Fixer Upper

The title may seem a little misleading considering we bought a NEW house last June BUT let me explain... 

The first thing I noticed when we bought our white bare bones new construction house is that it lacked serious character. Imagine builders grade everything. I have really worked hard to incorporate warmth and personality. 

Just adding paint to our white walls has made a huge impact!  I knew I wanted to incorporate crown molding throughout our main floor as well and that made a huge impact. We also plan to replace the vinyl flooring and carpet on the main floor to all wood/ceramic, upgrade the lighting fixtures, and add more landscaping. 

While we save for the big upgrades I've been trying to finish one room at a time (paint, decor, furniture). So far we have James room done, upstairs guest bathroom, and our master bathroom finished...

This weekend I am painting our master bedroom and hope to get started on furniture projects for that room as well. I am going to upcycle this dresser using Annie Sloan Chalk paint and hope to share how it turns out (if it doesn't turn out as a flop)...

Zucchini Boats

I've discovered a new favorite this past week (thank you Pinterest)!!!  I've been in such a food rut lately and I'm thankful I came across these. This recipe is great because you can do so many variations and it's super healthy and can fit almost anyones dietary needs. They are gluten-free, low-carb, and you can even make them vegan if that's your preference. Plus, they are super cheap!!!

I made lentil zucchini boats last week and yesterday we tried taco zucchini boats. I've seen so many variations on pinterest from lasagna to buffalo chicken. Either way, they are super simple and fast to make.

Here is a step by step collage of how I made the Taco Zucchini boats. I used 1lb. ground turkey, 3 large zucchinis, taco cheese, and seasonings. You can make it simiplier if you buy a taco seasoning packet but to cut back on the sodium I make my own using the seasonings above. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes covered with foil. Easy as that!!!

In other news...

We're officially survivors of the awful HFMD. I've heard of this when I babysat years ago in college and prayed James would never have it. Unfortunately, even when your children are not in daycare they still catch things. We are not sure how he picked it up but are assuming he must have picked it up last Tuesday night at his Spring MDO musical. It has a incubation period of 2-3 days. He came down with a fever Thursday morning and we did not go anywhere else last week. He had a pretty severe case (104 fevers, wouldn't eat for days, blisters covering his whole body). Thankfully, he's back to normal except his skin is still healing. The pediatrician advised us to keep him home and away from other children until his skin is completely healed and rash free. He still can spread the disease up to a month so we are taking all precautions not to spread it further. Hopefully, we will make it to church Sunday and he can see his friends next week!

We've enjoyed lots of crafting, coloring, and painting! 

AND way too much T.V. (no judging)....

A Weekend Good for the Soul

What a blessing to have friends who take time out of their busy schedule to drive 5 hours to come visit... 

Everyone always comments about how well I have transitioned to each new city we've moved to over the last few years (God has everything to do with that). Change can be hard but it can also be renewing and exciting. We've been blessed to find good church families, new friends, and the art of packing! Ha!

I may be one of the few people out there that still writes letters and sends birthday cards to my friends. I have the same friends as I did when I was 8 years old (plus many more along the way). Friendships are so important and I cherish each one! All that being said, I love that I can have friends who have not seen me in months or years still call me and text me weekly AND drive across states to see my. How incredibly humbling to have someone think that much of you!? 

My friend Jennifer from college came from Arkansas to Saint Louis this past weekend for a girls shopping weekend. It was one of the best weekends I've had in a long time!!!

Ate lunch at the cheesecake factory.

Jamie and James had a boys day. They went to the park Saturday AND ate lunch at sonic (a rare treat). 

What a good weekend for the soul!!!

Recipes to share for the week...

I've gotten behind on blogging this week and posting new recipes. If you haven't noticed we love trying new recipes and creating menu's EVERY week. Food shouldn't be boring and cooking is a great way to spend time with our families in the kitchen over great conversation.

As promised, here is a toddler muffin recipe I have made James the past few months. It is a great way to sneak in their daily greens.

Spinach Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 large egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 bag/tub of spinach

1/3 cup sugar (can substitute with stevia or cut it out all together)

2 tbsp. vegetable oil (can substitute with plain yogurt)

1 1/2 cup whole grain flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions;

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender, mix all wet ingredients and spinach. Mix until pureed. Fold mixture into dry ingredients. Use a cookie scoop and scoop into 24 mini muffin cups. Bake 12 minutes. Keep refrigerated.  

Tonight, I made Cajun Jambalaya! This may be the best recipe I've ever made/had... This is also baby and hubby approved!!! Not only is it 258 calories per serving BUT it's only 6 WW points plus!!! I know I will be making this a lot now.

Cajun Jambalaya

Ingredients:

1 tomato

1 green bell pepper

1/2 yellow onion

2 celery stalks

2 garlic cloves

8 oz. uncooked shrimp (peeled and deveined)

6 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2 lb. turkey keilbasa

1 cup uncooked minute brown rice

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 Tbsp. salt-free cajun seasoning

1 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop up bell pepper, celery, onion, and garlic. Saute in skillet for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat. While that is cooking, chop up tomato, turkey keilbasa, chicken (1-inch pieces), and peel/devein shrimp. In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients. Split mixture onto 4 pieces of foil. Fold foil up so it's sealed tight. Bake for 35 minutes (or until rice is tender). Let sit for 15 minutes. 

Servings: 4

WW Points Plus: 6

Me and the baby actually split one packet so it makes a good size serving!

We had a great past weekend. We took James to the park and fed the ducks and geese. He LOVED it. He really likes animals and I am looking forward to going back to the Saint Louis Zoo this year with him.

I still am pretty interested in cooking and experimenting with quinoa these days. Jamie always seems to stick up his nose when I say I'm making anything with it but he then ends up loving it. I've been seeing on pinterest mac and cheese alternatives using quinoa SO I of course had to try it. 

Mac & Cheese Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa (cooked according to package)

1 1/2 reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup almond milk

1 egg

1/4 c. panko crumbs for topping

1 tsp. salt (optional)

1 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

1/2 c. veggies of choice (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together except panko. Pour mixture into 8 mini ramekins. Sprinkle panko on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Servings: 8

WW Points Plus: 3

I would not consider this mac & cheese like since it wasn't very creamy. It was more of a rice side dish but it was still really good!!!

My little sous chef!!! He has really become interested in helping mommy this month. It might be a little extra work and a little extra mess but it's good to involve our children in these every day activities. There is so much to be learned from cooking but for a toddler a lot of it is sensory learning and it's so fun to see the enjoyment they get from helping us.

It feels like Spring...

What a great day we've had so far! It's in the 60's and the sun is out. I cleaned and detailed the car. I think it had several pounds of cheerios and gold fish in the seats and floors. Ha!

Took James to the park. Of course we had to swing...

We then went for a nice long walk around the neighborhood so mommy could burn some calories. 

Last night I came across my old blog. I didn't even know it was still up. It was from my early college days 8 years ago. How funny to read what was important to me then. I was so empty headed. It was almost embarrassing to read. But it was fun looking through old pictures and remembering events and travels. I came across this picture of when me and Jamie went to a wax museum (I believe in Branson).

I look like wax.

 I wish my legs were still cellulite free. 

I miss my blonde hair. 

That is all. :)

Breakfast

Mornings tend to be chaotic (especially Monday mornings after daylight savings). I try to keep things pretty simple and easy. I also try and get as many vegetables packed into one meal as possible. Since James cannot drink cows milk and almond milk only has a small percentage of calcium in comparison I try to make sure he eats lots of leafy greens. BUT try getting a 13 month old to eat spinach and kale right out of the bag. Ha!

All that being said, I try to find recipes that I can either make in bulk, have hidden vegetables, and are cheap. Lately, James will not let me feed him SO everything I make I try to bake in mini muffin tins so he can handle it himself. 

One of our very favorites the last few months have been pancakes (I use Jiffy mix and the recipe on the box but omit the oil with plain yogurt, eggs with egg whites, and whole milk with almond milk). They taste exactly the same plus they also are ONLY 2 WW points per pancake!!! The recipe makes 15 pancakes (1/4 cup of batter per pancake). I love to freeze them and then pop them out during the morning rush. 

I also really like doing muffins. Muffins are always easy AND cheap. Spinach muffins are James favorite right now and it calls for an entire bag of spinach which is AWESOME! I will post the recipe later this week. 

This morning I made him...

Mini Frittatas

Ingredients:

6 Eggs

1/2 cup ham chunks (or ground sausage)

1/4 cup chopped spinach

1/4 bell pepper chopped

1/4 cup almond milk

1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1-2 tsp. ground pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350. Saute ham, bell peppers, and spinach for about 3 minutes. Then, evenly distribute mixture into 24 mini muffin cups (be sure to spray your muffin tin with oil to avoid sticking). Whisk together eggs and milk. Fill each cup with egg mixture to about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with black pepper. Lastly, add cheese on top. Bake for 10 minutes. This recipe can be altered to your liking by using a different meat or omitting it all together, adding mushrooms or other veggies, and anything else you might think of. 

Safe to say he thoroughly enjoyed them!

Typically, I try to give him a serving of fruit, vegetables, and protein for breakfast. This morning he had 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 cup green smoothie, 1/2 cup raspberries, and 3 mini frittatas. One suggestion I have for moms of toddlers is try to sneak as many fruits and vegetables into smoothies or juice. I don't buy fruit juices because my pediatrician recommended me not to (makes kids fat in his opinion). So I try to make everything from home with fresh ingredients. However, this is one thing I do buy James and he gulps it down before he touches anything else...

Kielbasa Stir Fry

I bought James some of the cutest pj's from Gymboree last night after me and the hubs had a date night. It's pretty difficult to get pictures of him these days but here are some pictures I did manage to snap...

He LOVES brushing his teeth and often falls asleep with his toothbrush because he won't give it back to me. Ha!

Tonight I made a super easy and simple recipe. I love mixing veggies with a protein and doing some sort of stir fry.  The ingredients I used tonight...

Slice up your bell peppers. Sautee in a skillet with 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil and 1 tbsp. Mrs. Dash seasoning (6-8 minutes). Add in sliced turkey sausage and cook for an additional 4-6 minutes. THAT'S IT!!! Enjoy!!! 

6 WW Points per servings (makes 4 servings)

I cannot describe my love of these Mrs. Dash seasonings. I am still adding to my collection but these are awesome to pair with chicken, sausage, fish, or shrimp and then some sort of veggie.