Hair

I'm a pretty low maintenance gal.  I believe make-up and showering are optional, and I often wonder why people go places you can't wear jeans or yoga pants.  But somehow I am always obsessing about my hair, and by obsessing of course I don't mean putting effort into styling, more along the lines of constantly pinning pictures of new hair cuts on Pintrest.  I'm pretty sure I've decided I'm a short hair kinda girl for the time being.  I don't have the patience to grow my hair out, and I feel I need to be forced to style my hair.  I cannot give myself the option of a ponytail. Still there are too many options...bangs, layers, how short, I can;t make up my mind! Well anyway just letting you in my head a bit, these are my faves.




I will let you know what I choose, and perhaps some pics as well.  The little girl is also getting a hair cut so those will be pretty cute. Also I apologize for posting about something only I care about!

Pictures from: 1.  http://am.newuvision.us/pagesale/3333      2. zimbio.com     3.  http://eng.inbforum.com/t1045-beautiful-short-hair-kristin-kreuk

Back...bigger and better than ever

I love blogging, but sometimes a lady needs to take off 3 months.  I was dry, I was starting to care how many people were reading this, and it was cutting into my nap time...so I took a sabbatical. I feel so much better now! I am excited to be entering the third trimester of baby number 2!!! The bigger part of the title is me, and to share some delicious recipes that I have been creating over the past few months.

My family has set a challenge for ourselves for the moth of March.  We are not eating out at all, and donating the money saved to the local food bank.  So far its been fun to discover new meal ideas, and recapture my love of cooking.  My husband is already at his breaking point...yes on day 5. I will be posting my weekly dinner menu plans, and the recipes, or links to the blogs were I got the wonderful recipes.  Here is week one:

Friday: Roasted chick pea lettuce wraps
Saturday: Calzones with homemade pizza dough
Sunday: Burgers with avocado Black bean salad (we were pretending it was summer)

Monday: Homemade mac and cheese
Tuesday: Jerk Pork and mango salsa -from Skinnytaste
Wednesday: Beef and Broccoli with brown rice and edamame
Thursday: Meatball Subs with Cesar Salad
Friday: Black been nachos with spicy queso dip (from real cheese)
Saturday: Stuffed Cabbage Casserole-again from the awesome Skinnytaste
Sunday: Baked Potato Bar (topped with leftovers)

More recipes and dinner ideas to come I am working on next weeks right now!!


 
My love and I! This is what I miss the most about not going out...does coffee count?

What I'm Reading

I love books! I love reading anything and everything, and I'm trying to pass this trait on to my daughter (my husband thinks reading is just for the bathroom and on his iPhone).  I am always reading something I tend to read a fiction and nonfiction at the same time...so I can choose depending what I'm in the mood for. Sometimes if the book is good enough i can read it quickly so I will have more titles for you..but don't look at my laundry pile when this happens.

First things first I'll tell you what I'm no reading...50 Shades...sorry I know everyone loves it, but I like to go against the grain, when the grain is romance novels.

What I am reading:

Kisses from Katie, by Katie Davis




This is a great nonfiction book about an amazing woman who moves to Uganda to care for the orphans.  She moves from the upper middle class suburbs to extremely impoverished Uganda.  What she accomplishes there is amazing.  This book makes me want to be a better person.  Check out her nonprofit here.



Picture from http://www.amazima.org/katiesbook.html

An American Heiress, by Daisy Goodwin

This book was given to me by a friend to help me with my Downton Abby withdrawal.  If you have not heard of or watched Downton Abby I'm not sure we can be friends anymore, and drop whatever you're doing and watch immediately! It's a masterpiece theater Series about the aristocratic Crawly family.  It takes place beginning in 1912. It's dramatic and exciting and full of historical events! I am dying for the new season to start! So far this book is pretty promising! Already lots of scandal and drama! I will give you my full review when I finish.


Picture from http://us.macmillan.com/theamericanheiress/DaisyGoodwin





What my Girl is reading:

1-2-3 Peas, by Keith Baker

This is an adorable book! It's a fun rhyming and counting book! Plus it has pictures of adorable peas! We love this. I think it makes her eat more peas!


Picture from http://www.amazon.com/1-2-3-Peas-Keith-Baker/dp/1442445513/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346693181&sr=8-1&keywords=123+peas

More Pie Please!

Yesterday I was superwomen! Entertained my girl all day, even while shopping.  I made us a healthy lunch which she ate, we cleaned the kitchen, made Chilli lime marinated chicken sandwiches for dinner, and made a peach blueberry pie for dessert!

Chilli Lime Chicken Marinade:

 Juice of 1 lime
3 crushed cloves garlic
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil


Piece #1


Today, not so much, I have been wasting time at the computer all nap looking up jobs that ultimately I will decide I don't want.  But yet I can't help but to wonder would I be happier if I had a career? I go through this soul searching about once a month.  Usually a day I'm feeling a little blah, and am need of  a day dream of a different life.  Today I snapped back pretty quickly.  I didn't need a pep talk from my husband, or a hug from my daughter just pie.  Yep two pieces (1 1/2 really)! But now I realize how lucky I am, and remember how I hate showering and getting dressed in the morning.  I think about how it would kill me to drop my daughter off somewhere else in the morning where she is learning and playing and being cute without me.  I know one day soon I will be dropping her off without me, so I just need to chill out and eat pie!


 Ah yes much better.

Lazy Friday

Summer is ending too fast.  Although I'm done with the heat and ready to wear some sweaters time is going by too fast.  My baby girl chose were we would take daddy out to lunch today. She asked for rice and beans for breakfast.  Chipotle or "Potle" as she referred to it today was just what I needed.  And I even let myself get Diet Coke (I'm trying to quit all fake stuff, but I love me some DC).




Now making some Vegan Blueberry Streusel Muffins courtesy of Peas and Thank you.  Find the recipe here! And then taking bike rides, sitting on the porch and soaking up every last bit of summer before my girl is all grown up!

A baby intervention, and Lemon Zucchini Muffins

It has gone long enough.  At first I thought it was cute my girl wanted to sit nicely in my lap and scroll through baby pictures on my phone.  I was in heaven. Soon every time I made a call she had too look at pictures while I talked, then on the computer, too.  She would sit at the computer desk and scream for babies.  She is a woman obsessed.  Well a baby obsessed with babies.  I will be gathering all of her close friends and family with letters of support, and we will let her know how her baby addiction is running our lives.  Ohh how I miss when I could make a call with out someone screaming "BABIES!!" in the background. Lets hope she agrees to treatment...not sure what that would be yet.


First thing in the morning jonesing for some babies

Ok enough of my dramatics lets talk my addiction, sweets!! And I know just the way to cure it.  Muffins with vegetables.  I"m pretty sure sugar cancels itself out if paired with vegetables. So I had a perfect zucchini fresh picked from my garden, and I wanted to make something sweet, but not the run of the mill muffin.  Then I found it (on Pintrest of course) Lemon zucchini muffins.  I found it here, but tweaked the recipe so I could use the ingredients I had, and make them a little healthier! Your welcome.

Lemon Zucchini Muffins

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 8 oz container plain Greek yogurt
1 small zucchini
zest or 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease (or use paper liners if you're fancy and have them in your house) a muffin tin.  This recipe makes about 12 muffins.

Grate zucchini.  In a large bowl mix together sugar, eggs, yogurt, grated zucchini, lemon juice and zest, and oil.  In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredients.  Add the dry ingredients to wet.  Mix until just combined.  Scoop about 1/3 cup batter for each muffin.  Bake 15-18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (or in my case a giant wooden skewer..I work with what I have).

Make ahead Lasagna Roll-ups

I really do make real food at my house, I just happen to like dessert better.  It's prettier, too.  Lately I have been working in the evenings so I am the queen of the make ahead dinners.  I get it all prepared when baby girl is napping, and then its ready and waiting in the fridge.  All my husband has to do is throw it in the oven.  He's one lucky man isn't he ;)

My lasagna roll ups are my new favorite recipe.  They're healthy, easy, and you can make as much or as little as you please.  I love lasagna, but I end up eating it every meal for a week so I don't waste any. This solves my problem!

Lasagna Roll-ups

6 Lasagna noodles (more or less depending on how many people are eating them)

1 cup cottage cheese

1/4 cup frozen spinach

1 Tablespoons dried basil

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 zucchini

1/2 jar sauce

Boil noodles according to package directions.  Put cottage cheese and spinach in a food processor. Process until smooth.  Spread cheese mixture on  cooked noodles, then sprinkle with basil and cheese.  Place a few slices of chopped zucchini on each noodle.  Roll up and put in a baking dish seam side down.  Cover with sauce.  Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.