The Skinny Way of Life

Let Them Eat (low cal) Cake!

2012-01-31T21:24:00.000-05:00

I have been OBSESSED with Pinterest lately, the creative ideas are endless. In fact, I dragged my family around to antique shops this past weekend to unleash my creative ideas...stay tuned that'll be another post : )

lately, my sweet addiction has been getting out of hand and I have tried everything from a cup of coffee or tea after dinner, gum, a little piece of chocolate etc. and nothing has seemed to work. I wind up overindulging and feeling like crap before bed. I recently saw a pin where someone used a marshmallow as frosting and instantly my wheels started turning.

How many of my Weight Watchers friends know the golden dessert recipe of a boxed cake mix and diet soda?? It's very low in points because those are the only two ingredients, now imagine if you were able to have frosting on it and only add .5 point? genius right?? The mix I used was Betty Crocker's Chocolate Fudge Cake mix. The mix had 1600 calories for the whole box (it was 160/serving-10 servings in a box) I think I had a heavy hand because I only got 18 cupcakes and not 24 like the box said I would. Still, that's 89 calories a cupcake or 2 points a cupcake...oh and I'm calculating using the old WW plan, I started on Weight Watchers when I was 14 years old and had the most success on the old Core Plan, however I return to the Point system when I need more structure in my eating, I have NOT tried PointsPlus and I really don't plan too. I believe if it's not broke then don't try to fix it! just my opinion : )

Prepare and bake your cupcakes as directed and at the LAST 4 minutes place a Marshmallow on top of each cupcake, when the cupcakes are done they will be soft, use your hand to squish each Marshmallow flat and let cool. Each Marshmallow is 25 calories (I used Jet Puffed) 89+25= 114 (or roughly 3 points) scoooore!!! Not only are these little gems easy and low cal/points they are goooood!! Totally satisfied my sweet craving, these are a keeper.

Whole Grain Bacon Cheddar Pancakes

2012-01-26T22:16:00.000-05:00

Today has been a complete blur. Miss Ava had a before school play date (she goes to school in the afternoon) so we were up bright and early waiting for her friend to arrive, the kids were on a complete high all day from the out of schedule excitement. It made the day go by fast but I had no time to think what I was going to make for dinner. Am I the only one who goes food shopping and then gets stumped what to make!? how does that happen?? On the way to dropping the girls off at school I asked the kids what they wanted for dinner and little man and Ava both screamed "pancakes and bacon!" talk about a weird brain wave.

It was simple and it was something I could make fast before Ava had to head out for ballet tonight so I didn't argue. Breakfast for dinner is the best! While i was frying the bacon I got a little inspiration and decided to go with it. After frying up the bacon I let it rest in the oven to stay warm while I whipped up my standard pancakes. Start by whisking the following...

1/2 c. All Purpose Flour

1/2 c Whole Wheat Flour

1 tbsp. Sugar

2 tea. Baking Soda

pinch of salt

Next, combine 2 tbsp. melted butter, 1 beaten egg and 3/4 c. fat free milk. Add wet to dry and stir to combine, leave lumps! you want fluffy pancakes not bricks : )

At this point I have my skillet preheating and I add the batter back to my measuring cup for easy pouring. I made the kids pancakes first and added cinnamon to theirs. I normally add the spices to the batter but for my pancakes I was going a different route tonight.

As much as I love having breakfast for dinner I still have a hard time eating something sweet at night for a meal. I know I'm an odd person but I like my lunch and dinners to be savory, so shoot me! I don't know why it hit me but I'm glad this combo did. I spotted a bag of 2% shredded cheddar cheese and instantly thought man that would be good IN the pancakes! I folded in 4 slices of the crumbled crispy bacon ( btw I use Applegate farms Natural Bacon) and added 1/4 c. of cheese to the rest of the batter

Spoon the batter in the skillet, these babies are thick! It is a meal in cake after all

When the bubbles start to break through then flip, it will take a little longer than normal

I topped mine off with pure Maple Syrup, the combo of sweet and savory was good! They are very filling and very satisfying.

Not exactly my skinniest meal but I did use REAL ingredients, keeping it real is the first step in keeping it skinny : )

Hope you all have a great Friday!!

Party In Seussville

2012-01-24T21:07:00.000-05:00

Little man celebrated his 2nd birthday on Sunday with close family, we decided to go with a Dr. Seuss theme. He is a HUGE fan of everything Dr. Seuss, he has numerous t-shirts, pajamas and books. His favorite show is even "The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That" -big sister got him the DVD collection for his birthday : ) so it was fitting and his face was priceless when he saw the table decorated for his day.

I got this idea from Pinterest and I had waay to much fun coming up with rhymes : )

To go along with the color theme I had a simple Strawberry and Blueberries Salad I marinated overnight in a little sugar

No party is complete without a ball pit!!

How cute is that bobble head!? I found it on ebay and used it as the cake topper, I was smart this year and didn't buy a large cake so there would be no leftovers. My love for cake runs deep and having extras around is just a bad idea. The party was fun and simple, I made ok food choices but how "good" can you be when there's cake,pizza and pasta around? The most important thing was that my little man had an amazing time. My family never understands why I go overboard when there is only a few at a party but I feel it's important to let your child's personality shine through each year and I'll continue to do it for as long as I'm around! : )

Happy Birthday Little Man!!

2012-01-21T21:39:00.000-05:00

Today my baby turned 2, he is officially a toddler on his way to being a kid : ( I can't believe it's been 2 years already, I don't know if this is common with the second born but I swear time has really flown by since his birth. Our day started with a winter surprise, SNOW!! it's about freakin time!! we had that little snow storm in October (!??) but nothing since. I know most people loathe snow but to me it's not winter without it! I welcomed it with open arms : )

Breakfast was simple this morning with a cup of coffee and some fruit, i just wasn't in the mood for anything big. Lunch however, was BIG and yummy!! I made huge salad filled with romaine, green peppers, carrots, deli pickles- I was out of cucumbers and I LOVE the vinegar/salty crunch in salads. I also added a can of Tuna for protein and a drizzle of Olive Oil : )

While little man was napping Miss Ava and I made "Cake Batter Rice Crispy Treats," tomorrow is little man's birthday party so we didn't want to do cake on both days. These were AWESOME!

After nap time we headed out to play in the snow : )

Harvest joined us to play : )

Miss Ava lost both her front teeth last week and I am loving the teethless grins!!

This was the first time he actually played in the snow!! Last year he was still too little , he was in awe!

I was in no mood to cook tonight so I gave into my husbands request and ordered Chinese, I shoveled the driveway and path so it's a wash in my book : )

I hope you're all enjoying your weekend! I'm off to setup for tomorrow's party, Goodnight!!

Keeping It Low (Carb)

2012-01-17T22:34:00.001-05:00

Today was one of those days when time wouldn't stay still. I felt so out of control of my day, Miss Ava went off to preschool and this guy headed to the groomer...

The day was going great till I called to check on Alfie to see if he would soon be ready for pickup -it was 2 hours after his appointment and the groomer is usually pretty fast with him-she told me he was just drying and it looks like it was going to be at least another hour. Well, little man was just about to eat lunch and Ava was getting out of school in a little less than 2 hours so this meant no nap time for him today...

No sleeping toddler and lots to do around the house makes for one out of loop mommy!!! BUT 20 mins after my convo with the groomer she called back and said Alfie would be ready for pickup in 15 mins. yay!!! there was light at the end of the tunnel : ) How cute is this little guy!? <3

Once back home, I got little man to finish his lunch- he's battling a cold right now so eating is not a priority for him lately : ( he did go right to sleep and I got to work on my lunch. I've been loving omelets/scrambles the past couple of days and today was no different. I made an omelet with crumbled bacon, spinach, 2 eggs and topped with fat free feta. The extra protein has been really helping during the day to keep me full. I'm still not a big breakfast person so I've been sticking with a Larabar, nuts or fruit and coffee. It's simple and filling

Dinner was a simple one of whole wheat spaghetti and sausage. it's one of those meals that is a major go too when I don't feel like cooking but I need something I KNOW the kids will eat so I don't have a battle on my hands : )

I've been trying to keep major carbs (rice,spaghetti,potatoes) to one meal a day and keeping my other meals throughout the day low carb and full of protein. I use to follow Weight Watchers old Core plan (no counting points) and it limited those carbs to one meal per day and encouraged grains throughout the day. I believe it's called "Flex" now?? I had huge success with the Core plan and I'm trying to live by those rules again, except this time I'm cooking for a whole family which can be difficult but I'm loving how I feel.

Hope you all have a great night and a fast hump day!!

Simple Eats

2012-01-10T21:56:00.001-05:00

Today was one of those days that i could have spent the whole day in the kitchen experimenting but unfortunately I have a crazy active toddler and a kid in Pre-K everyday. Ah, my day will come that I can cook all day and post glorious pictures of mouth watering goodness : ) but for now, I'm sticking with healthy quick foods. When little man went down for his afternoon nap I cooked up a scramble of eggs, yellow peppers, mushrooms and a sprinkle of Mozzarella/Parmesan cheese

Ok and a drizzle of Ketchup : )

For dinner I made a quick sauce of crushed tomatoes, basil, garlic, onion powder and salt. I added a can of white beans and browned Italian sausage. The hubby and kids ate it over pasta but I made spaghetti squash and made it a very filling low carb dish. Why do I always forget to spaghetti squash!? it's perfect for a healthy meal!!

Tomorrow is going be a rough day, I'm registering my little lady for Kindergarten (already!!) and little man for pre-k! maybe my all day cooking adventures are closer than I thought : (

Have a great night!!

Simple Sunday

2012-01-08T23:13:00.003-05:00

I remember as a kid I hated Sundays, I dreaded the thought of school the next day but now that I'm older and a mom I look forward all week to Sundays with my family. I make sure to never make plans with others that don't involve my family taking part. My husband and I work have a family furniture business and I'm only there 3 days a week but my hubby works 6 days a week and Sunday is OUR time and I wouldn't trade it for the world...even if little man makes it a cranky day..

He's so cute when he's pissed off! LOVE. IT

My new obsession...

HUGE salad filled with greens, dried cranberries, chicken, leftover roasted brussels spouts, and carrots with a drizzle of Olive Oil and Balsamic. yum!!

Afternoon Ice Cream breaks at her Great Aunts is a must as well on a Sunday, which is where we went today for a visit : )

No Sunday is complete without a little R&R and a good book!

While little man and daddy hit the living room to watch the playoffs, my little lady and I got busy in the kitchen and made homemade pizza using my Whole Wheat No Rise Pizza Dough. We topped it off with sauteed red peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese, we also decided to make it a thin crust night...gotta love that crunch!!

I hope you all had a great weekend, I'm off to sip on some Eggnog Black Tea and start the second book of The Hunger Games. Goodnight!

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T23:38:00.000-05:00

2011 has been a great year for me, I couldn't be happier with where I am in life. For so long I have always wanted more or wanted to be doing something different but as I sit here I can say I am content. Sure, I could use more money and hell I would love to be thinner but life isn't about what we don't have it's to appreciate what we have right in front of us. I think it was an awakening when I realized my friends are getting married, having babies and my own babies are growing up in front of me. Life is way too short to sweat the small shit. period.

Because of this way of thinking I was able to accomplish my first 5k!

and FINALLY try on a pair of Skinny Jeans!!

I'm welcoming 2012 with open arms and I look forward to another year of self awareness and accomplishing personal goals. Food is no longer a chore for me, it IS a way for me to entertain and a way for me to socialize and show others how much I love them. We are told countless times to stop looking at food as a crutch but I feel when you reach a point in your life that you have a personal relationship with what you put in your body and no longer fear what you're not supposed to eat then you truly enjoy life and what it has to offer.

I look forward to having our afternoon popcorn while little man sleeps and just talk or draw together.

I look forward to him taste testing dinner while playing with cars on the kitchen floor.

I look forward to night time ice cream runs in our pjs on hot summer nights.

I also look forward to Chinese food and a bottle of wine with my amazing husband.

Life and memories revolve around food. Embrace it because it won't last forever. Thank you 2011 for making me be comfortable in my own skin. Happy New Year Everyone!!

Tummy Critter

2011-12-30T22:46:00.003-05:00

Since the day after Christmas my family and I have been battling a mean stomach bug!! I guess it's that time of year but it went through all of us (except little man-thank God!!) and we're all finally getting back to normal. I hope you all had an amazing Holiday with loved ones and ate lots of great food! Let me give you a little recap...warning, I went a little picture happy...

Christmas Eve was a simple one at home, hubby had work till 4p.m but was still able to be home for dinner. I made a simple Steak Tip dinner with sauteed Mushrooms, Onions, Peppers in Balsamic Vinegar. So tasty!

Every year we have a Birthday cake for Jesus, it's a nice tradition we started with Ava to remind her of the real meaning of Christmas and this year I had to work so no time for baking but I found a very festive cake that we had for dessert.

Oh and the kids left Santa a piece of cake instead of cookies, just in case he got bored of cookies : )

After dinner, we settled in for some movies and homemade hot chocolate, a perfect ending to the night!

The next morning was excitement and pancakes, is there anything better!?

Look at that face!!! love it.

Alfie, checking out the destruction : )

I am coming to the conclusion that he will never take off his hat- well I lie, he takes it off to sleep and bathe. He also does not understand why shoving crayons in his pocket is not an acceptable Holiday party accessory, can't blame a guy for trying...

Big sister has his back, again I am defeated : P

Christmas dinner was spent the way it should be with lots of good food and lots of family, the night went well except for a toddler meltdown at the end, hence the lack of pictures : /

We also had Corn Pudding, lots of veggies and Macaroni and Cheese, I kept it simple and nibbled on each of everything. I'm proud that I have been able to keep temptation to a minimum this Holiday season. I feel that I have come so far and my kids are learning from every move I make. My little lady who LOVES Macaroni and Cheese even stopped when she was full, she told me " I don't want to eat too much and make myself sick, then I won't enjoy it anymore" It's a great way to look at food, savor and enjoy but don't overdo : )

Ballet Bound

2011-12-11T21:25:00.001-05:00

Today was spent with the girls! My little lady, mom, sister, niece and myself headed out this afternoon to see The Nutcracker. Miss Ava was up early and ready to go all dressed up in her red dress and sparkly shoes, I however woke up sick! I took some cold medicine got a hot shower and got ready very slowly. The things we do for our children : )

Little man spent the afternoon with daddy running errands and taking a nap in the car while taking a scenic drive (one of our favorite things to do on a Sunday!) after the shoe, the girls got their picture taken with Clara and the cast. They were so excited!

This was Ava's first time watching a show, normally she's the one performing. This is her second year in ballet and she performed as an angel in her dance schools rendition of the Nutcracker. She has such a passion for dancing right now and it's fun to see her eyes light up when she watches the ballerinas.

My eats have been pretty simple this weekend, I started to get sick Saturday and kept it light all day and ate a unsubstantial meal of steamed shrimp with mixed veggies for dinner.

Today was a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast and the kids/hubby talked me into pizza for dinner. I kept it simple with just cheese, I'm on day 5 of no poultry or red meat and I'm feeling good about it! I've been eating a lot more greens and beans the past five days and haven't been missing the meat! I'm off to eat some popcorn, have a good night : )

Keeping It Festive And Fresh

2011-12-08T21:27:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry what did I miss? since when is Christmas a little over 2 weeks away!? Geez time really doesn't slow down. I've been keeping all things in moderation this year, to tell you the truth I haven't had time to even make cookies yet! now that is just sad!! I am getting a little bored with my eats and have decided to take on a challenge, I know the timing isn't the best but it's better than being stuck in a rut. I have decided to cut drastically down on meat, I always base my meals around meat as opposed to using it as a side. My little man hates meat and instead of fighting him I'm joining him. As a family we need to get more plant based foods into our diet. I don't plan on cutting meat out completely but I do plan on cutting it down to 1-2 meals a week at this point. My hubby and daughter so just going to have to deal : P

For breakfast I munched on some homemade granola I made for little one's Ballet teachers. I made a Christmas mix of a Cinnamon/spice base and added Pecans, dried cranberries, and white chocolate chips. Very very yummy and highly addictive!!! I'm writing this recipe for another site I write for, as soon as I write the measurements down I'll be posting a link!

Lunch was a simple salad of romaine,carrots,cucumbers and a baked Yukon Gold all dressed in Balsamic Vinegar, Oil, Garlic Powder and Salt. I never thought I would LOVE potatoes on my salad but I'm all about texture and the mix of creamy and crunchy is just perfect.

Dinner was a poor mans dish of brown rice and beans, same recipe I used here except I used pinto beans instead of kidney. I did add the smoked sausage for flavor and Miss Ava and hubby enjoyed it greatly with the beans while little man and I enjoyed just beans : )

I'm loving the no meat dishes, I thought it would be really difficult seeing as how I would meat for 2 out of 3 meals a day. Are their any vegetarians out there!? What is your favorite dish??

Many Thanks

2011-11-24T23:05:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving All!!! I hope you had a great day with some lovely people, mine was very low key this year which was very welcomed. It seems every holiday we do a lot of rushing around and at the end of the day we have cranky children and headaches. I still made a big meal for us 4, it just didn't seem like Thanksgiving without a feast...plus, I have plenty of leftovers for the next couple days : )

I woke up bright and early with the kids and while they ate their cereal and OJ I got to making the Turkey, Ina Garten's recipe pulls through again! This has to be the most simplest ingredient recipe with the best outcome. It just shows simple is always better!

Could this Turkey be any prettier!?

Cornbread and Sausage stuffing also made an appearance, not low fat by any means but I only make it twice a year so it's a nice treat.. ingredients consist of sausage,onions,mushrooms,onions,butter,cornbread muffins baked a few days before and crumbled into the mixture a long with chicken stock to bind it all together. Delicious!!!

We also had Corn Casserole, mashed potatoes and of course the meal had to end with pumpkin pie : )

I think one of the perks of making a big dinner, I know for me at least, I don't usually eat that much when it's done. I love food and I love making food look and taste good but I think put to much detail in my food that I lose the urge to eat it all. Sounds odd I know but I'm happy to be overstuffed! I was even able to enjoy a nice run before dinner. It truly was a great day and I am so thankful to have the people I have in my life. Thank you all for following my journey for another year, have a great night!

Thankful Sunday

2011-11-20T23:07:00.001-05:00

Today was filled with little moments that made me stop and realize how blessed I am. This morning the kids woke and had a quick breakfast of Quaker Oatmeal Squares and hubby stumbled out of bed to join us- which is rare on a Sunday. We had some errands to run and needed to hit up Target to get a few items but first hubby and the kids played a round of football, what better way to kick off a Sunday??

I love moments like this, it's the little things that matter most and I know these are the things they will remember as they get older. The rest of the day was spent cleaning, baking cupcakes with my little ones, watching football and making this...Fall Time Meatloaf

93% lean ground beef
Old Fashioned Oats
Salt
Garlic Powder
Italian Seasonings
Onion Powder
1 egg

Mixed it all by hand to combine and placed in a loaf pan, I then added a half jar of Cranberry Orange Pepperelly. I picked this little jem up at the Pa Gourmet Show a couple weeks ago, it has a savory bell pepper base and infused with cranberry and orange. The meatloaf turned out really yummy and my house smelled very Fallish : ) I paired it with corn and tater tots (per the husbands request)

I hope you had a great Sunday and are gearing up for Thanksgiving this week!! Have a great night : )

11.11.11

2011-11-11T22:13:00.001-05:00

Happy Veteran's Day to all those who so selflessly served our country!! Today I met a lot of Vets and in particular, a WWII Vet who was so grateful that I recognized him today and thanked him for what he did. Like so many things in life we should take the time to stop and be grateful for all things we have in our lives.

Today is also my 26th birthday! which means...cake!!! I'm sucker for cake and I don't fight it. I enjoy it!

Hubby also surprised me with a Sushi dinner, he knows me oh so well : )

It was a busy day but filled with lots of love, I truly am thankful for the people that I have in my life. I had an incredible birthday! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Clean Eating

2011-11-10T23:25:00.001-05:00

I needed a total detox today, my body was craving some fresh greens and unfortunately food shopping has been put on the back burner lately. I picked up a huge container of baby romaine and some AppleGate Farms roasted turkey. I am becoming obsessed with their meats! you can really taste the freshness and I love the fact that I can eat lunch meat again without trying to not think about how the animal was treated and what the animal was treated with! Anyway, for lunch I made a simple salad with romaine, cucumber, torn pieces of turkey and a drizzle of oil,salt and pomegranate balsamic vinegar. For a little crunch I added honey roasted peanuts on top. I had one happy belly!!

For dinner I had the crock pot going with a pork roast that was simple and quick to throw together this morning before dropping my daughter off at school. I started with a medium pork roast (not too sure of the weight- we buy a pig each year from a local farmer so I know the meat is fresh and hormone free) and rubbed salt, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasonings and poured a can of tomato sauce on top. Set the crock pot on low for 7 hours and roasted potatoes on the side. Dinner was warm and inviting on this cold and rainy day. I love coming home to the house smelling like a slow cooked meal, someone should make that a candle.

Have a good night everyone!

Keeping It In The Kitchen

2011-11-08T22:39:00.001-05:00

Lately I've been using the crockpot as my main source for cooking, life has been hectic around here with little one in school and a rumbustious toddler. I'm not going to lie, since the 5k I have fallen back into a slump. I am trying desperately to eat leftovers and stay away from process foods. I'm proud of myself for not running to the drive through on the nights I work (all thanks to the crockpot and leftovers!) but it is frustrating when you can accomplish something that you've wanted for so long and turn back around at square one. Ok, enough pity party. I am moving forward and I know what needs to be done...watch my portions, eat fresher and close the kitchen at night!!

That being said, I have never been a person that can stick to rules of a diet, I eat what I want and I revamp the things I crave. This week I was craving pizza but instead of ordering it I made my quick Whole Wheat Recipe and added fresh ingredients with lots of flavor. While the dough was cooking-I ALWAYS cook my dough for 10 mins on high heat BEFORE adding the ingredients, I like a really crunchy dough-I started by cooking AppleGate Farms bacon till crispy, drained the fat and sauteed mushrooms in garlic. I added everything to the dough with sauce, mozzarella cheese and for the kicker Garlic and Chive Cheese by a local specialty hummus company, Fresh A Peel Hummus. I cooked the pizza till brown and bubbly (about 10 mins.) OH MY GOSH best pizza ever!! The dough was chewy in the middle yet crispy towards the crust. The bacon and cheese added a nice smokey zing.

The key for me is to ENJOY what I eat and I have to remind myself of that, I know what my tendencies are and I know how I can get back into a rut with a drop of hat BUT at the end of the day it's all in how I get myself out of it and NOT beat myself up.

I'm off to enjoy some green tea and get some much needed sleep, hope you're all having a great week!

A Snowtober Halloween

2011-11-01T22:55:00.000-04:00

Finally!! The power is on and the internet is running...now, let's get to the Halloween recap... Friday kicked off the weekend with a Halloween party at Ava's school. I came in to organize the games and of course a food craft! They started off with a parade to show off their costumes (mine is the fairy on left) Next, I joined them for circle time : )

Then the party started with crafts,"Boo Bowling" "Candy Toss" and "Graveyard Dirt!!" I had each kid make individual cups of "dirt" with pudding,Oreo's,gummy worms and pretzels for the "bones" total sugar overload but it was fun!!

We all had a lot of fun and then the rumors started about "a major snow storm" heading this way...dun dun dun...I didn't pay too much attention to it, I mean really how often do you see snow in OCTOBER!? Saturday morning I awoke to this...

At one point I went outside to check on our outdoor cat and it sounded like gunshots, trees were snapping everywhere! the lights flickered throughout the day and around 3:30pm it was lights out. We lost power along with 10,000 other homes. I had a whole weekend of fun meals planned and the got ruined by the storm : ( We headed to dinner in hopes that the power would be restored when we got back and we were quite disappointed when we returned. The kids were more upset about the absence of TV. We layered up and headed to bed. The kids were actually hot but I froze all night! Then again, i'm always cold...no joke, I have two pairs of socks on right now and we have heat now!

Sunday morning still no power and a call to the electric company reveals a lot of trees are down and we might be looking at Tuesday for power to be restored.Ok, now I'm sad/pissed and hubby and I packed up and headed to my moms. I can battle the cold and I can battle no power but I need hot water and I need a working kitchen!! We spent the day out and returned at 4pm to start packing the refrigerated food in snow (great tip on storing food and not having to buy ice!) to our surprise the power was back!! still flickering, but back...internet and cable was out of the question...

Unfortunatly, we already had dinner so the kids and I decided we would make today our "All Hallow's Eve Replay" We dressed up and watched Halloween movies, ate too much candy and for dinner I made "Oozing Eyeballs" bloody of course...and "Maggot Cassserole" nothing new but easy and the fun names made it fun to eat.

The eyeballs were made with lean ground beef, oats, garlic powder, salt and onion powder. I stuffed each one with a piece of Mozzarella cheese and baked them till cooked through. I used a large piece of cheese so it would ooze out! I let them simmer in my homemade sauce : )

and for the "Maggot Casserole" nothing but spaghetti broken into small pieces and cooked with a garlic cream sauce and of course I had to add a fungus (sauteed mushrooms) and baked it all in the oven with Parmesan Cheese on top till crunchy.

I am such a sucker for Halloween and having kids is the perfect excuse to go all out, I hope you all were able to do the same!

Trick Or Treat!

2011-10-31T16:28:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween Everyone! This weekend was quite eventful, Southern PA was hit with a snow storm! We got about 6-8 inches and lost power for 24 hrs. It's been a cold mess and has put a damper on my Halloween spirit : ( However, I am so thankful to have heat and that we're all safe. There are trees down all around and some homes are looking to be without electric till maybe Saturday. Please keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers! I'll be blogging from my phone till everything is restored, our creepy Halloween dinner is on hold till tomorrow night. Stay tuned for "Maggot Casserole" and "oozing Eyeballs" ; )

Eat some good treats and stay warm tonight!

Harvest Filled Weekend

2011-10-25T22:08:00.000-04:00

Fall is in full swing at my house! We had an incredible weekend with the start of my first 5k on Saturday and on Sunday we went to the PA Gourmet Show. I met a lot of great local vendors and ate lots of good food!

Little Man ate meat!! That's right, he ate meat with Picky Vicki's barbecue sauce. I was in complete shock.

Best hummus I've ever tried, seriously fresh. I can't wait to try a recipe with it that is lingering in my head!

How beautiful were those glasses!? While I was browsing the wine gallery hubby and the kids did some shopping and bought me a very unique hand painted wine glass. I.LOVE.IT I'm such a sucker for unique pieces. The artist, Brandy Boswell from Elegantly Haunted was so sweet and her pieces were very whimsical. I felt like I was going to be sipping wine with a grown up Alice In Wonderland : ) She sells her pieces on Etsy, check her out!

Once we headed home with all our goodies we decided it was a good time to finally paint the pumpkins. Little Man joined in on the fun! Surprisingly, there was no huge mess. I was actually looking forward to a fun messy paint session : / Kids are so unpredictable.

yes, that is a puking pumpkin. The husbands creation.

Meet Harvest, she's our adopted outside kitty. A couple weeks ago she followed me home on a run and has never left, she sleeps on the porch during the day and in our garage at night. The dogs are slooowly getting use to her. I'm not a cat person but I love her : )

I'm off to enjoy some Cupcake Vineyard Moscato, another goodie I picked up at the show : ) hope you all have a great night!

Mission Complete!

2011-10-22T13:49:00.003-04:00

I DID IT!!!!! I ran my first 5k this morning!!! The results haven't been posted yet but my time was around 40 minutes. My goal was 35-40 minutes but I am just so proud of myself that I did it! I have come a long way and this just proves I can do anything I put my mind too : )

The day started bright and early I was a ball of nerves, luckily I had 2 amazing friends to keep me going and calm me down! The run went smooth and I did take some walk breaks but I kept going and didn't look back. I had a lot of fun and I'm already planning my next...wow look at me being a runner : P

Us before the start of race!

All smiles at the finish line : )

I was a little proud...

"The Great Pumpkin Chase," thanks for the memories I'll see you next year : )

Shrek and Beans

2011-10-17T22:30:00.000-04:00

This past weekend the family and I took a trip to the PA Renaissance Faire! call me a nerd but I have been looking forward to this for years, it was my first time going and it felt like I walked onto the set of Shrek. The kids were able to dress up in their Halloween costumes and go Trick or Treating on the grounds of the winery. Did I mention it was on the grounds of a winery!!?? They had the best Sangria ever. Plus I got a cool cup : )

Ava dressed as a Fairy and Little Man was a baby dragon, whenever Ava walked passed a character they would bow and say hello to "Lady Fairy" I think at the end of the day she thought she was a real fairy hahaha

His favorite part was the pizza, fries and cookies ...let's hope he doesn't get use to it!

The castle was all decked out for Halloween...

We had a lot of fun and of course I indulged in many good eats but I have a 5k coming up in a week, when I got home I got to work and soaked a bag of kidney beans overnight. The next day, I threw the soaked beans in a crock pot with chopped onion, garlic, red pepper, sliced smoked sausage and a container of chicken broth. Cooked it on low for 7 hours and served it over long grain rice. SO GOOD!! The recipe is courtesy of SkinnyCrocpot.com with a couple tweaks.

What did my non-meat eating baby think?? Yeah, I think he liked it (minus the sausage of course)...

Hope you all had a great weekend and are having a good start to the week!

Apple Bounty

2011-10-10T21:34:00.001-04:00

I *LOVE* this time of year. I love the crisp air, the colorful leaves, the warm stews and breads but I especially love picking apples. I'm a born and raised city girl but when I met hubby and moved back to his Amish country hometown it took some getting use too. When Fall arrived my first year here I knew life just got a whole lot better, I am so thankful to have so many farms and orchards close to my house. My kids are growing up appreciating where real food comes from and yesterday we decided to hit up our favorite local orchard, Paulus Orchards to pick some apples!

Even little man had fun picking apples, notice his daddy's huge hat. We bought him his own hats but they just don't compare to dads : )

and yes folks he ate that straight from the tree...there was just no stopping him...

My bounty!! Oh how I love the look of fresh fruit and veggies in the fridge : )

Hope you all had a great weekend and was able to get out there and enjoy this amazing season!

She's Doing What!?

2011-10-08T22:30:00.003-04:00

So I've been MIA again but with good cause, I've registered for my first 5k!! That's right folks I'm running "The Great Pumpkin Chase" on October 22nd!! I am so excited and so proud of myself for taking the step forward and stop being so fearful of what people are going to think. Having two kids is making training rough but I've been getting out there at least 2 days a week and the rest of the week I'm hitting the elliptical to keep up with my breathing and strengthening my legs. I really need to work on breathing, my legs want to keep going but my chest burns so bad but I'm sticking to it and moving forward!!

I work 3 days a week and it's always been a struggle for me to get a healthy dinner cooked by the time I get home, luckily the kids eat at my mom's house and aren't starving when we get home. However, this makes it way too easy for me to go through drive through or order take out. I can't eat McDonald's while training!! I've been on the hunt for crock pot recipes and I have an amazing list of yummy recipes to try. Tonight was one of those experimental crock pot nights, I found a recipe from Skinny Crock Pot's Facebook page called "Chicken w& Black Beans with Cream Cheese" the recipe is so simple and I was hoping this would get my kids to eat beans with no complaints. My two year old is against all meat but he LOVES beans so I knew I could win him over, the five year old loves meat but gives me issues trying other things and the husband would rather have Taco Bell for every meal ::sigh::

I made some alterations to the recipe and cooked it on low for 6 hours
4 Chicken Breast
1 (15 oz. can) Black Beans *I was out of Black Beans so I substituted with Pinto
1 (15 oz can) Corn
1 (15 oz jar) Salsa- any flavor

** The original called for Cream Cheese to be added in the last half hour of cooking but I didn't want the meal to seem like mush so i left this out but had shredded Cheddar Cheese on hand for sprinkling**

After the 7 hours of cooking I shredded the chicken and served over Brown Rice. EVERYONE loved it, little man kept saying "mmm yummy" 5 year old ATE THE BEANS!!! and husband had 2 bowls....with chips...Me, I topped mine with Light Sour Cream and hot sauce, so good and so frugal! I had plenty of leftovers. I'm thinking of warming and wrapping it up in a Tortilla for lunch.

What's your go to dinner on late nights??

School Night Dinner

2011-09-09T23:41:00.000-04:00

Preschool and Ballet classes are back in session and I'm on the hunt for quick dinners. If it was up to hubby we'd be eating out every night but I am on a mission to keep take out to minimum this year. Ava turned 5 on Setember 4th and has missed the school district cut off for Kindergarten. Luckily, her preschool offers a program for the kids that miss the cutoff, she will be going to school everyday this year from 11-3:15. I'm taking full advantage of this and getting some prep time for what's to come next year when the real long tiring school days begin!

Between her birthday party/Labor Day/work and back to school chaos I was stressed by Wednesday night...mind you school was closed on Thursday thanks to the "aquapocalypse " that took over Central PA. I am so over rain!! I needed something quick and nutritious to prepare for dinner, I was not in the mood to make a 4 course meal. I checked out the freezer and found a bag of Tyson's Grilled Chicken Strips and I instantly new I could work with these. I started by sauteing the strips and added 3 local red peppers that I had in the fridge, Let everything saute till the chicken in soft and the peppers still have a crunch (about 7 mins)

Meanwhile, I was rummaging through the cupboards looking for a side. My family lives on Whole Wheat pasta and there was no way I was eating it another night. I did however find 2 packages of Uncle Ben's 90 second Brown Rice. Score!! I heated both packages and added it directly to the chicken/pepper mixture.

To add flavor and bind everything together, I added Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Basil and Crushed Tomatoes (just enough to coat everything).

To my surprise, the WHOLE family loved it and I had no leftovers. Dinner was made in 15 minutes and we all had happy bellies : ) Hope you're all enjoying your back to school ventures and not spending dinnertime in the drive through!

Timeless Tuesday

2011-09-06T23:34:00.001-04:00

My baby turned 5 years old...no words...just tears of joy of the days that have passed. Goodnight all.

Homegrown

2011-08-08T22:57:00.000-04:00

I'm here, alive and well!!! I hope you're all enjoying your summer! I had decided about a month ago that I needed to take a break from the blogging world. I've been reading and lurking on you all but for me I had to take a step back. I started to become consumed by the blog, don't get me wrong I love blogging and having a creative outlet but blogging started to take over my eating habits. I've been a conscience eater since my weight loss but I started to overly think everything I was putting into my mouth because I didn't want to be a "liar on the blog" or my way of thinking was "how can I be a health blogger and look disgusting??" that was my clue to step back.

My body and eating issues started AFTER my weight loss and living in a new body is still an everyday battle for me. I also felt social media was getting to be a little too much, I started this blog to help myself and help others. I never wanted to make this a business and I feel there's a lot of bloggers out there that are trying too hard to brand themselves. I needed to filter out why I am really into this and that is to live a healthy life and hopefully make some friends along the way. If one day this becomes a business then so be it but for now I'm enjoying my time!!

For the past month I have been enjoying time with my babies and really staying out of the kitchen and eating more out of my garden : ) The veggies are in full swing and I.AM.IN.HEAVEN!!

My meals have been pretty simple with a lean meat (organic farm raised!) and corn with a cucumber side salad. So good and refreshing!!

*love love love* fresh zucchini...I also started a weekly homemade pizza night...tell me this doesn't look better than delivery!!?? of course I used my No Rise Whole Wheat Pizza Crust, I love tricking the ~~husband~~ kids : ) Oh and notice the bald peperoni spot? yeah, my 18 month old has decided he's a vegetarian...that's a whooole other blog post

speaking of the little stinkers, we've been spending time outside in the kiddie pool and exploring bugs. My favorite time is at night when they're sleepy and still willing to cuddle with mom, melts my heart.

and now for my biggest summer accomplishment...

That's right folks I tried the Skinny Jean!! I know it's summer but they were on clearance : ) I have feared and loved these pants for 2 years now and I think it's time I rock them!! not too bad, right??

It's time to turn my Monday into Moscato Monday...so yummy...

See you all later!!

Fire Starter

2011-06-30T10:35:00.000-04:00

This has become my new stove and I must say the smell of charcoal is intoxicating. I know there's always a big debate between propane and charcoal but to me it's not grilling if you don't light a fire : )

I feel like my babies are becoming teenagers before my eyes, they both had there first S'mores!! (made on the grill of course) I left the chocolate out for little man but he had too much fun with the marshmallow to care about missing chocolate

My little lady is becoming a lady too fast, she asked if she could get her ears pierced and I agreed thinking she would freak out when we got to the place...but noooo, she took it like a champ! and my heart broke a little : (

Being outside most of the time has kept my eats simple and clean, one of my favorites is pasta with grilled shrimp, roasted cherry tomatoes, garlic and a drizzle of Olive Oil. So good!!! I've been loving on Ronzoni's Garden Delight, which has a full serving of veggies and is very pretty to look at I might add : )

Also, as part of the Tastemaker Program from FoodBuzz I was sent a coupon to try out the new Ore-Ida Sweet Potato Fries I paired them with a cheeseburger on Whole Wheat- made on the grill of course : ) told you I'm a little obsessed! The kids LOVED them, my little man hates potatoes of every kind but he even ate a couple

I'm off to attempt a picnic with the little ones on the deck, hopefully this guy won't show up again

Does anyone even know what this is!? No one seems to know around here! let's just say I didn't take his presence too well...wish me luck folks!

Tiny Chef

2011-06-13T21:22:00.000-04:00

I love Spring and fresh produce, the garden is growing fast- I can not wait to try the lettuce!! It's our first year growing lettuce and I've been praying we didn't screw it up ha! In the mean time I have munching on berries topped with Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. My new favorite breakfast : )

Lately, dinner has turned into a struggle. If one kid is happy the other is miserable, I can't seem to please the both of them without dishing out Mac and Cheese at every meal. I have stood firm and kept with my kitchen rule " you don't eat it you don't get anything else" obviously the baby is only 16 months so I can't be too firm on this but I do make sure to not make a second meal for him. He eats what we eat (even if it's only a couple bites) and if he starts throwing or spitting it out I take him away from the table until later. So far so good, another great rule..veggies and fruits are unlimited, if they eat very little at dinner then at least I know they have been snacking on something nutritious.

Ava attended a program at her preschool called "Kids In The Kitchen" each week they made a new dish and was able to eat their work! at the end of the program the teachers compiled the recipes into each child's "cookbook" So cute!

To help make dinner less stressful I sat Ava down and had her pick out 6 recipes to make for dinner that week. She was really excited to be apart of the meal planning and not just the cooking process. One of her favorite dishes from the program was a Chicken Finger recipe made from Bisquick -I'm not a big fan of using a boxed mix by any means but she was too excited to show me how to make it so I went with it : )

They came out pretty good! dinner was very enjoyable that night and I'm glad she was able to take part in the whole meal...we're making this a new Saturday night ritual!

I hope you all have been enjoying time and good food with family and friends, I can not wait to fire up the grill this weekend!!

"Summertime And The Livin's Easy"

2011-05-29T21:46:00.000-04:00

It's official!! Summer.has.begun! the weather outside is warmer, the little one is done preschool and the fresh foods are abundant : ) This past week has been incredible, lovely Ava finished school AND had her first recital! I was so proud of her! I have to admit, I was VERY scared for her. She's so little and the thought of her on a big stage with a big audience brought back memories for me-Ahem,story time...when I was 3 I had my first recital and I knew all the moves to our dance,which by the way was New Kids On The Block, "Step By Step" : ) up until the last part where we had to grab our prop microphones and walk off stage. The girl next to me stole my microphone!! I freaked out and cried on stage.horrible! such a scaring moment for me! yes even at 3! I didn't want her to go through that so I talked to her days before the recital about just keep dancing if anything happens and do her best and HAVE FUN! she shocked me. she knew all the steps and had an amazing time. I cried. I was very proud of my little peanut.

She's the one right in the middle!

The garden is also in full swing, lots of colorful flowers around the house and the vegetable/herb garden is starting to sprout!

This guy is also in full swing...

Literally. He just turned 16 months and the temper tantrums have begun, hitting, biting, pulling hair. Anyone have any good tips on disciplining a YOUNG toddler?? I feel like I'm a first time parent, Ava NEVER bit, hit or pulled. We were really spoiled but now we're paying. We tried the whole 3 warnings and then time out for 1-2 minutes (per SuperNanny lol) but I really don't think he's getting it yet. Is consistency key with this or is there a better method?? HELP! : )

The eats have been simple/ fast meals. The budget has been tight but I can thank the MommySavers.com food forum for lots of frugal and fast meals! Awesome site to check out for money saving tips and ideas! I hope to be back in the blogging swing of things. I've really missed writing and reading but for now I'm relaxing and enjoying my family, I hope you're all doing the same!

Fast and Frugal

2011-05-17T21:35:00.000-04:00

Fast and frugal has been the name of the game around here, hubby and I have been working weird hours in the business and as much as I love to cook I have not been in the mood. Food and I have been in a rut, I'm glad to say we talked it out and have reunited in the kitchen : P In all seriousness, I don't know what's been going on but I have not been in the mood to cook, shop or even experiment.

This has put a dent in my food budget (and waist! I haven't been brave enough to weigh myself but I just don't feel like myself) I knew this had to stop, all because life is hectic does not mean I have to put my health on the line! been there done that, time to move on!! I love when when I get re-motivated just when my fridge is bare. Spending way to much on takeout and odds and ends this week I headed over to allrecipes.com and used the advanced search. The advanced search is AWESOME it narrows down the recipes using the ingredients you have on hand.

As part of the FoodBuzz Tastemaker Program, I was sent a box of Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice to try- Thank you FoodBuzz!! you really saved the day with this one : )

I plugged in the search, rice and ground beef...I told you I need something fast and frugal : ) One of the top recipes that caught my eye was Porcupine Meatballs ever hear of them? Apparently, this is dish is an ultimate comfort food from years past. I knew this would be a kid pleaser, my kids love anything with rice. The original recipe seemed interesting...but a little boring. The cooking bug was back!!

I started with a pound of ground beef (locally grown) and added Italian Seasonings, Salt, Onion Powder, and Garlic Powder and an egg white. I eyeballed everything...

Next, I added a cup of COOKED rice, the original called for uncooked but I can see me under cooking the rice and having a disaster of a meal plus this would be great for leftover rice!

Mix everything up and using a small ice cream scoop scoop into even balls. I did this ahead of time and left in the fridge for set up, you can skip this step

Brown the balls in a large pot or skillet with a little Olive Oil

Meanwhile, In a large bowl combine 2 cans of Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup <~ I told you this was a down home frugal comfort meal...the original called for Worcestershire Sauce and water but I wanted to add a little something different. I used 1 can of Milk, Italian Seasonings and Garlic to give it a creamy tomato flavor and seem like I slaved all day : )

Add the sauce to the balls and simmer till you're ready to eat! food that wait for you? I'll take it!

I placed a bed of rice on a platter and a topped with the meatballs and sauce, served it a up with crusty bread and it was a family hit! It feels good to be out of the rut : )

I hope you all are enjoying your week and feeling motivated in the kitchen, no matter what it is or how long (or little) it takes to cook something fresh for yourself and family!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

To the most amazing and caring woman I know, thank you for all that you have done and all that you do on a daily basis. I look forward to talking to you everyday especially when the kids are driving me nuts, you always know how to make me feel relaxed and just take everything in stride. I couldn't ask for a better woman in my life, I love you mom : )

and to my little stinkers, thank you for giving me the best career in the world. I love you more than words can describe...Oh and would it be to much to ask for you to stop growing so fast? my heart can't take much more. Thanks : )

Is It Over Yet??

2011-05-06T23:03:00.001-04:00

This past week has been a whirlwind around here, little one is coming to the end of her preschool year and she has her first dance recital coming up!!!

It's bitter sweet for me, it's my daughter's first recital but I had to give up going to FitBloggin to be able to go! I bought my tickets in August of last year and her recital wasn't confirmed until 2 months ago. I was lucky enough to find two amazing bloggers who bought my tickets and will be keeping me in spirit with them : ) There's always next year, a mommy has to do what she's gotta do!

We've been running back and forth between rehearsals and school activities, I'm so ready for summer and relaxation : P Needless to say, I was in the mood for comfort food this week. Fast food can be convenient but it always leaves me feeling rushed and unorganized (does that even make sense??) I feel more comfortable and in control when I'm the kitchen.

The week consisted of easy mornings with toast and a fruit (or eggs and hash browns...Chobani *Mango* made an appearance this week as well yuuuum)

Lunch is always on the light side for me, I've come to realize I'm a 2 meal/2 snack a day person. This method seems to work best with my body and keeps my hunger at bay.

Dinner is where the heart is! Seriously, I love dinner. It's my last meal and I try to make it warm and inviting, McDonald's does not scream home to me! we had the weekly Mac and Cheese <~ Lord help me if I don't make Mac and Cheese, the hubby and children will be a nightmare to deal with!

Another night was Spaghetti with my "Secret Sauce"

One of my favorite is Meatloaf Muffins! kids love them and I get to hide some good stuff in there. I start with ground Sirloin and add pureed squash (or carrots), garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasonings, 2 egg whites and rolled oats. Mix and top with a sauce of ketchup, mustard and 1 TBSP of brown sugar. Bake in a muffin tin for 40 mins at 375 degrees.

Nothing pairs better than "Corn Casserole" I have no idea where this recipe came from but it's my most requested at holidays. Not the healthiest but we only live once, keep it all in moderation...Mix together 1 can of whole kernel corn, 1 can of creamed corn (I use no salt added to have control of the sodium), 8 oz light sour cream, 1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, 1/2 stick of melted butter and a tsp salt. bake in a casserole dish at 375 for 45 mins.

Last night I made an old childhood favorite, roasted potatoes with Kielbasa and green beans. So frugal and so tasty!! Roast everything together in a casserole dish with olive oil, garlic, salt and onion powder for 45 mins at 375 degrees. This brought me back to the days when my mom would make this dish when she was tired from work and just wanted to relax with the family : )

My eats may not have been the healthiest this week but my motto is, eat what you like but make it yourself. It's a good rule to live by! I'm off to spend some much needed time with the husband, have an amazing weekend!

Picky Eater?

2011-04-26T23:27:00.001-04:00

I've heard time and time again a child is not picky eater unless you think they're picky and limit what they eat. I am here to say whoever said that doesn't have more than one child and lives in food la la land. My daughter, who is now 4 years old has ALWAYS ate everything placed in front of her. She never questioned a vegetable and has spent most of her life in the kitchen with me, sounds by the book right? like many other things in parenthood by the book doesn't last long.

My daughter has her picky days, she's a girl and she's 4 she's allowed to change her mind but consistency is key. My son? he's a whole other story, like his sister he has been introduced to a variety of foods. I breastfed, I made my own baby food, I even have him in the kitchen with me at all times. Unlike my daughter he is picky, yes I said it. HE IS PICKY. It's true, a "by the book" former overweight turned healthy eating mommy has failed. I consistently offer foods I know he has despised in the past hoping he has learned to like them that week. Without fail, he spits the food on the floor. I'd like to take this time to thank my dog Maggie for keeping my floor so clean. I appreciate it.

I came across an article on Yahoo tonight that takes a look at two new eating disorders, Othorexia and Adult Selective Eating. Orthorexia pertains to people who limit their diet to "clean", "pure" or "natural" foods. Apparently, researchers are finding a link between obsessive compulsive disorder and people who are "overly healthy". This is a tough one for me, can you be too healthy? I can see how "eating right" can get controlling which can lead to restricting foods if OCD is present.

Adult Selective Eating is what struck an interest with me. Unlike Anorexia, adult picky eaters are not worried about weight but limit the range of what they eat. So far researchers don't know if adult picky eaters have outgrown their childhood patterns or if this is a new twist on OCD. I personally have a friend, Shane who is extremely picky. Condiments are a no no and forget about a vegetable TOUCHING his food. He blames his parents for not introducing him to a variety of foods when he was younger. Hello!!?? I am doing that and I'm getting nowhere.

What's your take on picky eaters? Children or Adults. Do you think it's all in how you're raised or do you think it could be linked to a disorder? Take a look at the article..."New Eating Disorders: Are They For Real?"

Hippity Hop

2011-04-24T20:57:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter!!! I hope everyone had a great day with family and ate lots of goodies : ) After checking out what treats the Easter Bunny brought we started the day with blueberry pancakes per request of the little one. I realized last night I was out of eggs and Googled an eggless pancake recipe. I actually found the recipe under Google answers from someone else looking for an eggless recipe! I'll admit I was sceptical at first but these were the fluffiest pancakes!! and of course the blueberries made a nice Spring touch : )

We had plans at my Father In Laws for lunch/dinner so of course the little ones had to dress in their best

Look at his little vest!! kills.me.everytime.

The weather held up making the day beautiful for picture taking and picking flowers from the garden for the centerpiece

We kept it simpe with short trimmed flowers in a Mason jar, love simple chic!!

Dinner was full of lots of food including Ham, Potatoes, Corn Casserole, Salad and Rolls- I wish I would have been able to get pics of everything but whenever we have a family dinner it gets real hectic and almost stressful. We love our family but my husband is an only child and my sister lives a good distance, my mom spends the holidays with us. Everyone tends to fuss over the kids which causes for a very cranky toddler who tends to cling to mommy the whole time. I don't blame the little guy!

I was able to snap a pic of the festive eggs : )

I hope you all were able to have a wonderful family and friends filled day!

Tracking It

2011-04-15T21:43:00.003-04:00

The weather is starting to spoil me. I think the weather gods finally acknowledged my midnight dances! Geez took long enough! I can not wait to fire up the grill I love the freshness of summer foods, everything tastes so much better.

I've been tweeting my food journal and I have to admit its keeping me much more accountable for everything I put in my mouth. I've tried the pen and paper method before but always gave up after a week and as much as I live blogging the thought of carrying my dslr camera everywhere is not appealing. I've been taking pics and posting right away on twitter, its working wonders!! Follow me @JosieEats

What method do you use (if any) to track your eats??

Family Time With A Touch Of Chocolate Cake

2011-04-12T22:43:00.000-04:00

The last couple of days have been full of fun in the sun! Sunday Little Man went with Daddy to get a haircut while Ava and I did some shopping at Target- I swear this is our new weekend outing, I really need to find some kid friendly places to go to besides Target : )

He looks so much older!! Why do they grow so fast!? : (

The weather yesterday was amazing, we hit 85 degrees! I had work till 6 p.m but we made the best of it when we got home. The flowers were out in full bloom and the ray peaking through the clouds was breath taking...

Today was back to rain and dampness : ( This season is making me appreciate EVERY moment we can be outside, we're picking up top soil this weekend and planting the veggies. I am so excited for some fresh summer veggies again : )

We've been eating leftovers except for tonight we had pizza, It's been a long time since we had pizza and little man was able to join us! Needless to say, he enjoyed the pizza lol I paired mine with sauteed Brussels Sprouts in Olive Oil, Garlic, Seal Salt and Basil. Yum!!

After dinner, I experimented with Kirbie's Cravings Nutella Chocolate Mug Cake. Oh.My.Goodness. This is *almost* too decadent. It's not a diet cake by any means but it sure kick the crap out of a chocolate craving real fast!

Winner On A Nutty Morning

2011-04-09T10:44:00.001-04:00

Good Morning Saturday! I don't know how it happened but I'm glad it did! This week was full of playdates (on the ONLY warm day we had! boooo), school, work, housework (much needed) and of course play time with the kids and hubby : ) Today I'm being lazy and just enjoying the day-hopefully outside later, it's rainy and cold right now- and I'm looking forward to getting back in the kitchen! we've been eating leftovers, and quick meals like pasta all week and i can't stand it anymore!! But first, the winner!! Thank you too everyone that entered! using Random.org the winner of the Yoplait giveaway is commenter #4 Teresa Young! I will be in contact shortly Teresa : )

This morning I woke up CRAVING a cooked meal and was overly excited to get some oats in a pot. I whipped up some Banana Oats, Kath style. Topped it off with Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter and Honey Roasted Peanuts. It was a bowl of nutty goodness!

I'm off to try and squeeze some Yoga into this morning! I'm sure the kids will be climbing all over me but I figure it adds nice weights to the stretch : ) Have a great day!!

Yoplait Gift Pack Giveaway!

2011-04-01T23:26:00.001-04:00

I've never been a big breakfast eater, even when I post my "Breakfast Eats" on the blog it's more like a Brunch rather than a breakfast. I have a hard time eating first thing, I mostly have a cup of coffee and maybe a Fruit and Yogurt if I wake up hungry. Yoplait was kind enough to send me a gift pack through MyBlogSpark with a coupon of Yoplait yogurt of my choice (Strawberry!!), a weighted jump rope (holy arm workout!), duffel bag, towel and water bottle **which is glass!** I am in LOVE with this bottle, I've never liked plastic bottles they have a weird taste to me.

My favorite way to eat Yogurt is in layers, fruit on the bottom, yogurt and then something crunchy on top like Granola : )

I love how Yogurt is such a power food and can be so simple and so satisfying, The awesome people at Yoplait and MyBlogSpark are offering one of my readers a gift pack as well!

To enter leave me a comment telling me what's your favorite way to eat Yogurt or are you a purist and enjoy straight from fridge?? I'll pick one winner on Friday, April 8th!

Have a great weekend!!

Bitter Cold

2011-03-31T21:38:00.000-04:00

Did I not get the memo that Mother Nature is skipping Spring this year? it's almost April and we have SNOW! I'm a little bitter...and cold.

I've been keeping my eats light and airy in hopes that the warm weather gods will feel my pain and embrace us with some warmth. The last couple of days have been starting off with a fruit salad of Kiwi, Banana, and Grapes. I have become OBSESSED with this combo first thing in the morning with a hot cup of coffee. I'm a sucker for opposites at meals (hot/cold..sweet/salty..etc.)

My Target have undergone a remodel and has opened a larger grocery/produce section, it's not a SuperTarget but it has really expanded the grocery section. Look what I found!!...

I have been on the hunt to find this for months, I am such a fan of Nutella but Nutella and I have such a love/hate relationship that it gets almost abusive. I needed to find a better alternative for my addiction! I could not find Justin's Nut Butters anywhere except Amazon and I wasn't willing to make the commitment of buying huge jars without trying it first. When I saw my Target had sample packs I.Almost.Died. my husband was a little worried about my excitement. He just doesn't get my food excitement. whatever.

I topped some apple slices and went to town. I heard some mixed reviews but I LOVED it. I thought it was pretty close to Nutella just a little gritter. The taste was pretty darn close and quite tasty! now I have to convince myself to spend the $10 on a jar. Maybe I won't eat the whole jar if I have the expense in the back of my mind?? doubtful.

Dinner was simple yesterday, I threw a Pork Roast in the crock pot and seasoned with a can of Campbell's Tomato Soup, 1/2 can water, Garlic, Sea salt, Onion Powder and Basil. Cooked on low for 7 hours and served over a bed of Whole Wheat Couscous. Love Love Love this meal, simple and delicious plus the Pork comes out tender instead of dry (dry Pork is pet peeve of mine, hence why I hardly ever cook Pork!)

Tonight was another quick one, Homemade Cheeseburger Helper : )

I'm ending the night on a sweet note, out of the oven Chocolate Chip Cookies...and maybe some milk... No.screw that, pass the wine!! Goodnight all, have a great Friday!

Simple Saturday

2011-03-26T21:22:00.000-04:00

It was a very quiet day full of playing, cleaning and relaxing : ) well, as much as one can get with two energetic kids! As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program I was sent a loaf of Nature's Pride Hearty Wheat bread to sample. My house goes through bread like water, and hubby and kids know their bread. They tend to lean towards a hearty thick cut bread, this was fitting for my family to try! I personally love bread that has texture with nuts, seeds etc. the hubby and kids not so much. The Hearty Wheat is made with Flax Seeds and Olive Oil, I heard no complaints, even with the texture everyone loved it : ) Thank you FoodBuzz and Nature's Pride!

I never realized how simple my eats are, I know I've always been simple when it came to ingredients (hence, The Skinny Way Of Life) but I really have become a purist. My taste buds now lean towards foods that I can taste and not masked with a crap load of ingredients. This morning I had a craving for an egg sandwich with cheese ( and ketchup, yes I love ketchup and eggs...don't judge.) Simple and delicious!!

This bad boy kept me full for HOURS, I had a small snack for lunch and for dinner we had Chinese. Again, my taste buds have grown and no longer crave the fatty foods. I'm not perfect and obviously I indulge but for the most part I no longer have to worry about eating out. My favorite is Steamed Shrimp with Mixed Vegetables, it comes with this Soy/Teriyaki Ginger sauce that is to die for!! I had 2 small Spring Rolls and I ate the White Rice that came with it. Not perfect but way better than most of the dishes offered and I feel good about my decisions.

The 17 Day Diet really helped with my eating, it's a lot "cleaner" and I FEEL better. No, I didn't lose 17lbs in 17 days but I also didn't stick to the book word for word. I took the techniques and ran with it. I think I lost 5 lbs.?? I'm not even positive and I don't care. My well being has definitely improved and that's all I could ask for : )

Spring Ahead!

2011-03-20T22:42:00.000-04:00

Happy 1st day of Spring!!! the weather turned out to be georgous today, I won't talk about the 40 degree weather predicted for later in the week...nope won't go there. We were given tickets to the Circus and of course Miss Ava was very excited. We decided for the sake of sanity Little Man would stay at home with his Gammy and we would make it a day for Ava, she deseves some one on one time with her parents : ) My mom also attended, which is awesome when we can all get together! I have many fond memories of the Circus with my mom when I was Ava's age.

The Circus was held at an old Masonic building, the arcitecture was amazing! I wish we could have captured every inch, the interior has a beautiful Moroccan influence.

and of course we had the traditional food..hotdogs, pretzels and cotton candy-pink, of course!!

The acts were really good, complete with acrobats and a highwire act (that scared the crap out of me) but my favorite was some piggys doing tricks, these guys were so cute! I'm simple what can I say?

Ava said, "this is the best day ever mommy!" she makes my heart hurt. So freaking cute.

My lovely lady has now decided she's going to be in the circus when she grows up...right after she's a teacher, a "doggy doctor" and a ballet dancer. Oh how I miss being young. I hope she never stops dreaming big...

Not So Traditional

2011-03-17T21:55:00.001-04:00

Happy St. Patricks Day! being Italian this Holiday never had an impact on my life -except when I was in college, it gave me another reason to get tipsy-However, I do remember my mom making Corned Beef with Cabbage and Potatoes every year. I LOVE this traditional dish and look forward to it every year, so where am I going with this? you'd think I would have amazing pictures of my awesome Irish dinner and a pic of me chugging a Guinness...well guess what? I forgot to get the Corned Beef!!! I'm seriously kicking myself and tomorrow morning my ass is heading straight to the grocery store!

I settled on Chili and Corn Bread for dinner, not exactly an Irish meal but it was good nonetheless : )

Trying to add some greenage to my day, I added Chili and Brown Rice to a bed of Spinach. I love adding veggie bulk to heavy meals, tricks my mind into thinking I'm eating a HUGE bowl. Oh and I couldn't forget the Shredded Cheddar yuuum.

I'm off to watch Jersey Shore, I have this thing for trashy reality shows : ) Hubby and I have a breakfast date tomorrow morning after we drop little one off at pre-school...I'm a little too excited for Diner pancakes! Have a great Friday!!

Green Lovin'

2011-03-15T22:19:00.000-04:00

Ever have one of those mornings that you get so occupied doing something that you forget to eat? It was one of those mornings today! I hate not eating breakfast but I honestly got into the groove of life and hunger didn't even cross my mind. Before I knew it, it was 11 a.m and I had a bottle of water and a cup of coffee. At least the floors were swept and the laundry was done : )

I decided on a hearty ~~breakfast~~ brunch. I wanted something warm but I had an Avocado that was calling my name. I made a grilled Pepper Turkey sandwich with American Cheese- I normally go for Cheddar but I was craving some wonderfully processed American cheese : P and mashed Avocado on Whole Wheat Bread. Oh and of course Pickles were a must.

In honor of St. Patricks day I made Roni's Simple Green Cupcakes, which had Spinach!! I've made brownies before with Spinach in them and I must say they tasted like poo. These however were made with a boxed cake mix and you couldn't even taste the Spinach! from now on, veggies go in the baked goods...except cookies, I have yet to find a healthy cookie recipe that I enjoy. I'm sticking to good old butter in my cookies I just can't bring myself to add veggies or beans!...maybe one day...we'll see. These however are a keeper : )

We topped ours with Fat Free Whipped Cream and green sprinkles! Spinach has become such a household staple, my 4 yr. old is in love with Green Monsters and couldn't wait to make these today. The hubby even puts Baby Spinach on his sandwiches! I'm loving this new movement that had swept over this house : )

Do you have any healthy secret ingredients you like to add to food? My favorite is Pumpkin in Spaghetti sauce!!

New Outlook

2011-03-10T21:18:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's been a week since I've posted! I've been really tired lately (mostly due to stress : / ) but I'm feeling better and concentrating more on taking care of myself. I've had some off days and resorted to take out but I've been making good decisions when out (mostly Sushi and Steamed Veggies with Shrimp- LOVE it!!) My breakfasts have been mostly the same...Oats! I tend to eat oats everyday for about a month and than I want nothing to do with them for 2 months. I'm glad they're back and taste buds are very happy : )
This morning I had the best combo, Oats with banana/Chia seeds/Cinnamon and topped with a fresh apple and White Chocolate Chips-ohmygosh it tasted like a Caramel Apple! don't know why since there was no Caramel in it but I'm not complaining!

On the days I have work I've been getting my normal drink (ahem...Grande Non-Fat Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha- 2/2 for the pumps and an extra shot of espresso : P ) but recently I've been IN LOVE with their Banana Bread. I've been putting a dent in my wallet ( coffee and banana bread is around $7!) Thank goodness I don't work 5 days a week!! I wish I could give up my Starbucks but I'm too in love with "my usual" I did however found a copycat Starbucks Banana Bread recipe, I can not wait to try this this weekend! I'll keep you posted : )

Lunches have been on the light side, I haven't been very hungry in the middle of the day. I've been mostly eating a small portion of protein (tuna or salmon), a fruit ( mostly apples,kiwi, or grapes) and a carb (crackers, not very exciting lol)

Dinner has been either take out, leftovers or some sort of pasta. Thanks to this guy...

He's 13 months and if it's not meat (any kind...chicken,pork,beef, even fish) pasta, or rice he won't eat it. How can he be picky at 13 months!? my daughter ate anything I put in front of her till she was 3! I try every week with something different but he just spits it all out except for the meat.I'll just keep trying and hope for the best lol

However, I did make my favorite comfort meal tonight...Meatloaf (Turkey), Mashed Potatoes and Peas.

Guess who didn't eat the mashed potatoes?? Oh well at least he ate the Turkey (which I mix with oats instead of bread crumbs) and a COUPLE peas ::sigh:: children.

On the home front, things are starting to bloom!!! yay for Spring : ) can I tell you how excited I am to put the clocks ahead an hour this weekend?? I can go running at night after hubby gets off work! so excited!!

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday, I'm ready for this week to end (and the rain!) We have to get the garden ready this weekend for the arrival of Spring and planting veggies! Can't get any more local than that : )

Enjoy the rest of your week! <3

Anti-Social

2011-03-03T21:27:00.000-05:00

I feel so disconnected this week, I miss the Blogosphere and my daily reads but I really needed to step back and take some time to myself. I've had a lot weighing on my mind, Ava will be turning 5 in September and is currently in pre-school. She misses our districts cut off for kindergarten, I'm use to starting Kindergarten at 5 yrs. old but I am aware of how different the curriculum is now. I'm not going to lie, this took awhile for me to get use too. I didn't want to hold her back a year if she can do the work. We had a parent/teacher conference and they advised us that we're going to have to challenge her because she's ahead of the class but because she is so young they would worry about her in a class of older children ::sigh:: My husband and I were leaning towards private school but the more we look into the schools we see how small they actually are. Ava is very social and loves to be around people. I know if she was to be in a class of 8 kids she would not be happy. I grew up in Philadelphia and went to Catholic School, the classes were bigger than they are in my area. This brings us back to Public School. I have nothing against Public School but I (and my husband) have issues with our district. She will stay in the pre-school she is at now for another year so I have time to decide but I'm planner!

Ultimately, we would love to have our children homeschooled. I'm in the process of reconstructing our family budget so within 5 years I can be home full time with the kids and focusing on their education. Anyone else have advice on this matter!? I am all ears : )

I wish I could say I've been exercising to clear my head and eating perfectly all week...but that would be a lie. I've had good days and bad days, stupid stress! the continuous cycle of feel like shit..eat bad..feel like shit for eating bad...give up on the day and continue with poor eating..then feel even worse..it's vicious and it needed to be stopped! I started my day with a late breakfast/lunch egg scramble of Spinach and Salame

Snacks included Kiwi and Grapes and afternoon snack of Chobani and Mint Chocolate Cookie Granola

Dinner was Pot Roast with Mushrooms and Broccoli over Brown Rice

It's only been a day of clean eating but honestly I can feel a difference in my mood, I want to get active and just clear my head of parenthood! I'm off to drink a cup of Coffee and catch up on blog reading, I miss you guys! Have a great night : )

Super Sunday

2011-02-27T19:56:00.000-05:00

Thank you Mother Nature! we were predicted to get rain this weekend but instead it turned out to be gorgeous! This morning our Creek was flowing and the snow was all melted : )

and Miss Ava had her 1st play date! I can't believe how fast she's growing up, before I know it she'll be going to prom! oy vey.

After her play date the weather was just too beautiful to go back home. Hubby packed some snacks-complete with a cup of coffee for me, He's the best : ) - and we all headed to our nearest State Park, Pinchot Park. The kids had a great time playing on the playground, even little man had fun discovering nature : )

I hope this weather stays, I can't take any more teasing!!

On the food front things have been pretty boring, for some reason I haven't been hungry for complete meals but instead snacking on Greek Yogurt with Granola and I have been OBSESSED lately with a meat/cracker/fruit combo for lunch...mmm kiwi...

It felt great being out and active today with the family, I love days that we can turn off the TV and just enjoy the world we live in. I hope you all had a great weekend!!

Holy Motivation

2011-02-25T19:14:00.002-05:00

I just got home an hour ago and in under 1/2 hour made an awesome dinner that I had to share!
Lately, I have been sucking at meal planning and unfortunately eating out way to much. I decided today to eat lunch later that way I'm not starving before I get home.
Tonight when I got home I cooked a pot of Whole Wheat spaghetti, drained and made a sauce of Olive Oil, Garlic, Basil and reduced some White Wine. I added the pasta, a pat of butter and some claw crab meat I bought on sale this week. OMG!! Amazing. Take that drive through!! : )

Ok, This is a crappy pic. I took it with my phone I was too excited to post...and eat : )

Greek Banana Split

2011-02-24T22:13:00.001-05:00

I made the best sweet tooth crusher tonight and it was so simple. I sliced a banana and topped it with Chobani plain yogurt, Crofters Strawberry Jam, and a crumbled granola bar - nuts would have been a lot better! This is definitely my new go to dessert or snack when I'm fiending for something sweet : )

Whiney Day

2011-02-22T21:08:00.001-05:00

Don't let this face fool you...

there was no stopping this guy today, he only slept an hour and wanted to be held all day. Ever hold a kid on your hip while folding laundry? I felt very retro housewife. I do feel bad for him, he has two molars that are erupting : (

and this one...

lets just say the 4 yr. old jabbers struck her hard...non-stop questions!! ALL.DAY.LONG. She's lucky she's cute...

At the end of the day, this a whiner I gladly welcome...

red wine and dark chocolate, how I love you so! and yes, that is wine in a Champagne glass...it's how I roll...

Silent Sunday

2011-02-21T00:03:00.001-05:00

Everything was so quiet on my road today, it was almost surreal. We live in the boonies but we do get cars on our road but today you could hear a pin drop. Those are our grapevines that I anxiously waiting to start blooming again : )

Saturday I was able to have a girls night which involved lots of wine and lots of Sushi! Very much needed, I love being a mom but it can be so stressful! The morning started with an amazing new combo, Chobani Pomegranate and Nuts About Granola "Mint Chocolate Cookie" soooo yummy!! and little man got his 1st haircut!!

I.Almost.Died. my hubby took him since whenever I'm around he gets whiny and wants me to hold him the whole time. When he walked back in I teared up, my little man is growing up! ok I'm moving on before my uterus starts begging for another baby to house for 9 months...

It was a great weekend with lots of family time and lots of outdoor fun. Now, from what I hear I can expect snow tomorrow morning. Thank you Mother Nature! I'm off to get shut eye for another *cold* work day : /

goodnight!

Summer Lovin

2011-02-17T22:06:00.000-05:00

The weather was incrediable today!! the kiddies and I were able to get out and play. The kids were all muddy, I guess the grass was still moist but I didn't care they had so much fun and so did I- even if I had to do a load of laundry : )

My 1st born, Alfie got his hair done today and he was sleeping like a baby most of the day. His little face tugs at my heart. I <3 him.

I can almost feel the cool summer nights ahead...

Childhood Favorite

2011-02-15T22:02:00.000-05:00

Growing up my mom was a single mom and would get home most nights late, she didn't focus much on food (except for Sunday dinner). She made what was affordable, fast and tasty. Unfortunely, most of what was fast and tasty was not so good for us. I remember eating a lot of boxed Macaroni and Cheese, Hamburger Helper, frozen pizza and of course Spaghetti (white not whole wheat lol) I think like most Americans homeamde translates into expensive and way to long. I can agree that some meals can take a lot longer than opening a box but for the most part there's always an easy and afforadable alternative. When my mom was diagnosed with Diabetes our whole household changed and we started LEARNING about food and what our bodies need.

However, because most of my life I consume mostly foods high in preservatives I tend to CRAVE those foods every now and then. It amazes me how much my taste buds have changed and yet these foods can start to creep back into my life. I never buy them, I just can't do that to myself and my family. I can however recreate those flavors but in a good way : )

Today I had a crazy craving for Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper, Ah how that cheesy meatiness brings back memmories. I found a recipe online and I adapted it a little to fit what I had and the results were AMAZING. So much better -taste and health- and it took less than 25 mins. to make! I like to think with all the resources out there people are seeing that fast and easy is not the way to go, look at the ingredients!!

Ok moving on to the recipe...
In a small bowl mix:
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard **the original called for 2 tsp. paprika- but I put mustard on my burger : ) **

damn I need a manicure.

Brown 1lb. of 97% lean ground beef (or turkey) and add 1 1/2c. Whole Wheat Elbow pasta, Seasonigs, 2 squirts of Ketchup * because I also like Ketchup on my burger : ) * 1 c. HOT water, 2c. Fat Free Milk and bring to a boil.

When it comes to a boil, drop the heat to a simmer and cook for 12 mins. The last 3 mins. of cooking time add 1c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I used 2% mild)

Blend cheese and remove from heat for 5 min. The sauce will thicken-just like the box!

yuuuuum, I like when I can get my old childhood favorites back, especially now that I have kids I can share with them a meal that brings back so many memories but now I know what's going into their bodies and I couldn't happier.

Gobble Gobble

2011-02-10T22:31:00.000-05:00

I don't know if it's because it's that time of the month and I crave weird things every month but I have been obsessed with Turkey this week. Today I had a Turkey and Avocado sandwich on Whole Wheat Potato bread with spicy mustard. It was so creamy and to die for, I love Avocados!

For dinner, I made a Turkey meatloaf (surprised?) I added Oats, Sea Salt, Basil, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder. I paired it with roasted Potatoes and Baby Carrots in the same seasonings as the meatloaf. I had asparagus in the fridge to cook up and I totally forgot until dinner was over! Ugh I need a vitamin to help with memory loss...or just a babysitter : P

Every night at 9 p.m Hubby and I have had a date with Wii Bowling, it's getting fierce and I am kicking some major ass. I'm not gloating...I'm just sayin I'm better : ) Honestly, we've been playing so hard we've been waking up sore (insert 12 yr. old boy laughter here) it's been a good workout!

I have an early day tomorrow, I'm the class mom for my daughter's preschool class and we're having a Valentine's Day party tomorrow morning. I'm praying I don't eat all the cookies...

Productive Morning

2011-02-08T13:05:00.002-05:00

I love it when I get a lot of housework done so early in the morning. My little man was up bright and early and while he was eating breakfast I made Avocado Bread- ever heard of it? I saw Squirrel Bakes make it a couple of days ago and I was intrigued! Came out pretty good, reminded me of Zucchini bread. I was able to get the laundry done, dishes done, sweep all the floors and change the bed sheets all before 10 a.m!

For lunch I had a huge salad with Chicken, Cucumbers, Spring Mix and Olive Oil so simple but so yummy!

I'm off to play with the kids and get the Vegetable Soup started for dinner! see you all later : )

Veggie Tales

2011-02-03T13:30:00.000-05:00

It's been four days since my start of the 17 Day Diet and I'm feeling pretty good, I've had more energy throughout the day and I've been staying fuller longer. I did make one adjustment, on day one I almost lost it. I was so hungry before bed that no salad could fill the void. I held strong and went to bed. I'm sorry but no one should go to bed hungry!! I ate lots of veggies and my 2 servings of fruit and green tea for the day but it just wasn't enough.

On day 2, I decided instead of letting myself go to bed hungry that night I would eat one carb for the day. I've been doing great and feeling full throughout the day but when night time falls the REAL hunger begins. Any idea why this would be??

I've started my days with a warm cup of water and lemon-which I love!! It really does get things moving! and I usually have a Chobani and fruit, I've never been the type of person that could wake and eat right away.

Lunch has been a big salad with lots of veggies and topped with a lean protein-Chicken,Salmon or Tuna and drizzled with 2 tsp. Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar. On the days that I'm home I've been making egg white omelets with veggies and a lean protein, this morning I used Smoked Ham.

I've been on a roasted veggie kick, Broccoli is amazing roasted btw!! To keep the hunger away I've been eating a healthy carb with my dinner. Last night was grilled chicken with roasted broccoli and roasted sweet potatoes.

So far so good, I feel great and have more energy than before. I haven't weighed myself yet, I made the decision to weigh myself weekly. I've been consuming more water and more water packed veggies. My body needs time to adjust. My favorite part of the diet?? The fact that my 4 yr. old now eats smoothies with spinach!! aka "green monsters" : )

Have a great day everyone!

Clean Eating

2011-01-30T21:29:00.000-05:00

Has anyone seen this? I recently read a post from Kristy at Casual Dish about a new diet she was trying, what struck me the most was that this "diet" was more of a way to kick the old habits and bring in fresh clean food. The 17 day diet is a cycled eating plan that alters the amounts of carbohydrates, proteins and fats you eat every few days. The plan consists of 4 phases, Accelerate, Activate, Achieve, and Arrive. Each phase consists of 17 days and reintroduces good carbs back into your diet. The thing I love most about this diet is it's a clean eating plan that avoids sugar and processed foods <~ this has been my biggest downfall!! my diet lately has been filled with carbs- mostly because the are quick to grab. I need more protein and more veggies in my diet and this plan is something I'm really eager to give a try.

Step 1. Buy the book...Check!

Step 2. Stock the fridge...Check!

Today hubby went food shopping with a HUGE produce list. I swear this was the 1st time my fridge was packed with so many fruits and veggies. I also rearranged the fridge to keep all produce eye level. It's baaaackk! Chobani Greek Yogurt has finally made a come back. It's been way to long since I bought some! On the 17 day diet, the 1st phase (Accelerate) calls for 2 servings of probiotics a day and Greek Yogurt is on the list : ) I've also cleaned and re-bagged some produce to make it easier to grab and go (notice the Cauliflower in the freezer bag on top, Broccoli is behind it.)

Now, reality time...I have a family. I have two young kids. I can not cut out the healthy carbs in their diet, they need carbs. I have made a weeks worth of Whole Wheat Pasta and Brown Rice for them (notice the pink container on the bottom shelf!) They will eat the same thing as I do for dinner- which should be a good thing since there's more veggies!! but I will add WW pasta, rice or potatoes to their meals.

I'm excited to try this and come up with new ways to prepare the "cleansing veggies" I have to admit it's been yeeeaaarss since I ate Cauliflower or even Celery : / Wish me luck and let the journey begin!!

Healthy Pantry Dinner

2011-01-29T20:43:00.000-05:00

My fridge is hurting bad! every time I open the door I hear crickets...seriously. I normally do the grocery shopping on Sundays when hubby is home and can keep an eye on the kids. Saturdays are usually a leftover night but to my surprise we were all out except for a bowl of corn. I hit the pantry to see what was lurking in there and of course I had cans of Tomatoes and boxes of Whole Wheat Pasta. I don't know if it's because I'm Italian and dinner was usually a big meal and revolved around some sort of meat but I feel so incomplete just making pasta and sauce -gravy in my house : )

I found 4 cans of beans in the pantry that have been calling my name but the thought of the struggle I would have to deal with from my daughter and husband has made me tune them out. Tonight, I said screw it. If they're hungry they'll eat it and plus it'll be a good introduction of a protein alternative for little man.

I started by sauteing a can (drained and rinsed) of Pinto Beans in Olive Oil, Garlic Powder, Sea Salt and Italian Seasoning -this is the same thing I would be doing if I was using ground meat, I believe it's important to season every layer and not just the sauce (gravy).

Next, I added a large can of Crushed Tomatoes and re-seasoned with Garlic Powder, Italian Seasonings and Sea Salt. I also always add a pinch of sugar to my sauce to tone down the acid. This is a trick my mom did since I was very little and I do the same : )

Ok, now for the trick I use over and over, FORGET THE TOMATO PASTE!! bulk up the fiber and add 2 heaping tablespoons of pure pumpkin! this will thicken the sauce and give it a hearty flavor and no you can't taste the pumpkin.

Turn the heat down to low and let simmer for as a long as you want. I put the sauce on when little man was napping and made the pasta when he awoke. He loved it! he kept screaming for more : ) Ava loved the taste and didn't give me an issue about it eating it...ahem, after I mashed the beans in the sauce...I topped mine and hubby's with grated Parmesan Cheese and Hot Pepper Seeds (this is a must!! so yummy) all in all it was a healthy and very frugal meal : )

Snow Day

2011-01-27T11:08:00.000-05:00

Good Morning! The kids and I are snowed in! well, not really but it's comforting to be in a warm home with 9 inches of whiteness outside. So homey : ) here's my view from the back porch...yes I live in the woods.

Last year when we got hit with those monster snow storms here on the East Coast my little one and I made Pumpkin Muffins, mostly because they called for few ingredients and were perfect for breakfast. Now every time it snows my daughter asks to make for Pumpkin Muffins, I guess this is our new tradition : )

I gathered all the ingredients and made The Pioneer Woman's Pumpkin Spice Muffins, this is the best muffin recipe and so simple to make. I heart her. She rules.

I made them mini style so my little man can eat them for a snack, I love having a new addition to my taste testers!

oh and these beat toast anyday! I paired them with two scrambled eggs for breakfast and I had one happy belly.If you're having a snow day as well I hope you enjoy it and get some play time in outside! see you all later!

Muffin Tin Lunch

2011-01-25T21:15:00.000-05:00

Lately my lovely daughter has become very picky and has turned many meals into a battle. I have no idea where/why this has started, she use to eat anything I put in front of her but now she is rejecting even her old favorites. Don't get me wrong she is eating but the variety of what she is eating has been cut in half and of course half of which are vegetables.

Luckily, I recently came across an awesome blog, Muffin Tin Mom which was created by a mom of two to help other parents get creative with their kids in the kitchen and make meals fun. My daughter LOVES playing with small toys so i decided to give this a go and incorporate small pieces of food to keep it exciting and fun.

I started with a small square cookie cutter and made shapes out of Turkey, Bread, and Cheese

I didn't have a traditional metal 6 muffin tin, I used a red silicone muffin tin instead which turned out great for a pop of color.

Next, add the assorted goodies...I ended up with Turkey, Cheese, Bread, Spinach/Pickles, Mandarin Oranges, and piece of Dark Chocolate for after lunch.

She ate everything, even the Spinach! I kept telling her I had a special surprise for lunch which kept her wondering and excited. I think she's going to want every meal like this from now on. It was a huge hit, she even asked for celery next time!

It's amazing how something so simple can turn out to be such a life saver. Honestly, this has even helped me keep my portions in check. I'm a snacker and keeping the cups filled with a fruit, veggie, protein has helped keep the healthy snacks accessible.

Do you have any tricks to get the veggies in??

Speechless Sunday

2011-01-23T22:24:00.001-05:00

I'm exhausted. I'll leave you with pics from my fabulous and messy Sunday : )

Happy Birthday Caden!

2011-01-21T20:50:00.000-05:00

Today was my little man's 1st birthday! I can't believe a year has gone by, I remember crying because I thought this baby would never come out- literally, I sat at the table and bawled. He was born 10 days past my due date and the morning of my induction my water broke, I guess he decided he'd finally make an appearance before I started charging him rent : )

I can't even remember him this small : (

before I knew it my baby turned into a little man...

He may have made me wait what seemed like eternity and because of him I now have a permanent scar across my abdomen ( he lucked out with a big head like his daddy!) but he will always be the the sweetest guy in my eyes. It's truly amazing the bond a mom has with her son, he knows exactly how to tug at my heart. Caden, I hope you had an amazing year and know how much you are truly loved. Happy Birthday Little Man : )

P.S- I think I'm more excited for his party on Sunday then he is, I'm a sucker for cake!!!!

Back On Track!

2011-01-19T20:29:00.000-05:00

happy hump day! this week is flying by-which is never a bad thing : ) I want to thank all of you for your condolences about my husbands grandmother. They were very warming and really helped us remember the good times we had with her.

I've been able to get back in the kitchen and I feel so much better, the eating out and snacking instead of balanced meals was really getting to me. it's amazing how your body will tell you when something is not right, last week I was constantly tired and feeling blah from the random meals/snacking I was eating. I've been kicking my mornings off with either protein/carbs, yesterday was eggs (and hot sauce!) with homefries from leftover roasted potatoes...

or a bowl of Oats has made a reappearance. This past month I haven't been in the mood for Oats but on Tuesday I woke CRAVING a hot bowl ( hhhmmm maybe from the snow outside??) I made them KERF style with banana and Chia seeds and topped them with a dollop of Sunflower Butter, a drizzle of Pure Maple Syrup and my homemade "Carrot Cake Granola." So satisfying!!

Last night, I made grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken for dinner, I'll admit I have used seasoning packets in the past. Then it dawned on me, why can't I use fresh ingriedients to get the same tatste!? Duh! so that's what I did : ) The outcome was so refreshing and tasty, it really turned out better than I exepected.

I'm the Food Blogger for a local site, YorkMama.com. Click here to read the whole article and see the recipe : ) The chicken came out really moist and tender, I'm sure the lemon juice had something to do with that!

What is your favorite side dish? we eat so much Whole Wheat Pasta and potatoes, I'm getting a little sick of it : / Please send me suggestions for my carb loving family!! Thank you : )

Life Keeps Going

2011-01-16T20:45:00.000-05:00

The last couple of days have been bittersweet around here, my husbands grandmother passed away last week and was laid to rest Wednesday. She was 87 yrs. old and has been ill for awhile. She will be missed but hubby and I realize she is no longer suffering and she lived a long happy life. Nanny was a strong lady and up until her final days was arguing with the nurses. I will miss her spunk! : ) On the sweet side, my little man is turning 1 on Friday! I can't believe it's been a whole year! I remember being so excited for my daughters 1st birthday but honestly I might shed a tear or two on my little man's. He's such a mommy's boy, he tugs at my heart!!

Needless to say with all the prepping going on for the party and the passing of Nanny my eats have been pretty simple this week. Lots of toast, eggs, sandwiches and salads. However, last night I went out to dinner with my friend Tiffany for SUSHI!!! I love it when I can get a girls night out, it's much needed and very appreciated : )

Tonight, we had my father in law over for a traditional Sunday dinner, pasta (whole wheat) meatballs, sausage and of course crusty garlic bread yuumm!! it felt good being back in the kitchen. I miss cooking! I need to start meal planing again, it really is a lifesaver (not to mention calorie saver) I'm getting into a rut. The cold weather is taking it's toll and my activity level is almost at a stand still. Yes, I run around with the kids but I feel like I need more. I want to be back outside walking/running/ playing!! As for now, I'm going to stick with yoga, and belly dancing <~ love this for cardio, it's a lot of fun. If you've never tried belly dancing before I highly recommend, It's so much fun and you can feel it in your abs and lower body the next day!

I'm off to pack lunch for tomorrow -it's a start to a good week! have a great night : )

Snowy Day

2011-01-11T23:08:00.000-05:00

I love winter days when you know snow is coming but have no idea how much. The sky has such a warm gray hue and instantly I want to cuddle up on the couch and watch movies with the kids. As much as the winter days can be depressing it's days like this that make me sit back and realize how warm and calming life can be. My little lady and I decided to make homemade granola for the first time! I've been wanting to give it a try for some time and today was just perfect timing. We have a great local company, Nuts About Granola that specializes in homemade granola in a variety of flavors. I *love* their Carrot Cake granola but it's seasonal
: ( so I decided to give it a try and whip up my own version of "Carrot Cake" granola!

I found a simple Alton Brown granola recipe and used that as a base. Start by preheating oven to 250 degrees. Combine 3 c. Old Fashioned Oats, 1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar, 1/4 c. Chia Seeds- this was my addition, I love the nutrients of Chia seeds and try to sneak them in anywhere possible!-and also 2 Tbsp. Cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, whisk 1 c. grated carrots- I chopped the carrots in a food processor to get it finely chopped, I love the orange specs!!- 1/4 Canola Oil, 1/4 plus 2 Tbsp. Pure Maple Syrup and 3/4 tea. Seal Salt.

Add the dry to the wet and mix till everything is combined. LOVE the specs!!! screams healthy : )

Lay the mixture on a lined baking sheet and bake for an 1 hour and 15 mins. Stir every 15 mins. to get an even color. The granola will crisp up when out of the oven, my granola was browned in an hour. keep an eye on it, burnt oats are not tasty!!

Ok, now on to the best part...I wanted my granola to have a traditional Carrot Cake taste, frosting was a must. Then it hit me, Yogurt covered raisins! raisins are common in Carrot Cake and the Yogurt coating would be sweet and mild like a cream cheese frosting. So good! I waited till the granola was cooled and added a handful in. I was amazed at how good it turned out, even Ava ate it! Chia seeds and all : ) the best part of this recipe was the addition of a veggie and it wasn't sweetened with anything artificial. I will be making my own granola from now on, it was so easy and a lot of fun!

Stay warm!! Goodnight all : )

Misleading Mac And Cheese

2011-01-08T21:41:00.000-05:00

Tonight I made the best Mac & Cheese I have ever ate. Seriously. It was creamy, cheesy and good for me!! This afternoon I was pureeing some baby food- Butternut Squash and Carrots to be exact. Sometimes I add pureed carrots to my meatloaf to keep it moist and add a little nutrients. I held back about a 1/2 c. each of the carrots and squash for later use. I didn't have anything prepared for dinner due to the lack of groceries in my fridge so I hit the pantry up and decided on a quick Mac and Cheese dinner, I never hear complaints from this and it's quick.

I started on dinner and boiled some Whole Wheat Elbow pasta and gathered the rest of my ingredients, 1 can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup, 1 can Evaporated Fat Free Milk (this makes the Mac and Cheese so creamy and decadent without the fat!), and 1 (16 oz) bag 2% Shredded Cheddar Cheese. Then it dawned on me, Hello! add the squash and carrots! I love fooling the kids (and yes, I'm talking about my husband as well)

Once the Macaroni was cooked, drained and added back to the pot I added half the bag of Shredded Cheddar, 1 can of Campbell's Cheddar Soup, 1/2 can of Evaporated Fat Free Milk, 1/2c. Carrot puree, 1/2c. Butternut Squash Puree and a pinch of Sea Salt. Combined everything and added it to a casserole dish. Next, to the top of the macaroni I added a few pats of Butter- use the butter! it gives it that Southern "will make your chest hurt for days" taste without using a whole stick. I used a total of 2 Tbsp of butter. Sprinkle a little more cheese on top and place in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 mins.

Amazing. I'm speechless it was so good, It tasted like a Southern Grandma was in my kitchen and whipped this up. Give this a try, you won't be disapointed and your thighs will thank you : )

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Happy Teeth And A Happy Belly

2011-01-06T13:07:00.000-05:00

No Cavities!! Ava did really well at her 1st dentist appointment, well her teeth did. She freaked out the whole time and sat on my lap in the chair. Poor kid : ( At least she knows what to expect next time and hopefully it'll be a smoother visit.

I know I've been sharing a lot of breakfast ideas lately but this is one a must try! breakfast is one of those meals that can be really hard for me to get in so I've been experimenting a lot in the kitchen to keep it simple, filling, and fun to eat. Boring meals are a no no, especially the most important one of the day! I woke craving doughy goodness and the first thing that came to mind was pancakes. I love pancakes but they can be full of carbs and not so much protein, I found some Sunflower Butter in my fridge and decided to add it to the mix! the result was fluffy yet doughy pancake that kept me full for hours.

Start by whisking 1/2c. All Purpose Flour, 1/2c. Whole Wheat Flour, 2 tsp. Baking Powder and 1 tsp. salt and Cinnamon <~ this made was key! such good flavor with the Vanilla Sunflower Butter

Next whisk 1 egg, 2 Tbsp melted butter, a little under 3/4c. Fat Free Milk and 2 Tbsp Sunflower Butter - It hard for me to find Sunflower Butter around me so I buy Naturally Nutty Butter online. I'm a sucker for bulk buying : )

Add the wet to the dry and combine, leave some lumps! you want these fluffy not rubbery : )

Cook on a non-stick pan or a greased griddle, I topped mine with a pat of butter and some REAL Maple Syrup. This might be my most favorite breakfast yet.

Hope you all are having a great day!!

Bright and Sunny

2011-01-04T13:21:00.001-05:00

The weather is so deceiving, It could easily be 50 degrees outside by how sunny it is. Nope, it's only 34 degrees here : ( I'm missing the warmer weather ::sigh:: I'm not even a warm weather person! but it would be nice to take the kiddies outside. Oh well, only a few more months to go. This morning I made a quick scramble with Baby Spinach, Mushrooms, and Onions. So goooood and filling!

I topped it off with a sprinkle of Feta Cheese : )

I'm off to get ready for Ava's dentist appointment eeeek wish me luck! I get more nervous than she does!

Kicking The New Year Off Right

2011-01-01T20:47:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed the day with my kids and didn't focus so much on the small stuff that needed to be done, one thing I want to focus this year on is to stop sweating the small things and enjoy more time with family. I'm ALWAYS doing something around the house...cleaning, picking up toys, doing dishes, laundry etc... It seems like I'm tiding up "just in case" and for what!? I hardly ever have guests and it's not like my house is dirty so why should I care if there is a dish or two in the sink? this year I'm making an effort to stop stressing out and start spending more time on myself and playing with the kids.

Today I did just that, this morning I played blocks with little man and puzzles with Ava. I also made and awesome bowl of Oats with Chia Seeds and half a banana and topped it with SNICKERS BARS!! that's right people I topped my oats with 2 mini snickers bars- 45 calories a piece- this was def. a New Year's treat, I would add 90 chocolatey calories to my bowl of oats any day! : )

I let the bowl sit in the sink and back to playing I went, I even got a wave from little man welcoming me back : )

For Lunch, I made an egg scramble with green peppers and Tomato and Basil Feta cheese and a drizzle of Ketchup. SO GOOD! seriously, try this it was amazing.

Dinner was Chinese food per request of hubby, luckily my favorite dish from our local place is Shrimp with Mixed Vegetables and rice. LOVE all the crunch! they never overcook the veggies, they always have a great crunch and so colorful! yum! I'm looking forward to the leftovers for lunch tomorrow hahaha.

I hope you all had a great New Year's Day, enjoy the rest of your weekend! : )

Goodbye 2010!

2010-12-31T19:59:00.001-05:00

2010 is coming to end and every year I like to sit back and reflect, I started this blog in November of last year while 8 months pregnant and hoping that by blogging I would be able to lose the baby weight and be accountable for what I put in my mouth. It has become so much more than that, I have learned so much from myself and my way of thinking. I have become to really appreciate real wholesome food (and yes even full fat- goodbye margarine, welcome back butter!) I have learned to FINALLY stop fearing food and what's "good" or "bad." I stopped dieting for once in my life and started appreciating MYSELF.

I couldn't be happier of the way 2010 has turned out. I had a beautiful baby boy in January, my love grows deeper everyday for my amazing husband, my little girl amazes me with every word that comes out of her mouth and I have truly gained respect for myself. I have managed to lose all the baby weight but what I have discovered in the process means so much more than the number on the scale.

I look forward to 2011 and what it has to offer, of course I have some resolutions- It wouldn't be New Year's without at least 1!- I plan on being more active, even though the baby weight is gone and my eating is better I still need to focus on getting more exercise in daily. I also would like to focus on more me time without guilt, I'm sure every parent can relate with the sense of guilt that is felt when leaving the kids for some alone time! I love them but mommy needs to maintain her sanity.

I wish you all a Happy, Safe and Prosperous New Year!!

Breakfast On The Go

2010-12-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

Breakfast has always been one of those meals that I struggle with, when I eat breakfast it's usually after I've been up for almost 2 hours. I have never been a wake and eat person and on the days I go to work it's really hard for me to get a hearty meal in before dropping the kids off at grandmas. I've tried everything from muffins to hard boiled eggs and I just want to gag, I have no problem eating any food when I'm home and running around the house. I hate to admit it but there have been many days that I have gone to work with a just a banana in my belly and I won't eat lunch till almost 1 p.m.

My lovely hubby-who I also work with : ) is a McDonalds freak and decided to stop before heading to work ::sigh:: to my surprise they had a new item on the menu and it was Maple and Brown Sugar Oats!! I figured I would give it a try, I figured it was a better option than going hungry or eating something loaded with fat.

I love the toppings, I usually add dried fruit to oatmeal to replace the need for sugar. McDonald's gives you the option of brown sugar but I opted out. According to side of the container, the whole thing was 260 calories. I hope that was including the dried fruit as well. The verdict? not terrible for instant oats, I like mine creamy and this was like glue so if you're into that then these would be perfect for you. I'm just happy I have a fast food alternative. Maybe the fast food chains are catching on and realizing people want healthy alternatives!!

I need suggestions! What is your go to breakfast when you're on the run?

Have a great night!!

Foggy Mess

2010-12-28T11:51:00.000-05:00

I had the most relaxing stress free weekend, Christmas was so much fun and centered around family. The kids got lots of new toys and the weekend was filled with playing and watching movies-I think my hubby wanted to kill me after the 8th time of watching "A Christmas Story" : ) Christmas Eve we had dinner at my mom's house and lounged around there for awhile, we came home and made sugar cookies for Santa. After all kiddies were sleeping hubby and I started wrapping presents-I LOATHE wrapping presents, I let husband have the honors and I washed the dishes hahaha. After the kids opened their presents Christmas morning HUSBAND decided he was going to make breakfast! Oh.Em.Gee. It really was a Christmas miracle. He surely made a nutritious breakfast, Cinnamon Buns and Bacon ::sigh:: ok I'll admit it, it was fatty and amazing. That's the best way to explain my eating this weekend, fatty and amazing. I'm one of those cooks that cook all day and eat hardly anything at a meal because I can't stand to look at food anymore. This Holiday I didn't have to cook and I definitely had my fair share of over indulgences. Monday morning I woke up in a fog and still in a food coma : / I spent the rest of my day trying to make the right food choices. I did good until I came home and saw the 5lb bag of mini snickers bars my Father In Law gave us!! Come on!!! Really!?

So here I go again trying to get my lazy ass up and motivated after a long weekend, I started off with a cup of coffee (Liquid Gold if you ask me) and two eggs with two slices of Whole Wheat toast. I have dinner in the crock pot and housework to do, hopefully this breakfast will help get me going.

^ Oh and that was shot with my new Nikon D3100!! Best Christmas presents ever!! This was a gift from my Father In Law (yes, along with the snickers) me and hubby were very surprised and so grateful. I can't wait for warmer weather and to take pics of the kids in natural lighting! : )

here's one I took of Ava Christmas night, she was exhausted!

Ok, I'm off to get work done, have a great day!!

And To All A Good Night...

2010-12-24T23:17:00.001-05:00

The babies are fast asleep, the cookies are out...

And under the tree is full of goodies...

May you all have a happy and safe Holiday filled with family, friends and lots of good food!! Merry Christmas everyone!!

He's On His Way!!

2010-12-23T21:22:00.000-05:00

I love when we get this close to the arival of the big guy, my 4 yr. old is going off her rocker and my little one is more concerned with eating the wrapping paper. It's been a crazy week with work and preparing for Christmas Eve dinner at my mom's. I didn't even time to go food shopping for our Christmas dinner! it's 9:30 p.m over here and my poor hubby is out now at the grocery store! hahaha I do love the Holidays : ) Here's what we've been up to this week... (WARNING: the following contains lots of sweets, but oh so much fun!)

Homemade Brownies!! My hips were thanking me when I brought them to work the next day : )

Ok now brace yourselves, I'm a huge sucker for the movie "The Christmas Story"- which I can not wait for the 24 hr. marathon!!- and every year the night before Christmas Eve I've been making the memorable dinner of Meatloaf and Mash Potatoes. This year however I went a little overboard and added bacon! not the healthiest but sooo good! I will be sharing this meal for special occasions : )

Hubby and I had some bonding time with Ava tonight, after little man went to bed we let her stay up and I made hot chocolate (complete with mini marshmallows of course) and we watched "Polar Express" it's amazing how much has changed in year. She's turning into such a little lady, her heart amazes me everyday. She makes me so proud : )

I'm off to enjoy the rest of my cup and spend some time with hubby, good night all! Have a great Christmas Eve!!

"Chingedy Ching Hee-Haw Hee-Haw..."

2010-12-19T20:51:00.000-05:00

I'm officially in Christmas Spirit! Growing up in Philadelphia and being Italian we always had the Feast Of The Seven Fishes Christmas Eve and would play this song...

Domenic The Italian Christmas Donkey! My sister and I would join my mom in the kitchen to help prepare dinner and sing along. When I went away to college (where I met my hubby) we moved back to his hometown and I entered German country. I was even more shocked to hear that no one had a clue about this song!! at that point, I was homesick. I am so happy to find this song on YouTube.com and I can share this tradition with my little ones : )

Have you ever heard of this song? What Holiday song reminds you most of your childhood?

Doughy Crunch

2010-12-18T14:56:00.000-05:00

I love the weekends, the vibe is so different around here. My hubby works on Saturdays but it's still a different feeling that flows through the house, I love it : ) we're all still battling runny noses but we're feeling better and energized again. This morning I was in the mood for something doughy and crunchy. I was debating between toast (I am OBSESSED lately with toast and butter-the real stuff!) or if I wanted to make oats. I wasn't feeling oatmeal and I've been eating so much toast that I figured I needed a little change. I went with a ripe banana, Fiber One vanilla yogurt-I wish I had Chobani : ( ...and some Kashi Go Lean Blueberry and Cranberry. I layered it all in a bowl and I had some doughy goodness from the banana/yogurt with the crunch of granola. Not bad for a quick breakfast less than 300 calories and with around 9 grams of protein!!

The kids and I are laying low today, when little man takes a nap Ava and I are going to squeeze some toxins out and do a little yoga. She's so excited to use her pink (just like mommy's!) yoga mat : )

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday!!

Eating Like A BRAT

2010-12-16T20:43:00.001-05:00

Both the kids received the flu shot this week and of course I'm the one who gets sick!! They both have the usual post flu shot symptoms of a runny nose/slight fever. I woke up with a headache, sore throat, nausea and just feeling like blah. I took the advice of my mom and ate like a brat. B-Bananas...R-Rice...A-Applesauce and T- Toast. I started off with toast topped with Strawberry Preserves from a local orchard and half a banana while making little man his oatmeal : )

I'm not a big applesauce fan so I opted for the real thing as a snack

I really didn't have much of an appetite around lunch time I decided to pick on some pretzels and sip on coffee (sorry I can't do tea-I love iced tea but never could get into hot tea)

this afternoon we had snow flurries!!! I think this is mother nature telling me to get my ass together and cover the patio furniture because next time she's not going to be so polite with just a dusting.

I knew from the moment I got up soup was in order for dinner, it is the best home remedy after all! I kept it simple and an Alphabet Chicken Soup. I started by sauteing boneless skinless chicken thighs in Olive Oil (you can use chicken breast but this is what I had thawed out and little man eats the dark meat for fat and extra boast of Iron) I also added Sea Salt, Basil,Garlic Powder and Dill. While the chicken is browning chop carrots (2 large or a handful of baby carrots) and 1 large onion.

When the chicken is brown on both sides, remove it from the pan and let it rest. It's ok if it's not cooked all the way through it will have time at the end to continue cooking. Add the chopped carrots and onions to the pot and saute till carrots are tender and onions are translucent.

Add one large can of Chicken Stock or homemade (1qt? like said I hate measuring hahaha add as much as you would like!)

Bring to a boil and 1 cup of Alphabet Pasta or noodle of choice : )

Chop or shred the chicken and add back to the pot while the pasta cooks for aprox. 10 mins.

This totally hit the spot, it was thick almost stoup like (thank you Rachael Ray for this word hahaha) I'm feeling better, I still have the runny nose and scratchy throat but not as bad as this morning. Sometimes it pays off to be a Brat : )

Kiss It And Make It All Better

2010-12-14T20:30:00.000-05:00

Miss Ava had her 4 year old checkup today and was due for some vaccines, I didn't want to lie to her and have her freak out at the doctor's office so I prepared her for the shots and told her she'd be ok and it would only pinch a little. She broke my heart. I never saw my little girl so scared in her life. Luckily, daddy was there to ease the pain a little : )

There was numerous tears shed but we all made it out alive, I told Ava the day was hers we could do whatever she wanted. She told me, "My arms hurt...I want to make cookies and watch Christmas movies..." broke.my.heart.again. I don't know what it is about the first born that just makes you sad/excited/nervous etc. I swear that kid has me running through every emotion.

So what does a mom do!? she puts on her rockin cupcake apron and bakes the girl some cookies!!
I Love this apron!! If you have a foodie in your life this is a must...Flirty Aprons has the cutest aprons, they're so colorful and without a doubt will put in the baking mood.

Chocolate Chip cookies can help any boo boo feel better even tiny gingerbread man was cheering with glee : )

Tonight's dinner was a quick one and I literally threw every veggie I had in my fridge into the pan. I HATE to see a veggie go bad and this last grocery trip I went a little overboard. Before anything could have a chance to go bad I decided to make my Secret Sauce and add onions, zucchini, eggpplant and mushrooms. I love sauces with tons of veggies, plus I hear no complaints from the family since the taste isn't altered!

Oh and of course you can't forget the hot pepper seeds, I like it hot and spicy : )

Hope you all had a great day with lots of good eats : )

Wendy's Winner

2010-12-13T19:54:00.000-05:00

Hope you all had a great day! I had a busy day at work and I'm beat! I have a date with a piece of birthday cake and some yoga : ) sounds relaxing to me!! But first Miss Ava and I had to pick a winner for the Wendy's Gift Card...and the winner is...Mary at Grand Giveaways! Check out her blog here, it's packed with a lot of goodies! Hope you enjoy the new fries Mary!

See you all tomorrow, have a good night!

Sugar Overload

2010-12-12T21:23:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to the most amazing husband and father! This weekend was filled with lots of laziness and cake : ) Saturday the kids and I watched Christmas movies and played, played, played. I feel I'm not spending enough time just playing with them, every time I turn around something needs cleaned or done. It was nice to forget about everything else and focus on them.

Today was all about hubby : ) He turned 28 today! I'm a sucker for Birthdays and feel they should be the best day all year- except for my Birthday, I'm never in the mood for it hahaha.

Hubby was able to watch football all day with no kids crying for cartoons (I swear the best gift any parent could get) then out to dinner and of course cake!! My.absolute.weakness. I could eat cake everyday and be completely happy. I'm a purest, no cream/jelly fillings just good all buttercream frosting for me : )

I split the first piece with hubby but I had to go back, it was just too damn good!

and forget about milk I paired my piece with Sauvignon Blanc from Cupcake Vineyards (how fitting!?) I love this wine, it's so crisp and refreshing perfect with a sugary buttercream.

On another note, I'm becoming OBSESSED with feather/flower accessories in my hair...I don't know if you can see it but I am in love with this headband I picked up with black feathers on one side : )

What's your favorite accessories? I was never an accessory type of girl but now I'm realizing it's a simple way to dress up an outfit with such little effort! Hope you all had a great weekend!!

**Don't forget to leave a comment to win a $10 gift card to try Wendy's new natural cut fries!**

Wendy's Review and Giveaway!!

2010-12-10T18:54:00.000-05:00

As part of Foodbuzz's Tastemaker Program I was given the chance to try Wendy's new Natural Cut fries with Seal Salt. I know fries aren't the healthiest but hey a girl's gotta live a little! I was excited to give these a try because they Wendy's claims their new Natural Fries are cut from Russet potatoes, cooked with the skin on and sprinkled with Sea Salt. Honestly, I was sceptical and I know how fast food chains can lead you on but I've always loved Wendy's burgers and especially their baked potatoes : ) The fries however, have never been my favorite. Every Wendy's I visited in my area has had bad fries, always limp, greasy and unsalted (blah!) I was more than eager to give the new ones a try!

Hubby and I headed down for dinner and I was impressed instantly by the appearance...

Crisp and hardly any grease, they were quite tasty. I was reminded of fresh boardwalk fires, all I needed was Malt Vinegar! Honestly, I couldn't eat them all-way too much salt. This could be a personal preference, my hubby thought they were perfect but I know longer eat fast food as much so I'm not use to a lot of salt. I will definitely try them again, Wendy's has made a big improvement.

**Wanna give em a try!? Foodbuzz and Wendy's hooked me up with an extra $10 gift card for one of my reader's to try them out! Leave me a comment about what you like to dip your fries in, I'll pick one winner at random Monday, December 13th. **

For me, I enjoy ketchup or a Wendy's frosty!! strange but sooo good : P

Beef Stew With Red Lentils

2010-12-09T20:46:00.000-05:00

First, I am happy to say I got all my housework done AND was able to watch some Christmas movies with the little ones. I was hauling butt! Tonight's dinner was an easy one, there really isn't anything better than a crock pot meal. I assembled it this morning and 7 hours later I had an AMAZING pot of stew.

I've always tried to like Lentils but really they taste like dirt to me, that was until I made the discover of Red Lentils. From what I read they are the mild almost butter like of all the Lentils and I couldn't agree more. I had a hard time finding them in my grocery store so I ordered a bag off Amazon (which was a HUGE mistake, the dealer I was getting them from waited 3 weeks to ship!? I forgot all about them and the day I remembered and was going to cancel I received an email they shipped and couldn't cancel by then! ugh they're lucky they were goood lol)

Anyway, this morning I threw in some cut up pieces of chuck roast (from our grass-fed cow we got a couple months ago-you could use stew meat), half a bag baby carrots, mushrooms, 3 cubed Yukon Gold potatoes-Sweet Potatoes would have been better but I was out : ( 1/2 cup Red Lentils, 1 small can of Beef Broth, 1 can of Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup. I also added Garlic Powder, Sea Salt, Onion Powder, and Italian Seasonings.

This may look soupy but it was thick and mushy, doesn't sound too good but believe me it was comfort in a bowl. The Lentils were mild and had the texture of split peas. I didn't get any complaints from hubby or my 4 yr. old, however the baby (of all people!) was not feeling the texture ::sigh:: you can't win em all : )

Busy Bee

2010-12-09T12:25:00.000-05:00

I've been slacking on housework and today I am determined to get this house cleaned, make enough baby fod for 2 weeks and have time to spend with the little ones. I started my morning with a Wolferman's Maple Almond English Muffin smeared with a mashed banana mixed with a Laughing Cow Wedge. So filling and sweet! Oh and of course coffee was a must : ) The baby is napping , dinner is in the crockpot and I'm off to start the housework. Have a great day!

Keeping It Low

2010-12-04T20:31:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! I hope you're enjoying your weekend, I feel like this week went by super fast and I was too exhausted to post anything : ( I think my Iron is low, after I gave birth to Caden my Iron has been really low. At times I've been getting really tired, mysterious bruises and reeeallly cold. I probably should get my but back to the docs, I've been keeping up on the greens, beans and red meat so hopefully this passes soon!!

I did keep track of my eats this week and I'm happy to say even being tired after work I've managed to keep it simple and healthy. I'm also happy to report I'm kicking my diet soda habit in the ass! It's been over a month since I've CRAVED soda, now the taste doesn't appeal to me at all and I'm not tempted to steal a sip from hubby. Here's a glimpse at today's eats...

Home fries and eggs (made with Feta yuuum!)

This was a simple tuna salad made with carrots, cherry tomatoes, a squirt of Dijionaise and squirt of Olive Oil Mayo The picture does the pizza no justice, this was sooo good!I made this with my Whole Wheat Pizza Dough recipe, pepperoni, Mozzarella and extra aged Gouda cheese. Perfect for tonight, because I'm calling it an early one and watching Twilight: Eclipse!! my inner 16 year old is crying right now. Have a great night and enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

Thanksgiving Leftover Central

2010-11-28T20:53:00.000-05:00

This weekend was the most relaxing weekend I've had in a looong time, I even took a nap today! Thanksgiving went very well and were tantrum free with all the family visiting we did I was surprised there was no meltdowns. last night I had dinner with a friend and it was nice to get out and have some girl time, plus sushi is my favorite food ever and I'm the only one in the family that doesn't freak out at the thoughts of raw fish. Today we took all the Fall decorations down and smashed the pumpkins and spread the hay outside for the deer. We get lots of deer and they really enjoy the pumpkins and warm hay : )

Did anyone get up at 4 a.m to do the Black Friday mayhem? I'm more of an online shopper and can find some really good deals by doing your research and looking for online coupons! I was done the kids shopping by Thanksgiving! I do have to admit, the hype of Black Friday does get me excited and one of these years I'll go out for the fun of it hahahaha.

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas!! I really do love this time of year, from October to January I'm like a kid in a candy store. In the summer, I was at an antique store and found this amazing porcelain Christmas houses. I. Almost. Died. They are so detailed and so pretty, I new they would be perfect on top of my server in the entry way.

After decorating the outside and inside (the tree is still not fully decorated, but it's up!) I had to start working on dinner, like everyone else we have tons of Turkey leftover and my family is not a fan of heating up so I have to get creative. I found this recipe on MommySavers.com and ran with it, Cheesy Broccoli Rice and Turkey

Combine one can (14 1/2 oz) of Chicken Broth, 2 cups cooked Turkey (I also threw in some chopped onions I had cooked along side of the Turkey), 2 cups of Broccoli ( I used a bag of frozen) in large skillet and bring to a boil

Reduce heat to simmer and add 2 cups of cooked brown rice, garlic powder, Seas Salt, and Basil. cover and simmer for 5 mins.

After simmering for 5 mins, turn off heat and add shredded cheddar cheese (original recipe called for Velveeta, I wanted to keep it a little less processed lol). Cover till cheese is melted.

This was really good and I will be making it again with chicken! The whole family enjoyed this and it beat the traditional heat and eat leftovers. I paired this with a very tasty wine I've been on a hunt for, Cupcake Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. Very tasty, it was a light and crisp wine that went very well with the Turkey.

I even made dessert! I told you it was a relaxing weekend : P Peanut Butter Pie with an Oreo Crust!!! OH MY GOSH it was amazing, recipe courtesy of TastyKitchen.com

It's bed time for me, I have an early day of work tomorrow. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend! See you tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T11:57:00.001-05:00

Good Morning everyone!! I hope you're enjoying your day and not stressing too much about all the cooking. Enjoy your day with friends and family and eat some good food! : )

Here's how it's looking in my neck of the woods...

Pies are done (we're Pumpkin freaks around here)

Cornbread and Sausage stuffing is done (My favorite!!)

aaaaannnnddd Thomas the Turkey is done and ready to hit the table! I used a new recipe from Ina Garten which was super easy-almost too easy- I'll let you know how it tastes! Already this has been the BEST looking Turkey I have ever made!

I am so Thankful for all of you and for the support you have given me this year, I wish you a safe, happy and belly filled day! : )

"And Just Like That It Was 2004 Again..."

2010-11-22T23:07:00.000-05:00

( I can't believe how young we look! Geez!)

One of my favorite shows through high school was Sex and the City, like many young ladies I inspired (and still do) to be like Carrie Bradshaw. As a child and throughout adolescence I loved to write, I even majored in Public Relations with a minor in journalism. Of course, I wanted the success and wardrobe (hello shoooeees!!!) of Carrie. The show was a staple for me and my 3 other college roommates, and just like Carrie I had my ups and downs in relationships but there was always this one guy I ran back too (Big, in her case) and Chris in mine. He was my friend and I felt safe with him. Tonight, my amazing husband is working hard on a school paper and I am relaxing in our living room watching the movie Sex and The City 2. I am being overflowed with memories, sometimes it's a must to sit back and look around at how much time has passed and how blessed we are. Thanksgiving is coming up and with a little reminder from Carrie and the girls I am so overjoyed at the path my life has taken. I may not be living in a big city or writing for vogue but I have all the success I ever needed. To my hubby, thank you for always standing behind me and always giving me unconditional love.

What are you Thankful for?

Keepin It Movin...

2010-11-21T09:53:00.000-05:00

I'm starting my Sunday morning with a protein packed egg sandwich on Arnold's whole wheat. I have a lot of running around to do today, my sister and niece are coming up so we can celebrate her 3rd birthday! She turns 3 on Wednesday and we won't be able to make the 2 1/2 hr. trip to her house this Thanksgiving : ( I can't wait to see her, the kids are looking forward to the play date. I also have to start my Thanksgiving prep by battling the grocery stores today, ooohh joy. Hopefully we can squeeze in some outdoor fun as well, it looks like it's going to be a gorgeous day, Enjoy it everyone!

Simple Saturday

2010-11-20T21:34:00.001-05:00

Today was the first Saturday in a looong time that I had off, the perk of working in our family business is I get to pick my days that I work and for the longest time I've been working Wednesday,Friday, Saturday. Weird days, I know but it's been working and I've been able to keep my household organized throughout the week and still be able to work on the weekend at the store (which is usually the busiest days). I love my kids but I really like having those three days away, I'm able to interact with people and have an adult conversation which I really miss!

However, recently we had an employee leave and my father in law asked if I could change my schedule to work Monday,Wednesday,Friday. Call me a freak but I LOVE change, even the smallest thing like this gets me excited. I think it's because of the change of routine, keeps my life spunky! Today was so relaxing with the kids, even though I'm still off the same amount of days a week today *felt* different. Saturdays have such a relaxing tone and it was nice to play outside with kids, see the neighbors working outside and just taking it easy. I loved it, now I know what all the hype is about!

Tonight's dinner was one of those super easy meals that just tastes AMAZING. I didn't think I was going to share this one because of how simple it was but the taste was crazy good. The other day I made Feta Bruschetta and I've been craving it since. I took the same idea and put it over Whole Wheat pasta. So good, the feta took it to whoooole new level : )

*Cherry Tomatoes

*Fresh Basil

*Garlic

*Crumbled Feta

*Olive Oil

*Whole Wheat pasta (whatever shape you'd like-I used elbow)

Normally, I would heat the oil and let the garlic infuse blah blah blah but tonight I wasn't in the mood to dirty a pot so I took a chance and while the elbow macaroni was cooking I chopped the tomatoes in half, crushed the garlic, and chopped the Basil. I put 2 Tbsp. of Olive Oil in the bottom of a bowl and threw in the tomatoes, garlic, and Basil and heated everything in the microwave for 1 1/2 mins. I was shocked that the oil was warm and the tomatoes and basil were slightly wilted. I added a serving of elbow macaroni to the bowl and combined, crumbled some feta on top and ate away. Next time I'm tired and short on time I'm running to this dish, very tasty!

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and not feeling the stress of Thanksgiving planning! Keep it simple and enjoy the rest of your weekend : )

Happy Blogaversary!

2010-11-19T21:33:00.000-05:00

I can not believe it's been a year since I started this little shin dig. I remember starting the blog late in my second pregnancy, for the longest time I wanted to write a blog about my relationship with food and how it had made a huge impact throughout my life. What I didn't realize was how *little* i knew about myself and by opening up about my struggles with food and body image would bring such a peace within myself.

If you have stopped by my "about me" page you can see my weight and eating habits have controlled my life. Even after losing 40+ pounds and two pregnancies later I still struggle with self confidence and self love. Thanks to fellow bloggers and readers I have learned to let go of all the negativity I was causing to myself and enjoy what's real. I no longer count calories or fear bread that isn't 40 calories a slice. I enjoy wholesome real food and keep my ingredients free of harsh preservatives- keeping it all simple and skinny : )

Most importantly, I am setting a good example for my kids and helping another generation enjoy every aspect of life. I *feel* amazing. Thank you for all your support, I am beyond grateful : )

Countdown To A Simple Thanksgiving

2010-11-17T21:11:00.000-05:00

Ok folks Thanksgiving is in 8 days and the game plan has begun. My goal is too keep it simple and keep it abundant, after all this is a celebration of the many abundances we have in life. Of course Tom Turkey will be on the table along with his friends, cranberry sauce, Sweet and White Potatoes (I usually do mash but I'm thinking of roasting a combo?), Corn Pudding (a signature dish for my family-it's not the healthiest but who cares it's Thanksgiving! I'll be sure to post this baby), Brussels Sprouts with Bacon (this will probably be eaten by me and only me, the party poopers will make a face at the sprouts... booo!), peas and corn for the party poopers, Cornbread and Sausage stuffing, Gravy and Pumpkin Pie. Not too much for a party of 8 : )

While the boys are watching Football appetizers are a must, this year I'm adding a little class to their ass- I'm only asking for one day so they can deal. Recently, I was contacted my Sorrento Cheese to review their cookbook "Skinny Cheese" when I was flipping through I was hooked on the Feta Bruschetta. The colors screamed Holiday meal, the ingredients were simple, can be made a day before (and should be, Bruschetta tastes much better the longer it sits in the fridge). I gave the recipe a test run yesterday and started by dicing cherry tomatoes, tearing fresh basil leaves- I like it rustic : ) crushed garlic, 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Crushed Red Pepper Seeds, and Crumbled Fat Free Feta Cheese. I've never had Fat Free Feta but this was good and with all the flavors I couldn't even notice a difference! I figure kick off the meal on a light foot and end with a little richness.

But wait I didn't stop there, being the rebel that I am I had to make it more festive. I added dried Cranberries and believe me the combo of sweet and heat was amaazing. There's no way the men wouldn't love this. I topped it on toasted french bread.

Oh and the Bruschetta is amazing the next day as a sandwich with Turkey, this made an appearance at work this afternoon : )

If you're looking for appetizer/meal or even dessert ideas I highly recommend checking out the "Skinny Cheese" cookbook. I've never added Feta to Bruschetta but It was a great addition and so simple. Sorrento is letting my readers download a FREE copy here, I hope this will help with any quick ideas that may be needed. Remember, keep it simple and enjoy the time. I know how hectic this time can be but this day is to celebrate each other, so don't fret if you burn the Turkey it can always be scraped off : )

Swift Kick In The A**

2010-11-15T21:07:00.000-05:00

Note to Self (and anyone else who needs a little reminder):

Ok darling this rut you have been in lately needs to stop, I don't know where it came from but it's up to you to kick it's ass out! we have no time for negativity, you are not the little girl anymore who hid in the corner just to not be seen. Stop letting that number on the scale determine the outcome of your day, life is too short and your babies and husband love you for you. You have been through this countless times and you know better, get up and get active. Tomorrow you're dancing around the house with the little ones, this always makes you feel better : ) get some sleep and stop being so hard on yourself. Life happens and you can't have it all be perfect so stop trying and enjoy what you have around you, Ok? Thank you. Oh and I love you (I don't say that enough!) now goodnight : )

"Sometimes its hard to look back at the past; I guess that's why God put our eyes in front of us, and not behind us." ~author unknown

Another Year Older, Maybe Wiser??...Naaah!!

2010-11-11T11:29:00.000-05:00

Today is my Birthday and I am saying goodbye to the 18-24 yr. old box and saying Heeello to the 24-30 box! Check! I'm kicking the year (and next quarter century) off on a good note. I woke up craving some leftover steamed veggies with shrimp and sticky rice. That's right I had it for breakfast and it was gooood!

I also got roses from hubby : )

Love and Health, I'm off to a good start!

Simply Comfort

2010-11-08T20:43:00.000-05:00

The last couple of days have been a blur with school,work,cleaning and repeat. On Sundays we usually do something with the family and get some sort of outdoor activity in but not this weekend. Hubby and both babies are sick and it was a very lazy (and cranky) weekend. I'm just glad I was the one spared from all the germs!

Comfort food was a given, it was a must for us all. I don't make this recipe very often, not because it's not good but because it's tooo good! Oh Paula you make my heart hurt but you make me feel like I'm being hugged by a southern grandma : )

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese (Courtesy of Paula Deen)

(Oh and don't forget the peas, they really do go hand and hand with Mac and Cheese! )

Hope you all had a wonderful Monday and in good health, mommy needs a break from all the crankiness I'm off to do some yoga! See you tomorrow!

A Foodie's First

2010-11-04T14:06:00.000-04:00

My little man is 9 1/2 months, he had a checkup on Tuesday and the doctor asked if he was eating "table food" yet. For the most part I still puree his food so he hasn't had much of what we eat, besides little pieces of bread or cheerios. The doc suggested I start giving him pancakes, waffles etc. since he feeds himself finger foods. I'm one of those nervous freaks that sweat at the thought of one of my babies chocking. I think I should have been a bird so I could chew everything first for them. Another fear of mine is food allergies, my family history doesn't involve food allergies but you just never know! I waited so long to give my daughter eggs that she now HATES them, I've tried every way and she just can't handle the texture or taste.

So today I was brave and decided to make my little man Pumpkin Pancakes (egg yolk and all!) Another note, if you have a baby under 1 yr. old don't give them the whites. The white of the egg is where the allergy is, you can read more here. I started by combining 1 cup all purpose flour (if you know your baby isn't allergic to wheat you can use that instead) 2 teaspoon Baking Powder, 1 Tbl. sugar, pinch of salt and whisked everything to get any lumps out.

Next, melt 2 Tbl. of butter, add 3/4 c. milk, 1 egg yolk, 2 Tbl. Pumpkin Puree, and Cinnamon.

Add mixture to the dry ingredients and stir till combined (leave lumps! you want the pancakes fluffy not rubbery!) You may not need all the liquid so pour slowly

Preheat pan and flip when bubbles form

My house smelled amazing : )

Ok so here we go...

He liked them!! they even received a clap : )

On another note, this little guy has been teething something fierce and just like my daughter did he suffers from bad diaper rash right before a new tooth erupts. A couple weeks ago I was contacted by Natalja from Sweetsation Therapy to try out a product for my OpenSky shop, She started her company to specialize in products that are natural and organic while leaving harsh chemicals out. They have a complete baby line of lotions, soaps, etc. and I was instantly intrigued by the "Chub*Stick"! First the name cracks me up (sorry, I'm 12 yr. old boy inside) and Secondly, it's a roll on stick so no more messy hands : )

This came at such a perfect time, we have been using it for weeks and every morning my little man has a smooth rash free butt : ) he's happy and mom is happy! Check out their site for more info or to purchase at my OpenSky shop!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

2010-11-01T21:06:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share my recipe for the Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars I made yesterday, they came out so rich and delicious. I'm a sucker for Pumpkin Pie and Cheesecake so when they get together and make a love child then you know I'm all over it! I used the base of Martha Stewart's recipe for Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars and tweaked the spices to make a more traditional pumpkin cheesecake. The original called for Chocolate Wafers for the crust but I used Crushed Biscoff cookies, next time I think I'm going to use Ginger Snap cookies for Thanksgiving and Christmas (these made the dessert list for sure!)

Start by lining an 8" x 8" pan with tin foil and leave an overhang (this will make it easy to removes the bars) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Crush choice of cookies in a food processor (I used my Magic Bullet) till crumbly and add 2 tablespoons of sugar and 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Press the mixture in the bottom of pan and bake till fragrant and slightly firm (my oven was super quick and this step only took 8 mins.)

Take out the crust and let it cool slightly while mixing:

2 packages of cream cheese (8 oz. each)

1 cup of pumpkin

1 cup of sugar

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of salt

I made sure everything was at room temperature and blended everything with a hand mixture, the recipe called for mixing everything in a food processor but I really hate cleaning that thing and I'm inpatient. This worked great and because everything was at room temperature had no problems with getting a smooth filling.

Pour the mixture into the pan and bake till the cheesecake is set but jiggles slightly when gently shaken, aprox. 40-50 mins. Again, my oven was apparently on steroids yesterday and this took about 38 mins. keep checking yours might take more or less time.

Remove from oven and cool in pan, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or more. These made 16 bars, I served them whip cream and My Oh My was my belly happy : )