Cold Weather Chilli

Happy Monday!

Yesterday was another COLD and FRIGID day for us South Texans..

I will be blunt. IM done. 

Texas get your act together and bring me some sunshine. I live in the South for a reason and SUNSHINE is the main one. 

SO.. because of the cold and wintery Sunday I made my family’s favorite chili recipe. 

Chilli is comforting. Chilli warms your bones.. and that was exactly what we needed yesterday afternoon! 

I make my thick and hearty chili with one special ingredient - WORSTECHIRE!!! It sounds so strange right?! However it adds a certain little kick that will for sure have your tastebuds talkin’. Here we go!

Ingredients:

1 LB 90/10 Ground beef ( you could also substitute with turkey)

1 large yellow onion - chopped

1 can of rotel ( original or medium)

1 can of Kidney beans ( omit beans if you wish)

Beef Broth

Cumin

Cayenne

Chilli Powder

S&P

Garlic powder ( or fresh garlic)

Smoked Paprika

Worstechire 

Freshly grated Sharp Cheddar

Avocado

Frito ( optional) for garnish

Procedure:

-Start by sautéing your onion in some Olive oil. Once onion is cooked through then you can add your ground beef. Cook the beef until brown and crumbly!!

- Next add your beans and rotel and give it a good mix

- finally add the seasonings and beef broth. I do not have a specific amount to the ingredients. I am an “ add to taste” kind of girl. I like my chili to be spicy so I go heavy on the Cayenne and paprika. If you would like to OMIT the spice.. then go a little lighter . Add beef broth until the mixture is JUST covered and then a few glugs of worstechire to that. Give it a quick stir and then pop the top on your pot. Let this simmer for a good 2-4 hours. 

Serve with Freshly grated SHARP cheddar and avocado chunks.. I like to throw some Frito Chips on there for good measure :) 

** Photo is not my own. 

Life Lately

Happy Saturday

:) 

We had a great week full of playdates and park dates, visiting a new school and hanging out with friends!!! 

Having fun running around the park!

Messy bun = mom life

Jax’s big boy room reveal!!!! It is finally done!! We have yet to sleep in it buttttt that is coming up next :) I am so excited to share the details with y’all and plan on doing a separate blog post to link everything! 

Toddler Mode. Juice. Crackers. Sunglasses. Attitude.

I made crock pot black beans (my cuban friend’s recipe) and J pretty much licked the bowl clean

Here we are ready to tour St. Thomas!!!

Looking as handsome as ever!!!

** He starts MDO in August ( twice a week) and he could not be more excited!! It warms my heart SO much knowing he is going to a school that prayed for his very existence. During the two years we were trying to get pregnant I was working at St. Thomas. Those amazing women prayed for me diligently and held my hand throughout my journey. They rejoiced with me when I got pregnant with Jax and have been SO amazing to our family. It was no question where Jax would go when the time came for preschool. They couldn’t be more excited to have him :)

James Lucas is growing!

My GO-TO lunch these days. I made this lunch modeled after Bird

Bakery’s protein platter. During this pregnancy I crave HEALTHY foods.. I know right?

I NEVER ate this healthy with  J. I always wanted mexican food, FROYO, or burgers. This time around I am all about the chicken salads, avocados, veggies, and fruits!! I hope it stays this way throughout the rest of my pregnancy!

Find my chicken salad recipe HERE

We start our mornings with Milk and Mickey 

A baby in the bath :)

Enjoy your weekend y’all!!!!!

18 Month Favorites!!!

Happy Friday!!! 

Today on the blog I wanted to share my 18 month favorites with y’all!!! I cannot believe my baby boy is such a toddler already.. thank goodness I have a cure to my baby fever coming this June :)

Okay so as Jax grows we are obviously storing away some of our more “ babyish” items.. He is SO independent and SO busy.. this kid has me spent by like 4:30... 

1. Oxo Tot Feeding: Okay so this is my absolute favorite brand when it comes to feeding your toddler/baby. The bibs are catch all and can EASILY be wiped down.. so I mean thats about as good as it gets right? The zippy cups are great - never spill- and have a lid. We also like the munchkin 360 spoutless but these are our favorite right now. The bowls are awesome because they have a weighted bottom so they won’t slide everywhere and also come with lids so you can double them as a food storage! LOVE Oxo Tot. 

Bib HERE

Sippy HERE

Bowls HERE

2.  Give us all the Mickey Mouse: Jax is completely obsessed with his pal Mickey. My mom ahem Santa.. brought J a complete Mickey themed Christmas.. all these wonderful Melissa and Doug brand toys that are very educational. He plays with them daily!! I thought I would share because as a former teacher.. I love a toy that can teach!

Puzzle HERE

Stacker Toy HERE

3.  SPRING CLOTHES:  We could not be more ready for spring around here. With this unusual winter spell we have had going on I have been doing a TINY bit of online shopping for Spring Stuff.. Janie and Jack has the CUTEST stuff for Easter!!! They offer a lot of Promo codes at the top of their website so don’t forget to get that additional % off!!!! 

4.  FOOD:  Jax has been getting in both sets of K9 teeth so food has not been his strong point. I have been encouraging a lot of soft foods to help with the pain as well as rotating tylenol and motrin. I hate when our babies are in pain!! Anyways when it comes to food he has his favorites and still tries a variety of food. Here is a typical meal plan for Jax

Breakfasts:

*Kodiak cake with almond butter and berries

*Oatmeal with peanut butter, chia seeds, agave nectar ( tiny bit), and berries

*Eggs, berries, avocado

*Peanut butter toast with bananas sprinkled with cinnamon

*Yogurt with added berries and buttered toast

Lunches:

* Home made hummus with cucumber and bite sized chicken ( usually whatever leftover meat we have) with fruit and cheese stick

* Applegate chicken nuggets with Annies Mac n Cheese, Fruit

* Peanut butter toast ( if he doesn’t have it for breakfast) with fruit and a cheese stick

* Mini PB&J sandwiches.. (we use tiny cookie cutters to cut them into bite sized shapes), Fruit

Dinners:

*Meatballs ( VEGGIES VEGGIES VEGGIES!! SNEAK ‘EM) he doesn’t “ notice” spinach and zucchini a lot so those are my sneakiest ones :) with a side of sweet potato

* Ground beef and whole grain rice- I try and make a simple “ stir fry” and either put some chicken or ground beef in his rice along with an egg for extra protein. He chows down. I love to use brown rice and he doesn’t seem to notice but you could always add white if that is what you have on hand.

* Grilled Cheese bites with home made hummus and veggies

* Veggie Quesadillas with fruit

* When all else fails I will do breakfast for dinner or a smoothie :) Smoothies are great. I always add whole milk, yogurt, peanut butter, spinach,chia seeds, and whatever fruit I have on hand. HE loves strawberry bananas. I tell him it’s ice cream!! HAHA!

5.  FOOTWEAR: 

This kid is on the GO!!! He loves to run and play therefore needing good sturdy shoes to support his busy feet :) I am still all for style but know that there needs to be a balance of that and support for his foot. I will link our favorite shoes below. 

Natives

See Kai Run

Polo Baby <----- On sale for 21.99

Sun San Toddler Sandal

Enjoy the weekend!

Hummus Recipe

HUMMUS

I wanted to share one of my all time favorite snacks with y’all today and how I make it three different ways.. hummus is so versatile and QUICK to make. I use it for spreads on tortilla wraps, to dip my veggies and crackers in..its full of protein and its so so delicious!!! Here are a few different ways that I make ours.


1. Classic Hummus

What you will need is 1 can of garbanzo beans ( rinsed)
tahini sauce
olive oil
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper
1/3 cup of water

In your food processor pour your garbanzo beans, 1 LARGE table spoon of tahini sauce ( more if you love it), about 3 liberal glugs of olive oil, your juice of the lemon, and a liberal amount of salt and pepper and water. Blend and then season to taste.  garnish with smoked paprika if desired

How EASY?!

2.  Roasted Red pepper hummus

You will need 1 red bell pepper

garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, one can of garbanzo beans, juice of 1 lemon, tahini sauce, and 1/3 cup of water

start by roasting your red pepper at 450 degrees..roast until blistered and soft.

then in your food processor repeat the steps just like the classic hummus except add your roasted red pepper to the processor. 

garnish with chopped red bell pepper!

3. Kalamata olive Hummus

In this hummus you will include everything in the classic hummus except you will add 4 kalamata olives to the processor.. and one clove of garlic.

Garnish with Kalamata olives and fresh feta cheese

Pregnancy Favorites- Mealtime Edition!!!

Happy Wednesday Friends!!!!

It is already the middle of the week!! I swear the weeks are FLYING by with this pregnancy!!! 

Speaking of pregnancy, Brandon and I had our 18 week check up yesterday and all was well with our little James Lucas. I never fail to ever be thankful for his health! God is GOOD! 

This pregnancy has been the same in most ways but when it comes to my eating habits I am craving WAY healthier foods! I am going to go ahead and say it is because I was living an extremely healthy lifestyle right before I got pregnant so my body is used to eating healthy foods. Now not to say I don’t eat a bag of jelly beans every once in a while but unlike my pregnancy with Jax I do not crave any mexican food, no burgers, no ice cream, NADA. I wanted to break down some of my mealtime favorites along with the recipes to help anyone who is wanting to snack or eat a bit healthier during their pregnancy!!!

Breakfast

Oats with berries: I buy the Red Mill rolled oats brand and cook as the instructions say. I then add berries( raspberries and blackberries) for sweetness and a spoonful of either almond or peanut butter

Avocado Toast: This is my FAVORITE right now. I toast whole wheat bread and add sliced avocado with Trader Joe’s ( Everything but the bagel) seasoning, then add a over medium egg to the top for some protein. I could literally eat this every meal!!!

Greek Yogurt: Either Fage’ <---- Spelling? Greek yogurt or greek goddess greek yogurt are my two favorites and I almost always add agave nectar, berries, slivered almonds, and some plain vanilla granola ( the KIND brand) and call it a day!!!!

LUNCH

Chicken Salad Wraps:  Each week I make my Kitchen Aid Chicken Salad ( recipe found HERE) and I make yummy wraps stuffed with spinach and this delicious chicken salad!! Sometimes I will stuff my chicken salad inside of an avocado and sometimes I will also just situate it on a bed of spinach with some raspberries as a side.. y’all I cannot get ENOUGH! It is so easy to make and it will last you all week!!!!

Snack Plate: Lunch is my least favorite meal to “ cook” because I like to keep my kitchen clean and simple.. following lunch is Jax’s nap time so I would much rather be doing something productive over cleaning a kitchen with a bunch of dishes. I came up with my little snack plate because it was just a healthy way to eat a good lunch and does not require a bunch of fuss. I usually have a scoop of cottage cheese, fruit, chicken breast slices cold ( previously made or from left overs) nut thin crackers, a pickle or cucumber and hummus and some pretzels. Easy as can be!

Salads Galore: I create different salads and I never get tired of them! usually I use whatever meat we had from the night before ( so salmon, or chicken mostly..sometimes steak) and I will create a salad out of it. Usually starting with a base of spinach then adding the meat and some fun fix ins’ to go on top!!!!


Snacks

Peanut butter toast: Nothing better than slathering some yummy peanut butter over whole wheat toast. sometimes I will add a banana with cinnamon and share it with Jax :) sometimes not.

Apples and almond butter: My favorite thing this pregnancy is probably an apple. I LOVE apples.. I have been eating them in the afternoons with peanut butter or almond butter and they are SO yummy. Definitley a favorite.

Dried Apricots and Almonds: A handful of almonds and some yummy dried apricots are a perfect and healthy snack


Dinner

So dinner this time around has been tricky.. I’m not really hungry. I would rather have a snack.. but then there is of course the husband and child who need to eat also soooo I have been improvising. Im not cooking HUGE dinners like I usually do but I have been doing more snack like dinners that are easy for everyone. Also the crock pot is my saving grace :)

 Bowls: This one is a newbie.. I love “ bowls” so like a mix up of different items all collected into one dish- I wanted to make something dinner friendly ( and bonus points for healthy!) so I figured I would try it out with salmon. I always start with a base of either brown rice, quinoa, or sweet potato then add my meat of choice * for a fish bowl it is usually salmon or halibut* for a taco bowl it is usually ground turkey or grilled chicken** once I add the meat then I just add the toppings that correlate. For salmon bowls I love fresh avocado and baby broccoli..sooo yummy!! For chicken bowls I love to add chopped romas, chopped cilantro, black beans, and chunky avocado. YUM! even a greek bowl would be delicious! chicken, hummus, feta, purple onion..

as you see the list can go on and on.. get creative:)!

Snack Plate: Same as above.. I mix up the snacks sometimes to add diversity. I love fresh and home made hummus, pretzels, celery with peanut butter or pimento cheese, dried fruit, cheese bites, whole grain crackers :) just anything and everything Snack-ie

Crock Pot Tacos: Now you can use your crock pot for an immense amount of different recipes but one of my all time favorites is my crock pot tacos. I LOVE tacos.. here are a few different recipes with and without the crock pot.

Fish Tacos
Pulled Pork Tacos
Crock Pot Pulled Pork
Shrimp Tacos

Chicken Tacos


I hope this sort of meal plan or “ meal ideas” can help someone struggling to make something for dinner!! These days I am all about what is quick and what is going to feed us in the healthiest way without a lot of fuss!!!

After workout at our park play date!! I love him so much!

Mom Talk

Happy Monday Friends!!!

Today Jax and I had our MOPS meeting :) I absolutely LOVE our MOPS group!!! If you are not familiar with MOPS ( Moms of Preschoolers) allow me to explain! I joined MOPS when Jax was 14 months old. It is basically a huge group of women ( moms) of pregnancy-preschool aged children who gather together twice a month in fellowship. From the beginning you are assigned to a specific table of about 8 women and that will be your “ group” for the year. The point is to build relationships with christian moms and journey through this crazy mama hood thing together! We take turns bringing breakfast and there is always a fabulous speaker. We also do a lot of fun group involvement, moms nights outs and play dates. Its wonderful! 

Today we had an excellent speaker who spoke advice on kindness. Everything she said churned inside of me and really settled in my heart. I am a big believer in always being kind but since becoming a mom I can think of so many instances where maybe I was too tired to remember to be so kind and have also had experiences where moms have been unkind to me as well. 

Have you ever been that mom who is afraid to reach out?? Being a new mom is humbling and rewarding all at the same time. Finding new mom friends that are in your same boat can be a bit challenging and you may or may not even have the energy to try. . Sometimes you need your cup filled before you can fill others but today I sat and resonated on the strategies she listed on how to reach out :) 

• Smiling at strangers, being the first to introduce yourself in a  group

Say you joined a new group all by yourself like Stroller Strides for example.. being able to slap a smile on your face even though you were up all night with the baby will make all the difference in your attitude. Smiling makes you less intimidating.. it invites people to strike up a conversation!! 

• Not being afraid to encourage or affirm someone who does something better or different than you

Okay here come the mommy wars. The whole “ I do the mom thing better than  you” is the WORST way to go about motherhood. We are supposed to encourage, love, and lift one another up! There have been many times where I do not agree with how another mom is doing something or that “ My way is probably better” but you know what!? She probably thinks that about her way! She is trying her darndest to do a great job for her baby so by telling her that she is doing a wonderful job will LITERALLY mean the world to her. Maybe there is a mom who has a deep freezer FULL of breast milk and YOU are having to supplement with formula because you cannot make enough. ENCOURAGE that mama.. tell her “ WAY TO GO!” she is working just as hard as you are :)! Encouragement can mean the world to a tired mommy.

• Making an inconvenient phone call

Yes, you are tired..you are spent.. you have just finished wiping up yogurt from the ground for the 2189372984723 time because your toddler thinks its HILARIOUS to fling food everywhere. You spent all night nursing the baby because he is addicted to your boob.. and you look like a hot mess. But there is this friend that has been on the back of your mind for weeks.. and you keep meaning to “ call her back” but never can find the time.. or energy. When you can...IF you can.. make the phone call. Call your friend because you love her..tell her SHE Is doing a great job at parenting.. better yet try and meet up for coffee!!! Good friends are few and far to come by so it is so important to nourish those relationships too.

• Making small talk even though you hate it

Okay so small talk is mundane..its boring.. who has time for it? Well let me tell you...one day I was sitting in the pediatricians office with a fussy toddler. There was a lady next to me who was an obvious new mommy. She looked tired and worn out..like we all do those first few weeks. I simply asked her “ hi, how are you doing?” And she was SO grateful to have that conversation. When my name was called up to go see the doctor she grabbed my wrist and said “ thank you, I just needed to talk to an adult today.” Small talk can be so simple.. but so meaningful.

xoxo

Pregnancy Favorites!!! 1st and second trimester!

Hey y’all! Happy Friday!!

I swear these weeks keep on blowing by.. I cannot believe I’m almost halfway finished with this pregnancy!!!!!!

Today I wanted to share some of my absolute favorites this go around that I absolutely cannot live without! Here we go! 

Oh and.. for laughs

Because for real this is so true....

which brings me to pregnancy favorite Number 1!!!!

Click on the links highlighted below to navigate to these products!

1. Blanqui Leggings <------- Link here

Y’all I cannot say enough wonderful things about these leggings. They are soft, stretchy, you can wear them with outfits or to workout, and they do not get all fuzzy in the washing machine. They are the COMFIEST maternity item I own and I literally wear them daily. A must have for sure!

2.  Bubba Cup

During pregnancy I literally become SO thirsty. I always tend to drink a lot of water anyways but during pregnancy its like I cannot ever get enough!!! I am also a sucker for great water jugs. I have everything from the Yeti ( love) to a Bubba Keg Cup. I love this ^^^ Cup because it is large enough to not have to refill constantly throughout the day and you are getting more than enough of your daily water intake. If you have trouble drinking your water try adding some fruit!! I love to chop up strawberries & blueberries or lemon and mint, and even some grapefruit to keep my water a little interesting!

3. A great moisturizer

This is the Kate Somerville Goat’s milk moisturizer linked above and I CANNOT say enough wonderful things about it. I have been using Kate’s line for about two years. I used the Nourish line and have never seen my skin so clear and dewey! Since I have become pregnant a facialist told me that using skin care products with lactic acid is a lot healthier for our mama skin so I switched over to her Goat Milk line of products and am SO happy with the results. I will do a separate skin care post on all of my favorite products in the future!!!!

4.  RX bars

I couldn’t link these bars but they are found at Whole foods, Trader Joes, HEB, and Target. These have been a GAME changer for me!!! During the first few months when I was nauseous at just about everything..I would pop one of these bars in my mouth and instantly feel a little better. These bars are made with ALL natural and whole, healthy ingredients so you don’t have to feel bad about eating them. They are made with egg whites, dates, and nuts so if you are allergic to nuts steer clear but otherwise go grab some of these babies!

5. A great exercise routine!

Even if it is just a nice daily walk or jog outside in the fresh air it does SO many wonderful things for our bodies. I try and at least get a workout or walk in 3-4 times a week and on days when I feel sluggish, nauseous, and tired it is really the best medicine to perk me right up!!! I joined my FIt4Mom class when Jax was a baby and they specialize in pre and postnatal fitness!! It is absolutely perfect for any pregnant mom. Please check your area and find your tribe!!!

Some pictures at Stroller Strides :)