pop recipe

you can seriously use any fruit &/or juice combination here - it's a great way to use up extras.  i've even used watermelon.  it was yum!  & if your fruit isn't sweet enough for you, try adding a ripe banana.  {whenever our bananas are getting a little too ripe, i stick them in the freezer for popsicle & smoothie use.} 

also, a thought on greek yogurt:  we've recently discovered this goodness.  it's quite $$, but has NO sugar & is a great source of calcium & protein.  hudson {bizarrely} loves it mixed with applesauce for "dessert", & also "dip" for carrots.  we use it for hummus, popsicles & smoothies.  apparently you can use it for muffins & bread, too.  i love that if hudson & holland want a popsicle right before dinner it's no big deal - they're actually getting stuff i'd give them to eat anyway (yogurt, fruit, juice), yet they feel like they're getting away with something :)

*popsicle molds can be purchased on amazon for pretty cheap.  this is the one we have.  (i don't love that it's plastic, but i've yet to come up with a way to make pops with glass!!)

$2.50 treat

last week i craved some-kind-of-yummy-food like crazy. i've fought off going to panera for lunch about 17x {feels like}. their food isn't even that outstanding, but the frontega chicken sandwich is the best thing i can get for not too much $ & relatively quick.
& it has basil & mozzarella, & i love basil & mozzarella.
& hudson will eat it if i pick off the onion (red!) & basil & that means i don't have to make lunch for him.
(oh & the bread is crusty & i love crusty bread.)
but i haven't gone (yet).

i wasn't thrilled about going back into penny-watching mode with this new life. i'm a generally frugal-ish type of person anyway, but it's one thing to choose to be frugal & another to not have much income coming in (yet)! so there i was, h u n g r y for something yummy & knowing i didn't need to spend the $ {bum} when i saw soulemama's post about feta dip.
i'm sorry. did you say, FETA + DIP?
because i am IN.

so for a $2.50 feta splurge, i made this yumminess that totally hit the spot...

 

you can find the feta dip recipe here.
i wrote about making pita chips here.
& here's info on making carrots. (haha. just kidding!)

super crazy yum

this memorial day weekend we did what most other americans were doing.

1. caught some rays {pool side}

2. ate some bbq

some sweet, sweet bbq. some super, crazy yum bbq, thanks to good ol' williams sonoma.

behold...

super crazy yum bbq sauce.

dump in slow cooker with a pork shoulder. 7-8 hrs later, add spongey, soft white rolls, a quick spinach-walnut salad & voilà!

you might slap your mama.

really. i mean that. it's sooooo good.

ps: fabulocity salad dressing recipe here.

pps: the sauce is on sale.

ppps: makes a great father's day gift (at least i hope my father-in-law thinks so)

super simple dinner (or lunch)

i should show you what our basil plants look like now (pics yesterday were from a few weeks ago).
they're almost picked to the bone because i keep making tomato basil quesadillas.
when i planted all the herbs, i hoped i would think of enough ways to use them.  so far it hasn't been a problem, especially with the basil.

i made this up for lunch one day & kept making them everyday until i worried the basil plants would die because i picked too many leaves!  so far they're okay, but i went back for more basil plants yesterday :)

i love how pioneer woman does recipes with step-by-step pics, so i decided to try that with these quesadillas.
so here's what you do...

thinly slice mozzarella

pretty thin. see?

layer mozzarella on the tortilla. you don't need a ton. this may even be a bit too much, but then again too much mozzarella???

sprinkle tomato slices on top.  my fav are cherry or grape tomatoes.

layer a few basil leaves on top.  the leaves of my plant were HUGE!  i hope they grow back fast.

add a few more thin slices of mozzarella.

add a sprinkle or two of salt & pep.

drizzle balsamic vinegar on top.  a Tablespoon or so.  the more vinegar you use, the more you'll need to grill it, to keep it from getting too soggy.

it should look like this.

fold in half.

pull your george foreman grill out of the back of the closet & put the tortilla on it.  oh, you threw your george foreman out in the late 90s??  weird!  you can do this in a hot grill pan, or regular pan.  just press down with your spatula, to get that smooshed togetherness.

grill for a few minutes, until mozzarella is melted & everything is warm.  it should look like this...

here's where it would have been nice to have a nice pic of the quesadilla on my plate.  oops! 
just imagine, mkay?

these make a light (well, depending on your mozzarella usage) lunch, or make more for dinner.  they'd be great with a salad, too.

let me know if you try this.  i'd love to hear if it inspires you to pick your basil plant clean :)

recipe wednesday

3 yr old won't take a nap?
baby keeps rolling herself over & can't stay asleep?
about to pull your hair out because all you want to do is sit on the couch & read your new book??!

get up & make peanut butter fudge!
at least that's what i'm doing :)

check out the recipe here

i'll let you know how it goes...

perfect 2 yr old cookies

i was planning on making some heart shaped valentine's sugar cookies (complete with frosting!) with hudson for a little gift for his teachers, when i remembered that i'm 8.5 months pregnant & that is just a little too much :)
that's when i came across this recipe, modified it a bit & voila! i think i may have found the perfect cookie to make with your 2 year old (well, 2.5 yr old anyway). it has only a few ingredients, so it's quick, quick, quick to whip up & the rest of the steps are super "preschool helper" friendly!

peanut butter kiss cookies

1 c. smooth peanut butter
1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. white sugar (+ for rolling)
2 eggs
pinch of salt

1. dump all ingredients into a bowl & mix well (hudson was thrilled to use THREE different sugars!). *now this is where i'm not sure how the houston humidity effects baking, so if the dough is too dry to roll into balls, add a tsp @ a time of water & if it's too wet, add a little more sugar (really, can you have too much??! haha!)
2. roll the dough into small (1 in. diameter) balls & let your little one roll the balls in a small bowl of sugar & place them on an UNGREASED cookie sheet. h LOVED this part :)
3. bake @ 350 for 13-15 mins. you don't want them gooey, but you don't want them overbaked (just getting golden brown on the bottoms is best).
4. while they're baking, having your kiddo unwrap the hershey's kisses - h's favorite part!! you can even count them as you go!
5. as soon as the cookies come out of the oven, help your little guy put a kiss in the center of each cookie (hudson had the tendency to smoosh the cookie to smitherines, so beware!!).
6. while you're waiting for the cookies to cool completely (takes several hours for the chocolate to completely cool, fyi), get out your camera & take pictures of your kiddo enjoying the treat...

first he sipped the milk...


then he licked some sugar off...


deciding that was good & saying "mmmmmm!!!"


going for the chocolate (man after his mommy's heart!)...


he liked it!!!

***i'm not saying these cookies are the most perfect piece of peanut butter goodness you've ever put in your mouth (you can definitely find a more "gourmet" recipe), but i AM saying they're pretty darn good & worth making with your little one!

ps: several of you have asked about h's big boy room - it's coming along, actually as i type (mama had to have a "put your feet up" break)!! we had some issues with the curtain rod (the tab curtains wouldn't pull well on the thicker wooden rod), but we've finally found a solution & tonight is going to be his FIRST night in the big boy room!!! exciting!! we just decided to put the mattresses on the floor for now as his bed is finally finished (hoorayyyy!!!), but cannot be stained with these cold temperatures.) i'll take pics & share them soon - i hope it's sunnier tomorrow...

ringing in the new year

well, here we are - it's january 2nd. amazing.
4 days until my sister's birthday.
21 days until mine.
26 days until my mom's.
yep, we're all january babies - isn't that funny?

i always feel unprepared for january - it seems to sneak in so quickly, right after the holidays! boom - it's a new year. wow.

and this new year promises new changes for us as we anxiously await the birth of #2. can't believe it really! and hudson turns 3 in this new year - wow! it's true, time does fly...

we rang in this new year as we have for the past 3 years with our good friends patrick & jen. alot of eating, alot of lounging, football watching & reading, oh & a little shopping - a perfect way to celebrate :)
here are our only pictures (too busy lounging to take any more pics, i guess.)

this is hudson "helping" make a caramel cake - mmmmmm.

we're also ringing in the new year with a little change for the little guy. right now, hudson is "helping" daddy transform his crib to a toddler bed. exciting stuff! we're a little leary of this whole no crib thing, as hudson has become quite the night owl - staying up until 11pm & even later lately! he's been happy in the crib, reading (by moonlight), talking, or singing (angels we have heard in high is his favorite lately. you know, "gloooooooooria...") but i'm a little concerned about what's going to happen when he realizes he can get out of the toddler bed. we shall see... for now i'm enjoying the sounds of his excitement as he helps daddy with the tools :) it's amazing how much they want to "help" @ this age. getting to help do just about anything is a major thrill to him - so cute.

and so i better get back to my grocery list. i'm looking to stock up on some good/easy (slow cooker, possibly) recipes that will be good for when the babe comes, too. i'll share my findings.

right now, i'm checking out this one.

mmmm...

awww. taylor swift just won entertainer of the year. cute :)

ps: i have no idea why we're watching the cma's as neither of us really listen to much country music, but really who doesn't love a darling gal who sings about wearing sneakers & tshirts?!

anyway, this is a multipurpose post here. i still don't have good pics of my latest projects, but i did snap one (terrible) picture of a new project from today. this week i'm trying to focus on finishing hudson's quilt, but i needed a little diversion/break today & i found a new project, so i went for it & came up with this...


a cozy flannel receiving blanket - in pink, of course! it's folded here, but it's really about 35x35 & i'm hoping will be perfect for swaddling.
here's a close up so you can see the cute elephants...



i got this fabric @ joann's (or "joy-ann's" according to hudson) because it was on sale & i just wanted to try this pattern out. and yes! that's a "mitered corner". are you impressed??! haha! i was nervous, but it wasn't so bad.

so that's a little peek into my day today! sewing & ironing & trying to keep hudson entertained while i finished up. he did well coloring, playing guitar, & cutting up random papers - i recently got him his own pair of kiddo scissors & he loves them.

and for the "mmm" part of this post, i was making dinner & thought i should share this recipe with you! it's pretty easy & yum & healthy (according to my standards, anyway!). i wish i had remembered to take my own pictures (wow, am i bad @ that lately), but i did adapt the recipe from THIS one from martha, so it does look kinda like this -

it's a broccoli spinach pasta

1 T evoo
3 bnlss/sknlss chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 T allpurpose flour
2 1/2 c 1% milk
salt & pepper (sea salt really does make a different & so does freshly ground pepper)
3 oz cream cheese (reduced fat works, too)
8 oz spinach spaghetti (really whatever pasta type works)
1 head of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
1 pkg frozen green peas (because who the heck knows how to shell fresh peas?)
1/3-1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken, and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost cooked through (and i like it browned). Add garlic; cook, stirring often, until fragrant & chicken is cooked through. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute.

Stir in milk, and season with salt and pepper (feel fancy because this is kinda like making a "roux"!). you'll need to add a good amount of s&p. cream/milk sauces are really bland & usually need lots of seasoning. Cook, stirring often, until mixture is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in cream cheese; cook until melted, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions, adding broccoli & peas during final 4 minutes (you may have to let it go a little longer - check often). Drain & return pasta/broccoli/peas to pot. Add cream-cheese sauce and parmesan, and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

throw a quick salad together (my fav lately is spring herb salad mix + blueberries + raspberries + toasted pecans + some fresh feta + brianna's lemon dressing) & call yourself martha!

i'm always looking for quick, yum, somewhat healthy recipes, so i thought you'd appreciate one, too. and if you have links to your fav recipes, please pass them along - i'm making my grocery run on friday... :)

a few bites

i thought of a few more recipes i wanted to share with you...

hummus

lately, i've totally fallen in love with hummus. it's so easy & YUM for lunch & i loooove to have something yummy to look forward to @ lunchtime, know what i mean? so i combined a recipe from my sister & one i found on this blog & came up with this.

2 cans of drained chick peas (or just pick them from your backyard, right stephanie?)

2T water

juice of a large lemon (maybe a lime??!)

3 T tahini (this is sesame paste & can be found @ most grocery stores - try the international isle)

4 garlic cloves, minced

at least a teaspoon of sea salt

4 T extra virgin olive oil

several cranks of the pepper grinder

toss in your food processor (or i hear a blender works just fine) & blend into a paste. you can add water (a T @ a time) to get the right consistency. now sometimes it still tastes a little bland to me (this is especially due to the tahini), so i'll add more salt & pepper, or lemon juice.
my sister uses paprika in hers & i bet that's good, too.

now my favorite way to eat this good stuff is with carrot sticks or toast made in my good ol george forman. i'm IN LOVE with heb's marathon bread. there's just something about the days when i make this & can sit down with hudson to enjoy lunch together! yes, i do make him a little mini-bowl of "dip" & give him a carrot & toast. & yes, he does take one dip of a carrot, lick it & make a face :) but i just breathe deeply & know there's more hummus for me!

hope you enjoy!

another easy peasy dinner menu

so this one's a few months late (especially for houston!), but just in case the temps lower again, here's my favorite, easy chili "recipe". this is actually a shout out to the mama because it's what she used for chili when we were growing up.

you can buy these packets off the wick fowler website (what kind of name is "wick"???), but i've always just gotten it @ the grocery store. it's the best - you just brown your meat (i recommend ground turkey), add 1 8oz can of tomato sauce (so cheap - like 30cents or something) & i like to add a can of black beans. the little box has all of the spices that you add in little packets, so super easy & convenient. i will say WATCH OUT for the red pepper flakes - they are H O T like nobody's business, so just don't say i didn't warn you! i like things pretty spicy & last time i put 1/2 the packet in & thought it was a bit too spicy, still!
so it takes about 30 mins to simmer & that's it!

of course you gotta serve it with
+

sharp cheddar cheese

okay, i don't usually use tillamook, but my friend courtney swears by it! i DO use sharp cheddar cheese, though. i just like the way it tastes, but i did hear somewhere (Today's Show?) to use sharp b/c it has a stronger taste, so you don't need as much. not sure about that, but you can try it out! another thing we DO definitely do is shred our own cheese. it really does make a difference & funny enough it's often cheaper to buy it by the block. if you have a food processor (and it's not perpetually busy chopping up your child's food because he is almost 2 & still happens to have a problem with most solid foods...) it's super easy to shred.

+

sour cream & possibly avocado, if you're feeling it.

here's to hoping for a little chili weather!

easy dinner menu love

(lemon pepper is my favorite but i couldn't find a pic)

+

+

=

easy & yummilicous

this is one of our favorite "it's 6:00 & what the heck are we having for dinner??" meals. we just had it tonight - mmmm. sometimes when it's really late, they're out of the lemon pepper chickens, but today i got lucky :) i eat white & clint eats dark, which makes us a match made in chicken heaven.

white or dark, the chicken works so well with the mediterranean salad - all spinach + some kinda yummy dressing (which i'm sure is full of fat & weird preservatives, but it's just so darn good) + a ridiculously small amount of little cheese chunks & croutons. this part kind of makes me mad sometimes, but the dressing is just so good, so i just keep going back.

then we get some kind of vegetable to go with it. depending on your time sitch, you can always grab something from the premade counter (we used to get some couscous that was yum & not too $$), but lately we've been addicted to asparagus. are you like i used to be - scared of a veggie that sounded so gourmet to make? i'm here to put your worries to rest - asparagus is for the masses! especially now that it's aspargus season & fairly reasonably priced (i got it for $1.79 a pound).

easy peasy yummilicous asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus

evoo

sea salt (seriously, it's better & not very $$)

pepper

lemon

heat pan to mdH. add 2T evoo. let it warm up for a couple secs. add aspargus to pan. sprinkle w/ S&P. saute for 4-5 mins. turn as they cook. they should be tender. put on plate & squeeze 1/2 lemon over the top. ENJOY!

i promise, you will want to eat these like candy!! don't even bother with forks - we just use our hands!

***recipe courtesy of clint harp (though i have to say i think i'm the one who thought of the lemon, babe!!)

so there you go. i thought of another good, easy one i think i'll post tomorrow...