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.

homemade teething biscuits!

I can't take any credit for this recipe, and technically i could just copy and paste the link and make it easier but its more fun for me to type it out and put my own pictures of the end result.  I saw this on a post in my babycenter birth club yesterday and had to try them out.  I didn't have any baby food prunes so I used pureed apples instead.  Teething or not, your baby 6-8 months will probably enjoy these!  Makena is just now learning to pick up food and feed herself so she had fun with these.  She's not quite eating table food so these (semi-tastless aka super baby friendly) biscuits are a real treat! Super easy to make too :)

Ingredients:

1 128 ml/4.5 fl oz jar of strained prunes baby food (or 1/2 a cup of homemade fruit puree)

1 egg

2 tbsp canola oil

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

While my oven preheated to 375 degrees (F), I emptied the jar of prunes into a large mixing bowl and added the egg and canola oil, mixing well. In a separate small mixing bowl, I mixed the flour, baking soda and cinnamon. The dry ingredients were gradually added to the wet ingredients, mixing well to form a ball of dough.

 

Using a floured rolling pin, I rolled out the dough on a floured surface to a 1/2-inch thickness. I had some cute cut-outs so I decided to use those.  They were pretty big so after I used the cut-out, I cut them in half.  Next, dot the center of the biscuit with a fork.  

 

I put the baby cakes on a parchment lined cookie sheet, about an inch apart, and popped them in the oven for 15 minutes until golden and puffy. They cooled on a wire rack.

 

She has to study everything first...

Success!!!

recipe taken from family feedbag blog: http://www.familyfeedbag.com/2011/10/baby-cakes.html

more food. i like to eat.

Here's a few more recipes for you.  A few healthy, a few....not so much.  Hey, it was the weekend. And on the weekend we cheat.

Prosciutto and Cucumber Crackers

Hardly a "recipe", but a delicious snack or lunch nonetheless.  Basically just start with some Club crackers, spread a thin layer of whipped cream cheese, place a piece of cucumber and then top with a small slice of prosciutto. Bam, you're done.



Chicken and Rice Casserole

 A classic casserole that I'm sure most of you ate when you were younger.  I make a few small changes to make it even tastier.  Bake some veggies and you have your starch, your protein, your dairy and your veggies.  Hardly healthy, but tasty. 'TIS TASTY!!

Ingredients:
-3-4 chicken breasts
-1 can cream of mushroom condensed soup
-3/4 cup uncooked rice
-1 cup chicken broth
-a few handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese
-1/4 t paprika
-1/4 t black pepper

Directions:
1. Stir the soup, broth, rice, paprika and black pepper in a 2-quart shallow baking dish.  Top with the chicken.  Season with additional paprika and black pepper.  Cover the baking dish.
2. Bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender.



Fettucine w/ Prosciutto and Sage Cream

This is one of those Publix Apron's Simple Meals that Jon picked up.  Publix is our grocery store and every weekday they have a stand in the store where they make a certain meal and provide recipes and samples.  He thought this sounded good, and he was right! I altered it a lot because of the ingredients that I did and did not have.  I'll put the Publix recipe and also my changes next to it.

Ingredients:
-4 slices prosciutto (about 2 oz), thinly sliced
-10 sage leaves (I had dried sage so I just sprinkled some of that on)
-2/3 cup roasted red peppers, finely chopped (I used a green bell pepper)
-8 oz fettuccine pasta (I used about 1/2 to 2/3 of a box of thin spaghetti.....or maybe regular spaghetti, I can't remember now.)
-2 T olive oil
-12 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used about 6 oz because that's all I had and Jon doesn't like mushrooms)
-4 spears asparagus, chopped (Didn't call for this but I added it)
-2 cups fully cooked chicken strips (I just cooked my own beforehand)
-1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
-1 cup Alfredo sauce
-1/4 teaspoon black pepper
-1/4 cup shredded Parmesan/Romano cheese blend (I used shredded Parm)

Directions:
1. Cook pasta following package instructions.
2. Preheat large saute pan on medium-high 2-3 minutes.  Place oil in pan, then add mushrooms (and bell peppers and asparagus); cook 2-3 minutes or until browned.  Add chicken strips; cook 1-2 minutes to heat.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low.  Stir in broth and Alfredo sauce; simmer 3-4 minutes or until mixture has thickened.  Stir in pasta, prosciutto, sage, and pepper.  Top with Parmesan cheese and serve.



Mediterranean Flounder 

I figured I would give flounder another shot, mostly because I still have some in my freezer because we bought a Costco sized bag.  I wasn't a huge fan of the first recipe.  It was a little bland and had too much basil.  Apparently I've also been on a Mediterranean kick lately too.  Who doesn't love capers and tomatoes?  This one was MUCH better and I would definitely make it again.  Jon also loved it. This is another allrecipes.com gem.

Ingredients:

• 5 roma (plum) tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 Spanish onion, chopped (I used a sweet onion)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pinch Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 24 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped (I left them out and it was still awesome)
• 4 tablespoons capers
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 6 leaves fresh basil, chopped
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound flounder fillets
• 6 leaves fresh basil, torn (didn't add these on top)

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Plunge tomatoes into the boiling water, and immediately remove to a medium bowl of ice water. Drain, and remove skins. Chop, and set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute onion until tender. Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning. Stir in tomatoes, and cook until tender. Mix in wine, olives, capers, lemon juice, and 1/2 the basil. Reduce heat, blend in Parmesan cheese, and cook until the mixture is reduced to a thick sauce, about 15 minutes.
4. Place flounder in a shallow baking dish. Cover with the sauce, and top with remaining basil leaves.
5. Bake 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

a week of (healthy) recipes.

things are changing in this household.  for a little while anyway.  i've been feeling really crappy when it comes to my health and my appearance lately so its about time to make some changes.  as of last week, we decided that weeknight dinners are going to be healthy (for the most part....anything is better than the cheese, butter and carbs that i normally make).  also, no drinking on week nights unless its a special occasion. ie: charger game, friends over for dinner, etc.  weekends are fair game however :)

anyway, here's my first week of healthy recipes so i thought i'd share.  i got all but one of them from allrecipes.com, my favorite food website.  enjoy!

let me start with the least "healthy" of all.  Slow cooker Chicken Taco Soup.  It's actually not bad until it comes to the toppings :) And who doesn't love an easy and delicious slow cooker recipe?  Especially a hearty soup for the upcoming cool weather.  

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, undrained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, undrained
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer (I just used Coors Light)
• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
• 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used 4)
• shredded Cheddar cheese (optional).....necessary in my opinion
• sour cream (optional)......again, crucial! gives soup a great creaminess
• crushed tortilla chips (optional) -I didn't use these, instead i threw some slices of avocado on top

Directions

1. Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours. (Mine only took about 3 hours to cook the chicken)
2. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.  

Mediterranean Quinoa

This is by far my favorite recipe of the week.  I made some adjustments so take note of that in the ingredients section.  As you noticed I've been copying the original recipe and noting my changes next to them.

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 2 cubes chicken bouillon
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
•  
• 2 large cooked chicken breasts - cut into bite size pieces
• 1 large red onion, diced (I used 1/2 of a sweet onion because that's all i had, which was plenty)
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (i just eyeballed the herbs)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I probably wouldn't put this in next time, it was salty enough with the olives, and i LOVE salty.  Maybe just use half the recommended)
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (WAY too much, I juiced one lemon and used that)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil (I used about 2 tablespoons)

Directions

1. Bring the water, bouillon cubes, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the garlic clove and scrape the quinoa into a large bowl.
2. Gently stir the chicken, onion, bell pepper, olives, feta cheese, parsley, chives, and salt into the quinoa. Drizzle with the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Stir until evenly mixed. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.  (I personally enjoyed it more cold!)

 

 

Italian Style Flounder

Ingredients

• 2 pounds flounder fillets
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup diced fresh tomato (i would suggest using a little more)
• 2 teaspoons dried basil (too much, lessen to 1 or 1.5 tsps)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Arrange flounder in a medium baking dish. Dot with butter, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Top with tomato, basil, and garlic powder.
3. Cover, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork. 

Now, this flounder recipe wasn't my favorite.  I probably wouldn't make it again.  Its my first time cooking with flounder so I'm not sure if its the fish that just doesn't wow me or the other ingredients. Paired with wild rice-a-roni and salad it wasn't bad though.

 

 

Mabo Tofu

 

This one isn't from allrecipes.com.  The sauce for the tofu comes in a box (picture below) and all you do is add the tofu and a ground meat of your choice.  I used ground beef, and basically quadruple the amount of it to give it a little more substance.  I also used two bags of the liquid.  Put it over some brown rice and serve with a veggie of your choice and call it a day.  Super easy!

 

Shrimp Quinoa

Terrible picture, can you tell I forgot to take it until the very end?

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
•  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 8 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces (I used about 10)
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I only used about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste (I also added some garlic and onion powder)

Directions

1. Bring the quinoa and chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let the remaining liquid absorb into the quinoa.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, onion, and red bell pepper; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus, mushrooms, raisins, and ginger; continue cooking until the asparagus is tender. Stir in the shrimp, and cook until the shrimp have turned pink and are no longer translucent in the center.
3. Stir the lemon juice into the quinoa, then toss the quinoa with the shrimp and vegetable mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving. 

Ok, so I kinda messed this one up.  First off, can you tell we are on a quinoa kick? We are both obsessed! Anyway,I was trying to consider Jon's tastes and liking so I left out the ginger, lemon (didn't have any) and raisins.  Well it turns out that he said he wouldn't have minded the ginger and raisins.  Dangit! It sounded good to me. Next time I will definitely add those ingredients.  It was really bland without them.  My plain paleted husband thought it was delicious, however!

 

bullets.

a quick bullet point update!

• vacation is hard work with a 6 month old
• spending time with both mine and jon's family over the last two weeks was amazing
• makena has a tooth! her bottom middle with the second one popping through now as well
• she is also almost mobile.  as of this morning, she started scooting......backwards, lol!
• i need to work out
• fall is here which means my house will smell like cinnamon and cloves for the next two months
• the weather is perfect, and perfect weather makes me happy
• makena has discovered she has a voice and now says mama, dada, baba, pap-pap, and nana
•  i have hundreds of pictures from the last two weeks that i need to upload
• my baby will be 7 months old in a week, whoa
• after makena was a terrible sleeper and napper on vacation, we cracked down when we got home and she now only fusses for 10ish minutes before falling asleep on her own
• we lessened makena's medicine to once a day and then completely stopped it today, but after puking 3 times i'm thinking she still needs to be on it
• its hard to think of updates on anything but makena
• my arms and legs got tan for the first time this whole summer!
• the leaves are about to change colors and i am reminded that the east coast really is the best place to live during the fall
• i'm really itching to get crafty. stay tuned.
• ellen is on again so all is right in the world
• sodastream energy is the best
• ok, im running out of interesting things to say. goodbye.

linguini and clams.

On the menu the other night was one of my favorite meals, linguini and clams.  Luckily Jon likes it a lot too so we make it pretty often.  I usually add garlic bread but we didn't have any and its still delicious without it.  This recipe makes 4 "jon and Kristen-sized" portions. enjoy!

• 4 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams, with juice
• 1 stick butter
•  3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• juice of half a lemon 
• 1/2 onion, diced 
  
• 2 tablespoon dried parsley
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 (16 ounce) package linguini pasta

Ingredients, minus the butter which Jon was picking up at the store :)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. 
   
2. Meanwhile, saute the onions in a little bit of oil for a few minutes  
3. Finally, prepare the sauce. Combine clams with juice, butter or margarine, vegetable oil, minced garlic, parsley, basil, and pepper in a large saucepan. Place over medium heat until boiling. Serve warm over pasta. 

nothing clever, just a long overdue update!

i've been really putting off this update simply because it has been so long and i feel like there is just too much to write about to catch the world up.  lol, i act like you people are all just sitting on the edges of your seats anxiously awaiting updates and info on my family.  i'm not dumb, i know that's not the case.  i really have missed jotting down life's newest joys and challenges. 

i can honestly say that i have FINALLY reached a point where i can thoroughly enjoy every single second of makena.  that doesn't mean that she is a perfect baby, but i think i've really figured out this whole mom thing.  bluntly put, february-july was the hardest few months of my life.  between the reflux and colic and homesickness, it was a lot.  my sweet girl has done a complete 180 and is the happiest baby in the world!  her "cry" is more like a ma-ma-ma-ma whine....a much welcome change from the screaming i once knew.  my absolute favorite moments are walking into her room and the morning and seeing her beaming smile the second she spot jon and/or i.  my heart never fails to melt and they are moments i will have engrained in my memory forever.

its absolutely insane to me that she is almost 6 months old.  i swear that every day she is learning something new.  she can now almost sit up straight on her own.  she still sort-of does the gorilla sit but shes very close! i am also proud to say that she is now formula-fed.  if you know anything about my struggles that came with breastfeeding, you'll know how much of a relief it is for me to be done.  i really struggled with the decision to wean but i realized i needed to do it for my own sanity.  she has mommy milk for 5.5 months, which i know was a great start.  between the dairy allergy, lipase overproduction, lazy baby, bi-weekly clogged ducts and other challenges....it was time.  luckily it has been a very smooth transition.  even more so for makena than me! she is on a soy-based formula but couldn't care less that it tasted different. phew! sadly, i'm probably gonna gain a good 10 lbs back now that i have re-introduced dairy.  i can say that i am definitely still lactose intolerant but that doesn't stop me! cheeeeeeeeese yuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!!!!

chunky legs. :)

 in less than two weeks jon, makena and i will be leaving for an amazing vacation!  we will be spending a week in the outer banks with the gideon/litwin family at a gorgeous beach 3 story beach house, right on the water (with an elevator!).  we then get to explore charleston for a couple days and then we head to south carolina for another week of beaches with the smith/daniels family.  i'm 10% stressed and 90% excited.  makena isn't a huge fan of the car and hasn't been on a drive more than 1.5 hours so our 10+ hour car rides could be interesting.  i cannot wait to make so many wonderful memories with ALL of our family.  so blessed to get this opportunity.

sadly, my brother justin and his family won't make it to the beach because they just welcomed the birth of their precious twin babies!  i am so proud to say that i now have SIX nephews and my FIRST niece! Adelyn Patricia and Owen Francesco were born July 16 (2 days after my bday!) and both are home, happy and healthy.  it was a very long road for laura, spending an entire month in the hospital before they arrived but she is such a trooper and they are so adorable! i cannot wait to meet them hopefully soon. 

perfect babies.  adelyn and owen!

 as my life has finally "calmed down" when it comes to baby, and now that dairy is once again a part of my life :), i have an itch to get my creative juices flowing again.  i have been wanting to start some projects around the house, and i decided to start with a photo wall in our foyer.  pictures to follow once its done.  also on my list are a menu chalkboard for the kitchen and jon and i want to team up and build/finish/decorate a homemade hutch that we will use as a liquor cabinet.  we want to incorporate an old window as the counter and install wine glass holders and cabinets for glasses.  that probably won't happen for a while but its on our list! i also would really like to start a scrapbook for makena.  i know if i don't start soon i'll get so behind that i will never start it.  i've been bad about documenting all of her milestones, which is another reason i wanted to update my blog so i can refer back.  i will also be adding new recipes and meals here as well. 

as far as san diego goes, my heart will always be there.  i still want to get back there, as soon as possible.  it doesn't look like the chances of that happening anytime soon are very great but i've been learning lately to appreciate what i have.  i've really been connecting with some of the girls here, i live in a great house and i'm a stay at home mom! what could i really complain about? yes, i miss family and friends (and san diego food) terribly, but i'm trying to enjoy this time here because i know it won't be forever. 

 i think i'll leave it at that for now.  its good to be back :)