Any other Babywearers wear glasses? 👓 I do, but my glasses *always* get taken off - by me or by my little one, who of course thinks it's so funny... Who can relate? Last week we were invited to the Alcon Kitchen Party, an event showcasing *multifocal* contact lenses. As a baby wearer who also wears glasses I was excited to learn more about a product that couldn't be easily grasped from my face by little hands. (Plus there was food. Need I say more?) Hosted at the Evergreen Brickworks, a revitalized area in the centre of Toronto's Don Valley. It's a green oasis, with trails, a pond where they city's brick quarry used to be, and old buildings converted into fun, modern, and sustainable event spaces.

On our way in. But first, we stopped for a selfie.

Kahlo and I in our Didymos ring sling, in front of lush urban Toronto foliage.

The first thing that caught our attention, sparkling fairy lights strung from the ceiling framing a stage set with fresh ingredients. That stage would was for the exciting live cooking demo (I mentioned there was food right?)!


Chef Brad Long, Amanda Cosco of Electric Runway, Me and little one

Canadian Chef Brad Long, who has appeared on the TV show Restaurant Makeover, and is Head Chef at Brickwork's Cafe Belong, led the demo. Brad wore the contact lenses and happily proclaimed, "I can see you, and the food I'm making for you!" (Food has been discussed, yes?) That food. Yummy...


Butter Tarts.

Plates, catered to be eye healthy, included carrot and apple soup, a fresh garden salad with a butter-based vinaigrette, and portobello mushroom schnitzel with asparagus tips. Dessert? The best butter tarts in the land. Oh! Butter. Forget carrots, did you know that butter has a high concentration of Beta carotene, which we know does wonders for our eye health.


More on eye health, like many Canadians my age I'll likely develop presbyopia, the loss of the ability to naturally change the focus of our eyes due to age. First clue is eye strain -harder to read menus, the small text on this phone - etc. Also, I already wear glasses and those glasses just make me feel old and are SO uncomfortable. I am looking (pun intended) for a solution.

I could lose these readers. I left them off at the event because of someone.
Not naming names.

I am overdue to visit the optometrist post-baby but I am setting up an appointment soon and I'll be asking to try Alcon DailiesTotal1 multifocal contact lenses. Babywearing (or any!) parents, if you're curious too, please find more info at (love the name, wait for it...) loseyourreaders.ca.


Chatting with my neighbour, Jennifer.

Also, hope you like my pics from the event and this delicious carrot soup recipe below.
Cheers to eye health, and happy babies!

xo allie




Chef Brad Long and Little Zen One baby, Optometrist Dr. Michael Kaplan


EYEBALLS AND DAILIES TOTAL1® MULTIFOCAL CONTACT LENSES

One more.

Video for those who like videos:

THE RECIPE Carrot & Apple Soup
Yield: 4 portions (plus room for tasting)
Ingredients:
1 pound or so of fresh carrots, roughly chopped
1⁄2 pound tart apples, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons sweet butter
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or water)
1 tablespoon or so of cider vinegar
1⁄2 cup 35% cream (optional but, hey, it doesn’t hurt)
Salt to taste
Method: Melt the butter in a medium pot (4L) and add the onions and sweat – NOT Sauté – them on low heat for at least 15 minutes so they begin to melt into clear, sweet, love. Add in the carrots at the same heat and continue to slowly cook, stirring occasionally, perhaps nudging the heat up a bit so they are breaking down but not browning. “When the carrots have started to round at the edges add the apples and most of the stock and bring to a boil. By the time the carrots are cooked through, the apples should be melted into the rest but sometimes they hold up – this isn’t a concern as long as the carrots have cooked through. Purée this mixture in a blender (not all at once – at least in two batches) and return to a clean pot. Bring this mixture to a gentle boil being careful to slowly stir so it doesn’t burn on the bottom. You can add more stock if it’s too thick, you can add the cream, and you may need both as there is a distinct variable in the carrots and apples in that they may need far more or far less liquid depending on varietal, age, and too many things to make this easy to be specific. Their starchiness is the only tricky variable so you may need to add more liquid and you can decide how thick you wish your soup to be. Add the cider vinegar and add salt a bit at a time until it is perfectly seasoned to your taste. Divide into cups or bowls and enjoy!
I garnish with a few small basil leaves but you can skip or use chives, parsley, or something growing in your garden that you’d like to show off.
Brad Long