Heart Day

Our Valentine's Day was filled with LOVE! The kids awoke to a few goodies and some pink pancakes!

Feelin' the love

and not so much ;)

Nora insisted on wearing pink and red for valentines day so she put this sweet ensemble together!

I helped at the kids class parties. Serving snacks in Nora's class and supervising cookie decorating in Sawyer's class. I love to be in their classrooms...even if it's a little exhausting!

After school, gymnastics and basketball practice we came home, changed into our pj's and got ready for our annual fondue night!

Giving our littlest love some love

Nora cleaning the table to make everything PERFECT for Valentine's fondue. I can't imagine where she gets that from.

Fondue selfie

I love our little fondue tradition...and I think the kids approve too ;)

iPhone Unload {May 2016}

Pictures (top to bottom, L to R):  boys ready for church, just chilling on the crash pad, my baby after his first crashes of the summer, Kolter's seat for the construction entertainment, construction in the neighborhood = entertainment for daysssss #outdoorlearning, some one-on-one time with my big boy while we wait in the preschool car line #toobigtoofast, Sawyer and Nora's face paint at the school carnival.

Pictures (top to bottom, L to R): someone was exhausted after school, Mommy took advantage of Nora's need to sleep, tippy toes #soclose, if all else fails climb, Kolter chasing those bubbles

Pictures (top to bottom, L to R): end of year teacher gifts with all the fixings for a movie night (Redbox code, popcorn and candy), child labor (I promise this was voluntary), Cal Cal and KoKo cheesin' for the camera, Kolter and Calvary cleaning themselves with wipes (they thought this was so funny), on a walk with my pretty girl, Kolter seems to be shedding his baby status more everyday...he looks so big brushing his teeth, Kolter was potty trained this month!!!, Bible story time with MeMa, Kyle and I started Whole30...dried pears are delicious and apparently can be shaped like hearts

Fall Food

I don't know if it's the change in weather or the fact I have left the just-had-a-baby-therefore-cannot-perform-daily-chores coma, but I have been doing some cooking in recent weeks.  And the theme of my cooking has been soups.  I've made regular chili, but I've also made a few variations of chili and I thought I would share the recipes for all to enjoy.

Both of these soups received 2 thumbs up from my husband.  And a word of warning the Chicken Taco Soup is pretty spicy.

Chicken Taco Soup (via Allrecipes)

Soup Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 oz) can chili beans
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (12 oz) can chicken broth (or beer)
2 (10 oz) rotel, undrained
1 package taco seasoning (or make your own see recipe below)
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (can be frozen)
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Taco Seasoning Ingredients (recommended):
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper


Directions:

1. Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and rotel in a crockpot.  Add taco seasoning, stir to blend.  Lay chicken on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients.  Cook on low for 5 hours.
2. Remove chicken breasts from the soup and shred.  Stir the shredded chicken into the soup and continue cooking for 2 hours.
3. Serve topped with cheese, sour cream, and crushed chips.

White Bean Chicken Chili (via Jodi Lambert)

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken, cubed
1 medium onion, diced
1.5 tsp. garlic powder
2 (15.5 oz) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilis
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions:

1. Saute chicken, onion, and garlic
2. Add beans, chilis, broth, and seasonings to cooked chicken
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes
4. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and whipping cream. 
5. Serve and enjoy the deliciousness.

And true to my nature what's a meal without dessert?  This is a simple dessert that was wonderfully moist and lemony.

Lemon Burst Cookies (Tidy Mom via Pinterest)

Ingredients:
1 box lemon cake mix
1 (8 oz) container of Cool Whip
1 egg
1/3 cup powdered sugar (for rolling)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a bowl beat cool whip, egg, and cake mix until well blended.  Dough will be thick and sticky.
3. Drop by teaspoonfuls into a bowl of powdered sugar and roll to coat.
4. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Baby Food

Since I seem to be taking on all things domestic recently I thought I would tell you about my adventures in making baby food. I am not against packaged baby food, he eats it often when we travel or go out to eat, but I thought making it myself would save money and might be the healthiest option. I've been making baby food for a couple months now and here are my thoughts:

1) It's easier than I thought, even for the culinary challenged like myself

2) Cooking in bulk makes homemade baby food very efficient

3) When it's meal time it's quick to prepare

4) It's thicker and chunkier than packaged baby food

5) I'm not really sure that it saves much money (I'll have to start calculating)

I first bake or cook the food. Then puree it with an immersion blender. Next I spoon it into ice cube trays and place it in the freezer. Once it is frozen into cubes I place the cubes in a freezer bag and label with the name of the food and the date made.

At meal time I take 2 or 3 cubes out of the freezer, place them in a bowl, defrost (about 2 minutes), and serve to the very anxious little boy.

Baked peaches

(yes the kitchen is still unfinished, yes that is a drill in the background)

Foods I have pureed or mashed:

• Avocados
• Bananas
• Sweet Potatoes
• Carrots
• Green Beans
• Peas
• Broccoli (shown in the above pictures)
• Cauliflower
• Applesauce
• Peaches (shown in the above pictures)
• Black Beans
• Lentils
• Turkey
• Squash

This is the site I use for nearly all of my baby food recipes. It is very informative.

Sadly one of Sawyer's favorite food combinations turkey & sweet potatoes results in him being violently ill a few hours after consumption. After vomiting in his crib, my bed, the couch, the carpet, my shirt, and down my shirt turkey has been officially eliminated from his diet until he turns 1.

What should I try next (non-meat options please)? Any suggestions for lentil combinations?