Coconut black beans * Pasta, bell pepper, veggie sausage * Enchiladas (corn

Tortellini broccoli bake

Here's an easy prep-ahead meal. Ingredients * 1-2 heads broccoli * 3-4 servings tortellini * 1 container ricotta cheese * 1 egg * Salt and pepper * Italian herbs * Parmesan cheese Process 0. If cooking immediately, preheat over to 350 degrees. 1. Boil a pot of water 2. Chop up broccoli into bite size

Easy Enchiladas

This is a very easy recipe for enchiladas courtesy of stuff you can get at Trader Joe's. Ingredients * 3 bell peppers * Optional: onion, garlic * Your favorite taco-like seasonings (I usually go for some chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, a bit of oregano) * 1 TBS oil * Salt and pepper