We followed up last night with a gorgeous day! Hubby had to spend the day working, but the boys and I went on a nice walk with our dog and Isaac’s new neighborhood friend. They spent a lot of time playing outside, jumping in the trampoline, and riding bikes. Seems we’re finally settling into our neighborhood, and it’s nice. I love to see him happy with his friends.

Have I mentioned that I’m obsessed with Instagram?

Anyways, while I was doing laundry and cleaning, I decided to try out a new recipe in the crockpot. I usually reserve the crockpot for work days, but this recipe called for it to cook for 3 hours on high. I didn’t want it sitting on warm all day once it was done.

It was SO good, I have to share!

Slow Cooker Shrimp and Artichoke Barley Risotto

Adapted from Cara’s Cravings

Ingredients:

3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup onion, chopped
1 ½ Tablespoons minced garlic
14 oz canned artichoke hearts, drained
ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup pearl barley
12 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 oz grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
4 oz baby spinach

Bring chicken broth to a boil then set aside.

In a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, saute the onions until tender. Then add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Transfer to the slow cooker and add the artichoke hearts, black pepper, and barley. Stir in the chicken broth. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, or until barley is tender and liquid is almost all absorbed.

About 15 minutes before serving, stir in the shrimp and grated cheese. Cover and continue to cook on high for another 10 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque. Add the lemon zest, and fold in the baby spinach, stirring until wilted.

Serve immediately.

This one left hubby saying, “Oh my god, I’m shoveling this into my mouth!!” This coming from a man not fond of artichokes.

Here’s a look at our remaining dinner plans through Thursday:

• Monday: Ranch Parmesan Chicken, mashed potatoes, strawberry and almond salad
• Tuesday: Crockpot Red Beans with rice, stir fry zucchini
• Wednesday: Leftovers
• Thursday: Tilapia Fish Tacos

Thanks for reading!

What’s the coolest groom’s cake you’ve seen?

Selene

One another note…it’s National Nutrition Month! Well, it has been for the past 20 days! Better late than never, right? This year the theme is “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day.”

This year’s theme focuses on choosing healthy foods that fit into your lifestyle, culture, and practices. There is no “one size fits all” approach with healthy eating. It’s not possible to have one healthy meal plan that can be given out to each person and that would be followed 100%. That’s because we are all different. We have different taste buds, different food experiences, different schedules, and different food practices that we may follow. It’s important to take these into account when coming up with a meal plan for yourself. Why? Because it’ll be much easier for you to stick with – a plan that can be incorporated into your lifestyle and not just a quick fix.

You don’t have to give up all your favorite foods to be healthy!! So this March, focus on eating healthy your way.

In accordance with this theme, I’ve decided on doing a veggie recipe. I LOVE veggies…but I’m not a huge fan of salads. I know that raw greens are good for me (and can be tasty), but I don’t necessarily want them morning, noon, and night. With that being said, here’s a yummy veggie recipe you may enjoy. I sure did!

Broccoli Salad                                                    

Adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

2 cups bite size broccoli pieces
½ red onion, diced
4 slices lean turkey bacon
¼ cup raisins
½ cup sliced almonds
½ cup lite mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

First, cook the bacon until crisp.  I have to admit, I’m a microwave bacon cooker. You can, however, cook in a skillet until evenly brown. Cool and then crumble.

Next, combine the broccoli, bacon crumbles, onions, raisins, and almonds in a bowl. Toss  to combine.

To prepare the dressing, mix the mayo, honey, and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad. Then let chill and serve.

Enjoy . Very easy to make and delicious! I know that this veggie side has much more calories than just plain ole steamed broccoli, but sometimes you just gotta spruce things up!

For more information on National Nutrition Month, check out the page at Eatright.org.

Do you like broccoli? If so, what’s your favorite way to eat it?

Selene

Because it was such a beautiful day, we decided to eat dinner outside. Good thing we mixed up the mealplan for the week, so today we were left with Grilled Salmon with Mango Salsa. And it was delicious!

Tomorrow I’m going to the Court of Two Sisters restaurant in downtown New Orleans. My old dancing friends and I made it a tradition to go to brunch there right before one of us gets married. I can’t wait to tell ya’ll about all the good food that I’ll be eating at the Jazz Brunch! Maybe I’ll be a good blogger and actually take pictures of my food. haha. I’m also very excited to hang out with my friends. Since having the new baby, life has been hectic and I haven’t done much.

Earlier this week, I made a trusty recipe and did a few tweaks. I will tell you…there is nothing overly special or healthy about this dish (nothing particularly unhealthy either). I just like it because it tastes really good and it’s quick and easy. In fact, the original recipe is in a little cookbook that I bought from Isaac’s school’s fundraiser called, “The Busy Mom’s Cookbook.” Plus, everyone in the house enjoys it so that works out well!

Creamed Ground Beef

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
¼ cup diced onions
½ cup diced bell peppers
1 Tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup whole wheat flour
1 beef bouillon cube
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste
2 ¼ cups skim milk
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and ground beef. Cook until veggies are soft and beef is brown. If your beef is not lean, you will most likely not need olive oil, and you may even want to drain after cooking.

Next, stir in the flour, bouillon, salt, and pepper. Stir until flour is well absorbed. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Then slowly stir in the milk.

Bring to a simmer and continue to stir constantly. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remember that as the mixture sits, it will continue to thicken a bit so don’t cook until TOO thick. Then, add worcestershire sauce.

This is so delicious! I usually serve it on toast or biscuits. We’ve added on top of noodles before as well. This time, I served on whole wheat English muffins with some shredded cheddar cheese. It goes perfect with a little side salad or some cooked veggies.

Enjoy!

For dessert, I indulged in some Girl Scout cookies . I couldn’t help myself when a little girl in the neighborhood told me she was selling. In particular, I’ve been eating the Dulce de Leche. How yummy! I also bought Samoas (of course) and Savannah Smiles.

What are your favorite Girl Scout cookies?

Hope everyone has a great Sunday!

Selene

I also got dessert to go: a banana chimichanga. It was SO yummy! There’s just something so delicious about warm banana in a fried pastry with chocolate drizzled on top

Today I had to go into work for a few hours because I was on call. And after finally going on a much needed grocery shopping trip, I was able to cook tonight. And I cooked one of my favorite recipes: Buffalo Chicken Tacos!

This are an absolute favorite of hubby and I’s. However, because they are spicy, they’re not exactly Isaac-friendly. Instead, I made him some quesadillas .

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Adapted from Prevention RD

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into small pieces)
1 tsp garlic powder
ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce + 4 Tbsp (for drizzling)
1 Tbsp olive oil
6 flour tortillas
1 avocado, diced
4 oz gorgonzola
1/2 cabbage, shredded
1 large tomato, diced
4 scallions, sliced

Directions:

First, heat a skillet over medium heat.

Season chicken with garlic powder and black pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and once it gets hot, add chicken and saute until cooked throughout. Once the chicken is done, set it aside in a bowl and toss with 1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce.

Next, assemble 6 tortillas. Divide the chicken and the other toppings evenly among each taco.

Drizzle the toppings with the buffalo sauce.
Enjoy!

This is absolutely delicious! We’ve made this plenty of times already. This was the first time that I made some changes to shorten the cooking time. If you love buffalo sauce, you’re bound to love these!

Here’s our dinner meal plan for the week:

• Monday: Creamed Ground Beef with English Muffins (Recipe coming soon)
  
• Tuesday: Baked Quinoa and Chicken Parmesan by Prevention RD
• Wednesday: Leftovers
• Thursday: Grilled Salmon with Mango Salsa
• Friday: Homemade Pizza
  

Hope everyone survives Monday!

Thanks for reading

Selene

In the four years of his life, I can count on one hand how many times he’s been sick. After braving it out at home over the weekend, we took him to the doctor today and found out he had the flu. Influenza B to be exact. My usually cheerful little boy is now spending his time on the sofa watching cartoons. It’s hard to see him so miserable .

And what makes it even harder is trying to keep him and the flu germs away from the new baby. We’re trying hard. This will be a test of our handwashing skills!

Good news of recent times? Baby boy is finally smiling (socially, that is!) I can’t believe he’ll be 3 months old tomorrow!

This past week, I was able to try a new recipe.

Mexican Mac and Cheese

Adapted from Wholesome RD

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
2 cups dry whole wheat elbow noodles
1 cup red onion, chopped
½ cup green pepper, chopped
1 cup red pepper, chopped
1 cup corn (I used frozen)
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon olive oil canola oil (what I had on hand)
½ Tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon flour
2 cups skim milk
1 ½ cups shredded Mexican style cheeses
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper
cilantro to garnish

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring water to a boil and cook noodles.

While noodles are cooking, heat a skillet on medium heat and add canola oil. Add onions and peppers and saute until soft, about 5-6 minutes. Then, add the garlic and corn and cook for another minute. Add shredded chicken, cumin, and chili powder. Mix to combine. Turn heat down to low.

When pasta is finished cooking, drain and add to mixture in skillet.

Next, heat a small saucepan on medium heat and add butter. Once butter is sizzling, add flour and whisk to create a roux. Cook flour mixture for about 1-2 minutes, whisking continuously. Add milk and turn heat down medium-low. I have to say that my roux was not impressive. I have to work on my roux-making skills, but the dish was still great .

Add cheeses and stir, allowing the cheese to melt and and sauce to thicken. This will take about  5-8 minutes for sauce to thicken. During this time, be sure to keep an eye on it and stir often to ensure the bottom is not burning. Once sauce is thick, add it to the chicken and pasta and mix to combine.

Top with bread crumbs, salt and pepper.

It was a hit! My only issue with the recipe was that it was time consuming. Next time, I think I’ll try rotisserie chicken as a shortcut. I think it’ll taste great .

Have you gotten the flu this season? Have you been to a crawfish boil before?

Thanks for reading!

Selene

I’ve been so busy that I don’t even have time to cry when I miss my baby boy during the day! I guess that’s a good thing though . Although I definitely miss him when I’m pumping. My little preemie is getting so big.

Sorry for the quality…it was taken with my phone . But it’s too cute not to share!

Home life has gotten so much busier now that we have a new little one at home. Preparing dinner is just one of the challenges. Hubby is going to work and school, and it seems as though when I walk in the door Elliot is ready to nurse. All evening. haha. So, I’ve been making friends with my crockpot yet again. I tried out a new recipe last week that was super easy to prep, healthy, and delicious! It even got approved by Isaac .

Simple Turkey Soup

Adapted from “Slow Cooker Recipes for All Occasions”

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground turkey, cooked and drained

1-28 oz can whole tomatoes, undrained

32 oz beef broth

1-16 oz bag frozen soup vegetables*

½ cup uncooked barley

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried basil

black pepper to taste

*The bag that I bought came with carrots, lima beans, okra, green beans, and more.

Combine all the ingredients in the crockpot and add water to cover. Cover crockpot and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or until barley and veggies are tender.

Told you it was easy peasy!

One thing I love about this recipe is the addition of barley. I am definitely guilty of using the same grains over and over. The barley was something different for us, yet it was nothing very noticeable. And I like it because it is easy to cook. It is important to note that barley does, however, contain gluten for all those gluten free eaters.

The soup was flavorful and had a good amount of veggies in each bite. Hope you enjoy!

 What is one of your favorite grains?

Selene

First, we bought a house! It’s across Lake Pontchartrain on what’s known as the northshore. I now have a commute across the world’s longest bridge over water to get to work. I think it’s about 24 miles over water. Although some many think the commute is a pain, I find it peaceful.

One problem…a week after we moved in, the transmission in my husband’s truck went out. Also, in a matter of a month, we had to buy 2 new tires for my vehicle. Yeah, talk about stress. Trying to figure out how we were both going to commute was a pain but we made it work.

In true “when it rains, it pours” fashion, my blood pressure would not stay under control. If you remember in my last post, I announced my pregnancy. I was due in January. After numerous small bed rest stints, I was put on bed rest for good in November. That only lasted one week before I had to be induced. My condition became true preeclampsia. This is when a pregnant woman develops a combination of high blood pressure and protein in the urine after the 20th week of pregnancy. Most women don’t feel any symptoms, and the cause is unknown. I actually have hypertension (high blood pressure) even without pregnancy, which already placed me as high risk. This was probably a good thing because I was followed very closely throughout the entire pregnancy.

After a 20 hour induction, Elliot was born at 32 weeks 6 days gestation. He was 4 pounds, 3 ounces and we were so happy to hear him screaming. One of the last things to mature in gestation is the lungs so when I was put on bed rest for good, my OB had me get steroid shots to help baby’s lungs develop. Seems they worked!

Elliot was in the NICU for 15 days and did so well! Although it was a tough two weeks, we were so happy to have him come home just in time for Christmas (on December 12). I am so happy to say that he has been successfully breastfeeding and gaining weight. In fact, at his 6 week checkup he doubled his birth weight: 8 pounds 5 ounces!

In the NICU with a feeding tube

8 weeks old

You can see how much he’s filled out since coming home!

Isaac is now 4 and is doing well…he loves being a big brother!

I’m now planning to go to work next week and although I don’t want to, I’m ready to get into a routine. Thank god we’ll have family help us out for a few weeks so that we can prolong placing him in daycare. Not the best option for a preemie during flu/RSV season.

I just renewed the hosting/domain for this website. A part of me wondered if I would be able to keep up, but I’m willing to try. I still have so much to share and now I have a baby at home…my life is full of so many more challenges that I can share with all of you. I’m going to do my best to keep this blog updated. It’s great to be back .

As always, thanks for reading! And hopefully, thanks for sticking around.

Selene

Blogging is not the only thing I abandoned…check out my gardens.

While hubby kept up with them for awhile, it got to be too much with my lack of energy and with the end of the summer semester for him.

And with our growing family, we’ve been house hunting. It’s been fun, but much more work that I was expecting. haha. That’s been our new hobby on the weekends. Please keep your fingers crossed for us!

Anyway, I’m back . And with the weather here lately, I figured I would talk about healthy summer treats for kids. Yeah, I know it’s already August but despite our daily rainstorms, it’s still ridiculously hot each day. While there’s nothing wrong with just good ole’ ice cream or a snowball sometimes, we want to keep in mind that regular treats like those should be in moderation.

So what kind of treat can be healthy?

• Frozen fruit – We especially love frozen grapes…just remember to cut grapes in at least half to prevent choking in little ones.

• Low fat frozen yogurts or ice cream – You can use fresh fruit as toppings!

• 100% fruit juice popsicles – Just like regular juice, look for one that does not list sugar as an ingredient.

• Fruit smoothies – Add different types of fruit to milk. Add ice and blend!

• Homemade ice cream sandwich – Add lite cool whip between two graham cracker squares. Put in plastic wrap and freeze for ~1 hour.

In the August issue of Parents magazine, there was a large spread of cool treats for kids along with recipes. You should check it out if you haven’t!

I’ve tried one recipe so far, and I wanted to share because our family thought they were so good!

Purple Peach Popsicle

*Parents Magazine recipe-I made no changes, except for wording.

To make this recipe, you will need a popsicle mold. I got mine from Walmart. It has four compartments with the sticks to hold the bottoms, and it cost a little over $1.

Ingredients:

100% Grape Juice

Frozen peach slices

First, take 1-2 peach slices and place in each popsicle mold. The ones that I bought only fit 1 peach slice. Next, fill up each mold with grape juice-mine held no more than 4 oz. Add bottoms to mold or you can add a wooden popsicle stick and cover with saran wrap.

Place in freezer until completely solid (~3 hours). When ready, remove from freezer and let stand 5-10 minutes before removing from mold. If you’re having trouble removing them from the mold, run under warm water for 10 seconds or you can use a butter knife along the edges.

These were so easy to make and so delicious and refreshing!

I hope everyone is doing well! Thanks for reading

What kind of treats does your child enjoy during the summer?

Selene

So far, we’ve been able to harvest green beans, green beans, and more green beans! Last year we only had one good harvest but this year, they’re thriving!

We also harvested some okra. However, I wasn’t sure how they grew and it seems like we’re only getting a few pieces at a time. Makes it hard to cook, since fresh okra doesn’t last very long.

In my last garden post, I mentioned the thriving garden bed with large squash/zucchini leaves. We went to Houston a few weeks ago and before we left, it looked like we had a promising zucchini. However, when we returned, the whole bed was mostly dead. It did leave us with a nice sized yellow squash that we were able to harvest-our first!

We also noticed when we got back from Houston that our watermelon plant decided to vine itself up our fence. We let it be and a couple days later, we had a little surprise!

As for our other plants…I thought our eggplant was dead, but the plants are really looking bigger. Our corn is amazingly tall, and we also have little tomatoes . Today, I noticed that our bell peppers are finally growing!

I think this year’s gardens are a success so far!

So with all the green beans that are growing, I decided to try a new little recipe for them. There’s something so gratifying in watching the transition from farm to plate .

Parmesan Garlic Green Beans

Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:

~1 lb fresh green beans

1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp olive oil

1 Tbsp minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

First, if you’re using fresh green beans, you’ll want to steam for a couple minutes to slightly soften.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the garlic and saute until slightly browned. Next stir in the green beans and season with salt and pepper. Cook until beans are tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

I served this with meatballs and gravy with rice. Isaac was definitely more open to try them with the Parmesan cheese. They were yummy! But to be honest…I could have done away with the cheese! I thought they were delicious with garlic, salt, and pepper .

If you have a garden, how is it doing? What did you have for dinner?

Thanks for reading.

Selene

With two cousins getting married within the next two months, I’ve also been busy with showers and such. One wedding is at the end of May (which is the one that I’m a bridesmaid), and the other is at the end of June. That cousin asked if Isaac could be the ring bearer. I am so excited! This will be the first time he’s done this.

And in my free time, well, I’ve been into reading lately. Can you blame me?

In all this busy time, I haven’t had time to try many new recipes. I did, however, want to share a recipe for a fun treat of mine-a smoothie! Only recently has Isaac shown interest in it and ask me to make him one and to drink some of mine. I’m not a fan of plain milk, so it’s a great way to up calcium for nonmilk drinkers without dumping in  sugar.

Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:

4 oz soymilk

½ cup lowfat yogurt (I used strawberry)

1 frozen banana

1 Tbsp wheat germ

~3 ice cubes

First, let’s talk about the ingredients a little bit. You can really use any type of milk. I make mine with soy because I’m lactose intolerant. Isaac can’t taste the difference.

I use frozen bananas instead of fresh bananas for the recipe so that they can serve as ice. Also, it’s a great way to reduce waste…peel and then toss your overripe bananas in the freezer for later use!

Next, what is wheat germ? It’s the part of the wheat kernel that’s responsible for germinating into a plant. In refined grains (such as white bread), the germ along with many other healthy parts of the wheat kernel are stripped away. Wheat germ is a very concentrated source of several  nutrients such as vitamin E, folate, magnesium, and zinc. It also contains polyunsaturated fats and protein.

Now, on to the directions. Add all the ingredients together in a blender and process until smooth. That’s all You may add more ice cubes if needed.

There are so many ingredients that you can play around with in this recipe. Add berries or try different flavors of yogurt. Either way, it’s healthier than buying a smoothie at a local store that may be loaded with sugar (or turbinado to sound fancier ).

Enjoy!

Do you like smoothies? What do you like to add in your smoothies?

Have a great week!

Selene