it's really not that hard.

i'm fully aware that all of my writing is lower cased. i actually have to force my auto correct to let that happen, which is why it baffles my mind that people can get these wrong so often. i'm no english major and i'm sure you will be able to find 5-10 grammatical errors in this post alone but the following typos make me cray cray. it's like schools don't even teach this anymore. ok rant over. 

i think i blame facebook. it seems like people became dumber once we started using it, myself included haha. 

anyway, here's the recipe I talked about last time. it was decent. I suggest doubling the "dressing" and also adding some additional salt and seasoning. otheriwse it's good and makes for a healthy side dish. 

i'm too lazy tonight to type it all out so i've taken a picture. enjoy.

and of course here's some ridiculously cute pictures of my child. who, by the way, stood unassisted by herself for the very first time today for a good ten seconds!!! proud mama.

hi.

nothing too exciting to post, just a few pictures of the weekend in san diego that has now turned into what will be a week and a half long stay. jon will be gone so much i decided just to stay here til next monday when we were gonna come back to drop makena off before camping for the 4th. 

my weekend consisted of yummy food, good company and some line dancing. my old college roommate diana is in town for the week (she's actually the one who introduced jon and i...sure glad she did). we went dancing at incahoots which is always a blast. celebrated my brother-in -law's graduation, had a nice dinner in old town, had play date for kona with tina's dog eika and went to the beach today. makena was NOT a fan but we will break her in. ;) also, my baby turned 16 months this weekend. so big!

i finally made the green smoothie for breakfast the other day and it was delicious! you really don't taste the spinach at all. i'd suggest cutting the portion size in half. i couldn't drink it all and it kept me full for a long time. mmm now this sounds so yummy I may make it as a snack. 

making some greek style squash as a side for dinner tonight. will post the recipe and pictures later or tomorrow. 

remember san diego friends, i'm here all week and would love to play! xoxo

blogging in traffic.

don't worry, i'm not driving. heading down to san diego yet again for a few reasons. 

1.) my mom is my best friend and I would rather hang out with her than stay in redlands and make my own friends. i'm so cool. text me sd friends, i should probably stop going to bed at 9:30 and actually do something social.

2.) jon is going to be working like a mad man over the next week so instead of being a single mom in redlands i'd rather be a single mom in san diego.

so i lied about my breakfast today. i had every intention of making the green spinach smoothie but then I saw my beautiful ripe avocado sitting there just waiting to be eaten so I changed my mind. my wonderful friend emily gave me this recipe and i've been wanting to try it so I did. here you have it:

i don't actually know what it is called so i shall name it the avocado egg melt. super high in protein and healthy fats. good for you and delicious 

ingredients:

-whole avocado 

-2 eggs

-cayenne pepper and garlic salt 

-shredded cheddar cheese 

remove the stone from an avocado. scoop out a little more avocado to increase the size of the stone's crater. crack an egg into the crater. sprinkle with cayenne pepper and garlic salt (cheese too if you desire). bake in the oven at 400 degrees until egg is cooked to the level you like, about 10-20 minutes

and here is a picture of my good little traveler, super excited to see dida and pap pap. 

of course I did my costco run a few days ago without knowing i'd be coming to poway this weekend so i decided to make one of my upcoming meals to bring to eat and share tonight. haven't actually tried it yet but it looks yummy and healthy. 

it's a cold orzo pasta with chicken and vegetables. 

recipe:  

you'll need: 

-8 ounces uncooked orzo pasta 

-juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)

-1 tsp dijon mustard 

-1 shallot, minced (i used a green onion cause its what i had)

-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 

-salt and pepper to taste 

-2 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken 

-1/2 english cucumber, chopped 

-1 large carrot, shredded 

-1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 

-1/2-1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved 

-1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

directions:

1. cook pasta as directed on box. strain and transfer to a very large bowl (it needs room to cool as well as room for all of the other ingredients--and stirring room!).
2. while the pasta cooks, prepare dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, shallot, oil, salt and pepper.
3. add dressing and chicken to warm pasta and toss to combine. place in fridge to chill.
4. while the pasta is chilling, prep your vegetables and parsley. Add them to cooled (or mostly cooled) pasta and chicken mixture. serve immediately or store in fridge until ready to eat.

happy weekend friends!

i'm back! i think.

wow.
well, its been 8 months since my last post and in that time a lot of things have happened:
-my baby became a toddler
-i have a new niece
-i moved from georgia to redlands, ca
-i have a new future sister-in-law
-other awesome things i'm sure i'm forgetting

i've realized that i post WAY too many pictures and updates on facebook and instagram, as if people are actually interested in my every move.  this way, i feel a tiny bit better about posting an absurd amount of baby and food pictures, and constant updates on my vegetable garden.  it's your own damn fault if you're stuck here reading this, you clicked on the link by your own free will! sucka!

anyway, i'll keep it short and sweet. i hope i'm here to stay.  this weeks line-up looks like this:
-lots of healthy recipes
-even more pictures of my ridiculously adorable child
-the latest on my tomatoes. you can skip that part, i know i'm the only one who cares :)


good to be back my friends. i leave you with tomorrow's breakfast.


Green Monster Spinach Smoothie:

Ingredients-
-1 frozen sliced banana (slice BEFORE you freeeze)
-1 T peanut butter
-1/2 cup 0% Vanilla Greek Yogurt (I use plain cause its what I have)
-1 cup unsweetened soy milk
-4 cups baby spinach

Instructions-
-Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth



ok who am i kidding? i can't not post pix.  today (future) auntie cindy came to redlands to visit. here's a plethora of pix in case you missed them all over facebook and instagram.