Tomorrow!

While I really dislike putting off posting recipes, I feel like continuing to post them without photos is a bit boring.  I need tech support (Kyle), to get me all of the right cords to upload my photos!

Tomorrow evening I will share a delicious beans and pasta sauce, as well as a tasty lentils recipe that all three of us loved!

Happy Buhday Dada!

Birthdays are sacred in our house.  They're a week long celebration of well, your life.  It's not just about presents, but appreciating the person for their general wonderfulness.

Since Kyle started his first day of his new position at work on his birthday, we didn't really get to celebrate like we normally would.  Instead, we had to run all over town trying to find him proper footware for working in a plant.  When we finally got home, Laela was so tired, when she handed her Daddy his birthday pictures that she'd drawn and covered in Mickey Mouse stickers, her mumbling "Happy Buhday Dada" was quickly followed by her passing out.

So what does a wife do in such a situation?  Improvise baby.

The next day, we made Dada brownies and double baked chicken with homemade mac-n-cheese.  Veggies?  Just corn- which personally, I like to call a grain- very much NOT a veggie.  Oh, and yes, I definitely topped it off with a gigantic bottle of scotch.  Dada was a very happy guy.

For day three of the Dada celebration, I made some homemade guacamole, some homemade salsa, and some tasty tacos.

For the tacos:

I used 4 TB Penzey's Spices bold taco blend and 4TB water with a pound of ground turkey meat.

For the guacamole:
Use a fork to blend 1 avocado with the juice of 1/2 a lime.  Salt and pepper to taste.

For the salsa:

You'll need:

• 5 tomatoes
• 4 green onions
• 1/4 vidalia onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• The juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste

To make the salsa:

• Chop the tomatoes, onion, green onions, jalapeno, and cilantro (including stems).
• Toss together in a bowl.
• Add the juice of the lemon.
• Mix in the salt and pepper.  Taste.  Add more as needed.

Serve!

This was a delicious, simple, relatively healthy meal.  We enjoyed our salsa with some Whole Foods Sunflower and Flax Seed Torilla Chips.

Do birthdays always turn out the way that we want them to?  No.  But sometimes, life is a lot like food.  You've got to work with what you've got, put as much love and effort into it as you can, and hope for the best.

Moving, Vomit, and Smoothies with Feel Better Garlic Broth and Rice

"Sniffle."  "Cough."  "Hack."  "Whimper."

Things no Mommy and Daddy want to hear on the baby monitor in the middle of the night. 

Our baby (okay toddler, but she's always going to be my baby!) woke up sick two days into living in Greenville.  At first, it seemed like just a cold, but with each day, the symptoms just got worse and worse.  The next thing you know, Kyle and I are getting thrown up on like we're at a frat party.  Ugh.

Thank goodness my husband dealt with cleaning up his fraternity basement in college.  He always says that if you can handle cleaning up a fraternity basement (especially after a party), then you can handle just about any grossness a tiny human will throw at you.  Gotta love a man who doesn't so much as flinch (or cringe) when his daughter is coughing and vomiting on him Exorcist style.

Oh, and did I mention that the movers dropped off all 150+ boxes of our stuff the same day she started to get sick, so the apartment was like a death trap and we had to unpack like maniacs during her naps?  It's difficult enough to get unpacked with a toddler running around (ooh!  boxes to climb!  wahoo!!!), but with one who wants to get into everything and snuggle at the same time, that's not easy going.

Thankfully, Kyle is amazing and found us a really nice pediatrician.  He gave Laela some medicine, and she seems to be getting better every day.  Since Laela hasn't had much of an appetite, I've had to get a little creative with some yummy, feel-better food. 

Watermelon Water
Cut up some watermelon. 
Add equal parts watermelon and ice cold water to a cup or sippy cup. 
Serve!

This will keep your little one well hydrated, and doesn't have as much sugar as some other drinks for sick kids.  Plus, it tastes awesome!
*For a twist, you can blend watermelon and ice for a really icy treat!  Or you can make watermelon cubes by blending the watermelon and putting them in freezer trays.  You can save the cubes in freezer bags!

Smoothies 3 Ways
Fruit and Yogurt:

• Add equal parts vanilla or plain yogurt with berries and a banana. 
• You can freeze leftovers and drink them later!  Or pour the leftovers into ice cube trays and you'll have some tasty yogurt pops.  Store in freezer bags and pop out of the freezer when you want some.

Yogurt:

• Laela really likes vanilla yogurt with cinnamon.  I put in a little bit of ice, blend it, and give it to her as a drink.  You can make yogurt pops with the leftovers the same way as described above.

Fruit:

• You can use almost any kind of fruit- watermelon, berries, bananas, peaches, nectarines, etc and blend it with some ice.  You'll have a refreshing, delicious, and super nutritious treat.  You can make ice pops the same way as the other smoothies.

*some people like to add sugar to smoothies.  I don't think it's necessary.  If you taste it and it doesn't taste sweet enough, you can try some honey, or spoonful of sugar, but PLEASE taste it first.  People forget that fruit really is sweet because they have so much sugar added to things.  You might be surprised by how delicious a simple, real fruit drink can be.

Chicken Broth and Rice

I'm a firm believer in the power of a hearty garlic chicken broth to help you feel better.  This is the easiest way to make it (I didn't have any bones to make home made, and let's be real, I just moved.  I didn't have the time to make any stock.)

• (1) quart organic chicken stock.
• (1) bulb garlic, finely chopped.
• (1) handful parsley.
• (1) cup rice (you can use anything on hand.  I used basmati, but I'd have probably used brown rice if that's what I'd had on hand.)
• Salt and pepper
• Onion powder
• Butter

1.  Cook your rice according to package instructions.
2.  Add a dash of onion powder, salt and pepper to the rice (to taste).
3.  Add a little butter (according to taste) to the rice.  Set aside.
4.  Place a medium saucepan on medium heat.
5.  Add a quarter tsp. of butter with the chopped garlic bulb to the pan. 
6.  Cook for two minutes.
7.  Add the parsley, a dash of salt and pepper, and a dash of onion powder.
8.  Simmer for five minutes.

How you serve this is up to you.  Laela drank her broth and ate her rice separately.  You can put some rice in the bowl and pour some broth over it.  You can add vegetables.  You could have cooked your broth with some carrots, onions and celery (til fork tender).  I didn't because I didn't have any one hand, and even if I did, I was looking for something quick and easy.  You could also add some leftover chicken- cut or shredded up.  Do whatever you think you'd like, or if you're feeding a little one, try what you think they'll eat.  I don't know about you, but when Laela's not feeling well, it's the only time she gets fussy about eating.  So I just try to keep it as simple as possible.

Wednesday I'll post what I made for Kyle's birthday dinner!

Change is Inevitable. Growth is Optional. Let's Grow.

We had our closest friends over this past weekend to get together one last time before we leave for Greenville this Sunday.  Throwing a going away party was a first for me.  I'm more of the keep moving forward and don't look back kind of gal.  With every major change that I've ever had in my life, I got in my car and just kept driving.  I've never been one to walk around my apartment/town/college and say farewell to my life.  I suppose for people like me, it's easier to just cut the strings, rather than allow for the potential to watch them fray, and eventually break.

This time it's different.  I'm not just going on a long trip that I'm coming back from.  I'm not moving a few miles further from my parents.  And it's not just about me.  I have a husband and a daughter that add a whole different feeling to the equation than when I would just pack up and leave when I was single.

Before I had Laela, I had a pack of acquaintances, and probably two really good friends.  I've always had a difficult time maintaining female friends because my emotional argument tolerance is pretty low (one of the side effects of being raised by a man I guess.).  So it was always my two best buddies, my parents and everyone else. 

When I got pregnant, I happened to befriend some amazing women.  Towards the end of my pregnancy, Kyle and I took a birthing class.  I became good friends with Michelle, one of the smartest, sassiest people I've ever met.  While everyone else in birthing class was freaking out, her husband Marcus (who's equally awesome), Kyle, Michelle and I were giggling like teenagers at the ridiculousness of it all.  People have been giving birth for how long?  And we need a class for it?  But hey, we were there, getting told by our instructor to "google it" if she couldn't answer our questions.  When she gave birth to her gorgeous daughter Milan, she was a big support to me while I waited (and waited, and waited) to give birth to Laela.  Our daughters have grown up together over the last two years, and it's been such a trip to watch them grow.

While in a friend's wedding, I met two other amazing women, Ali and Dawn, who I feel so completely blessed to call my best friends.  They went to college together for horticulture, but they couldn't be any more different.  Ali is the sweet friend that you always wished you had.  You know when you read a book, and there's that character that's the popular girl who's gorgeous with a heart of gold?  That's Ali.  She could be covered in cow dung and still be the most beautiful girl in the world.  And the best part of it is that she'd be the one spouting out the most disgusting jokes about it.  She's amazing.  I'm so sad we're going to miss out on being there for her when she has her little girl.  The three of us love her to bits and are going to miss her terribly.

Dawn is that friend that if you're in jail, she'll bust you out.  If you just had a baby, and all you want is a damn margarita, she'll bring you a jug.  And drink it with you.  Dawn probably gets my foodie insanity more than anyone.  She never looks at me strangely when I tell her I need to get my food from the farm, or that I need to see them grind the meat in front of me so that I know there isn't any pink slime in it.  Above everything, she always supports and encourages me when I don't have the energy to do it myself.  She gets it.  She's the only girlfriend I have that has a husband that travels all the time and has to parent on her own for days or weeks at a time.  It's one of those things that you can't understand unless it happens to you, and I'm so grateful to have her in my life.  Our husbands work in the same industry, so it's been kind of cool to have friends with a baby who enjoy a lot of the same things.

Then there is Jessica, also known as super mama.  I met her at my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary and we became fast friends.  She's one of the few completely genuine people in this world.  Jess has it completely together and makes motherhood look easy- and most importantly, fun.  Whenever I get down on myself for feeling like I don't do enough, she is always there to remind me that we're mothers.  We'll never feel like we do enough, but at the same time, we probably do too much.

Last, but certainly not least, is my girlfriend Corinne.  I always tell her that she's my best "current life" friend.  She went to college with my husband, and her husband Nate was in Kyle's fraternity.  Nate, Corinne and Kyle all been friends for years, and the two of them have become our closest friends in PA.  Corinne has been such an amazing, steady force in not just my life, but in Kyle and Laela's as well.  I truly believe that there are people in this world that contain so much goodness in them that it is simply beyond words.  Corinne is that person for me.  She has been there for me in every way you can think of.  She's probably the only person outside of my family that I've trusted with my child more than once and not freaked out (which yes Corinne, I know as you read this you're yelling at the computer for me to get a babysitter!).  She's been there cooking during contractions, bringing dinner after having the baby, lending an ear when I need to vent, bringing girl time and wine when I need grown up time, and most of all, just being her.  By looking at the way that Corinne has changed my world, as well as my perspective of the world, she has renewed my faith in the fact that there are people in this world who can make a real difference.  And guess what?  They don't have to be famous or millionaires. 

Someone once told me that your friends are a reflection of yourself.  After writing all of this about my girlfriends, and thinking about my closest guy friends, I think I'm alright with that.  I've got amazing friends.  Did I mention them all?  No.  But these women have been my main support system since I've had Laela.  They've been the ones to share laughs and big moments and even the seemingly unimportant ones.  They've been there for first teeth, getting ears pierced, first words, weeks of parenting alone, you name it.  And for the first time in my entire life, I wanted to say farewell.  I wanted to let them know how much they mean to me and my family.  How they've impacted my life over the last two years.

A good friend recently told me that home isn't a place.  It's in the people where your heart lays.

The next few years of globe jumping are not always going to be easy...but it makes it a little easier to know that we have a network when we need it.  And for the record, it's never really farewell unless you make it so.

Oh, and we can't forget that we're in an age of planes, trains and automobiles...so we can always visit! : )

*After we get settled from moving, I'll be posting some new recipes, as well as updates on our road trip adventures from Philly to South Carolina!

Ricotta and Peppers Stuffed Chicken with Pasta

After a long day of playing at the park, going to the children's museum, and running errands, Laela and I were STARVING!  I needed to make something quick, filling, and packed with healthy goodness.  This stuffed chicken was just the trick!

I try to make it a habit of having cleaned chicken cut in different forms in my freezer (pounded flat, left whole with the fat cut off, cut into nuggets- you get the idea).  I grabbed a flattened one that I'd defrosted, and instead of doing the normal method that I use when stuffing a chicken breast (using a long skinny knife and cutting a hole in it), I decided I was going to roll the chicken around the stuffing and cook it with a bit of broth to steam it.  (This results in a deliciously juicy chicken, regardless of whether or not you are stuffing it.)

Stuffed Chicken:
Ingredients:

• 1 large chicken breast, pounded flat (don't pound it so much that there are holes!)
• 4 oz frozen spinach- defrosted and drained
• 1 roasted red pepper, chopped (I always have a jar of these in my fridge)
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 roasted artichoke, chopped (I always have these in a jar in my fridge) 
• 4 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 package whole grain pasta (I like Barilla Plus angel hair)
• 1 small handful of parmesan cheese
• 4-5 large basil leaves, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth (you can use boullion if you don't have broth)
• 2tsp garlic

Instructions:

• Lightly oil a skillet, and heat to medium heat.
• In a medium sized bowl, mix 3oz of the ricotta cheese, 3oz of spinach, roasted red pepper, 1tsp garlic,  roasted artichoke, salt and pepper.
• Spread the mixture across the flattened chicken.
• Roll the chicken (much like rolling a pumpkin roll).  If it won't stay in place, use butcher's tine, metal poultry picks, or tooth picks.
• Place the chicken in the skillet.
• Cook for one minute.
• Add the broth.
• Place a lid on the pan.
• Leave the chicken cooking in the skillet for 6 minutes.
• While the chicken is cooking, heat another skillet to medium heat and pour in a tablespoon of olive oil.
• Add the remainder of the spinach, the chopped red and green peppers, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, basil leaves, 1tsp garlic and a dash of salt and pepper to the hot skillet.
• Stir while cooking to mix the ingredients well.
• Flip your chicken.
• Cook for 3-5 more minutes.
• While the chicken is finishing, boil the pasta in well salted water.
• When the pasta is done, toss it in the cheese-veggie sauce.
• Top with finished chicken and enjoy!

Happy Birthday Mommytini!

Since today is a holiday, and my Mommy's birthday, I won't be posting a recipe.  Instead, I'd like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has served, or is currently serving in our military.

And of course, happy birthday Mom!!!

I'll be back Weds with something yummy!

Wonton Ravioli with Garbanzo Spaghetti Sauce

If I had to write a love letter to a specific type of food, it would probably be pasta.  It's the one thing that I could eat almost everyday, and never get sick of it.  So when I looked at the label on my wonton wrappers, and saw that I could make them into ravioli, I decided to give it a go.

Wonton Ravioli:

 Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups part skim/part whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 8-9 large basil leaves- chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 40-50 wonton wrappers
• 1 cup water

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, basil leaves, salt, pepper, and egg. 
• Mix well.
• On a clean surface, line up all of your wonton wrappers.
• Using a spoon, or melon baller, scoop the mixture onto half of the wontons.
• Dip your finger in the water.  Run your wet finger along the edges of the wonton wrapper. 
• Top the scooped wonton wrapper with a plain wonton that has also been lined in water.
• Pinch the wontons together so that they won't open when you boil them.
• Boil them in salted water.
• When they float to the top, they're done.
• This is what they'll look like:

Garbanzo Spaghetti Sauce:

Ingredients:

• my super easy pasta sauce
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed.
• 5-6 large basil leaves, chopped
• 1tsp crushed garlic
• 1tsp olive oil
• 4 oz frozen spinach, defrosted and drained

Instructions:

• In a medium pan, on medium heat, combine the spinach, garbanzo beans, garlic, and oil.
• Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the pasta sauce and basil.
• Cook until it becomes one cohesive, well mixed sauce.

Top your pasta and enjoy!