2 Years, 9 Months

I haven't been great with keeping up with Samuel and his funny little growing self this year. It's hard to believe he will be 3 in a few short months! He talks SO much more now, has a silly little sense of humor, and , and, of course, run and jump and climb. He's definitely still "all boy!"

Samuel's favorite indoor toys right now are his trains, cars, his toy drum, and his doctor kit. He loves to tell us that "Doctor Samuel will help your boo-boo!"

Outside, he loves pretty  much anything! Basketball, dodgeball, football, rocks, whistles (we only allow those outside), etc. He knows he's only allowed to be loud outside (though he doesn't always adhere to that... we're working on it!), so it's his FAVORITE place to be! He also loves going on "hikes" through the woods across the street from our house. We've started going as a family on Sunday evenings when it isn't rainy. He thinks it's the best thing in the world!

Samuel love love loves music and is constantly singing and even making up his own songs. He's also been working on learning Spanish with mommy and memorizing scripture verses, which is really cute to hear. :-)

We got extremely lucky in that Samuel had a great motivator for potty training and was able to get into underwear super quickly! Our gym has a HUGE play area for kids to go to once their potty trained, complete with slides and climbing ladders. He got a glimpse of it a while back and got really excited about it. I told him for several months that he would get to go to the "big room" once he used the potty all the time. I'd always ask him if he wanted to try, and he would think about it and say, "no."

But one Saturday morning (when I was in the middle of morning sickness and NOT in the mood for it at all!), he woke up and told me he was going to use the potty so he could go to the big room. I really didn't take him seriously at first. After 2 days of him consistently insisting, I went and bought him underwear. And after 2 days of accidents on and off, he pretty much was done. We've had maybe 2 or 3 accidents since then (almost 2 months), and he's now wearing underwear at nap time and occasionally at bed time too. I've been so impressed with him. He knew what he wanted, and he absolutely loves going to play and climb every day now!

His nap time is about over (he actually took one today - those have been very off and on the last few months), so I'll close with a few funny things he's said that I've put in my phone to remember:

A few days after learning about our new baby, he looked at my belly and said, "Hi baby!! I want to SEE you!!"

Samuel LOVES construction trucks, especially "bull-da-dozers." One day he saw a RED bulldozer:
"Ooooh, I LOVE this bull-da-dozer. I have never see nothing like YOU before!"

We went out to eat at a very loud restaurant the other night, so Samuel naturally had to join in the fun.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I am singing a song! ABCDEFG..."

Halloween was last weekend, so we took him trick or treating. We talked about how all the costumes were fake (he got a little scared of some wolves and skeletons, for obvious reasons). So when we went up to a house decorated like a pirate ship and a "pirate" out front, he went up and said, "Hello pretend pirate! Trick or treat!"

And, the funniest thing he's done recently (and it was certainly most funny if you were there): I went in to get Samuel up one morning. He'd been talking so I knew he was awake. I walked in and didn't see him, so of course he was under the covers. I said, "Samuel, are you in here?" and he jumped out from under the covers - completely naked - and said, "SURPRISE!!!!!!!" and laughed hysterically. OH my!

Anyway, we have a lot of things to work on, but I love love love this crazy kid, and I'm so glad he's ours!

Baby Yates #2!

So, since finding out I was pregnant, I've done basically nothing except the bare minimum - eating, sleeping, making sure my kids was alive. I've been thinking for weeks that I need to do a post about Samuel at 2 1/2. It will come soon, I'm sure. For now, I've been soaking in the fact that we are going to have another baby in a few short months! SO exciting!

Because I made a separate blog for Samuel and because I like things to be neat and tidy, I've made a separate space for this little peanut as well. Feel free to follow at: http://theyatesplacefamiliadecuatro.blogspot.com.
A word of warning, it's more for my own memory, so there may be a little more info than you want to read, haha. But I'll try to post pictures and such too!

And, just for comparison, here's a link to Samuel's little baby blog too. It's been SO nice to have this the last few months to remember what was happening when!
http://theyatesplacenumerotres.blogspot.com/

Anyway, more coming soon. Eventually. :-)

Trip to Arkansas/Fellowship Apps etc.

My blogging has really gone down the tube, huh? It really is because our laptop is pretty much done and I have to type everything from our desktop in the hot attic bonus room. Not my favorite place to hang.

Anyway, Samuel and I just got back from Arkansas. Eric's on a ridiculously hard rotation, so we decided to peace out for a little bit. It was quite the adventure.

We flew to Little Rock where my dad picked us up and took us to De Witt. We spent the night there, then left early the next morning (after I had a little run around the park) and followed him in my mom's car to Warren for lunch. Then we went to El Dorado to have ice cream with my friend Ashley. Then on to Magnolia and Eric's family.

Friday we went to Backyard BBQ (mmmm) and went swimming at Eric' grandma's house. We also went to a 4th of July Fireworks show (even though it was the 3rd). Saturday it rained, so we hung around then went and grilled hot dogs and Samuel got to ride in a back hoe and on a tractor. That was fun. Sunday was church, and Monday we spent in Texarkana shopping and visiting with our friends the Renfros. There was also a lot of walking on the farm road and cooking involved there too.

Tuesday we took off to meet my parents in Pine Bluff for lunch, then followed them to De Witt. We went to visit my friend Lindsay in Mississippi on Wednesday and then went to the Memphis Zoo on Thursday where we had an adventure with an escaped monkey that cause the whole zoo to go on lockdown, leaving us trapped and hungry. We also saw pandas and got to feed some giraffes. Friday we mostly hung around, went to eat in Stuttgart, watercolor painted, and ate some more mexican food. And Saturday we headed back to Little Rock to see my brother, JJ, college friend, Karis, & her new baby, and to head home. There was also a lot of playing at the playground, in the church nursery, and banging on the piano in there too. :-)

So that's a quick summary of our trip!

The other fun thing going on right now is that Eric has decided to do a fellowship in Nephrology (kidneys). So, much like when he was getting ready for residency, he has to apply to programs, interview, rank them, and then get "matched" again. Wooo. Applications go in Wednesday, so we will see how that goes.

Thankfully, I (we) seem to be way less stressed about things this time around for a number of reasons:
1) If he wants to back out, he can. He can practice by himself as of next June, so this is really just an "add-on" option.
2) The program is only 2 years. That feels a little more manageable.
3) Nephrology is not very competitive at all. He has a pretty darn good chance of getting one of his top 2 choices.

Plus he will be DONE when he finished this. That's hard for me to even imagine!

Anyway, I have some chores to do before little man wakes from his nap. ;-) At least I posted something right???

Desserts.

Here's a few keepers from the last couple of months.

Strawberry Crumble. 
We went berry picking a couple of weekends ago, and the strawberries we brought back were absolutely the sweetest, ripest, juiciest berries I've ever eaten! I froze a bunch for smoothies, made this, my favorite jam, and strawberry shortcake. And we will probably be going back to the patch again because it was so incredibly delicious! 

Crumble:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. oats
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick butter, melted

Filling:
2 c. strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice

Mix the first seven ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix strawberries, additional sugar and lemon juice. Press half of the oat mixture into the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. pour strawberry mixture on top and finish with the remaining oat mix. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.


Strawberry Shortcake

Filling:
3 c. strawberries, halved
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. orange juice
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon juice

Cakes:
1 1/4 c. flour
3 T sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
3 T chilled butter
1/2 c. buttermilk

Whipped cream

Combine strawberries, sugar, OJ, vanilla and lemon juice in a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. Refrigerate.

In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until crumbly. Add in buttermilk and stir until mixed. Turn dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out and cut into squares. place 1" apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

Stack shortcakes, strawberries, and whipped cream in layers and serve.


Earl Grey Tea Cookies
These were a total surprise to me! They are SO good! I'm planning to make them for a baby shower in a couple of weeks. They can also be made vegan just by using vegan butter instead of regular!

2 c, all-purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. salt
2 T Earl Grey Tea (about 4 bags worth)
6 ounces butter/vegan butter
2 t vanilla
1 T vanilla soy milk

Mix dry ingredients together in a food processor (or by hand if you don't have one like me)! Add in butter, vanilla and milk and continue to process (ahem, stir) until dough becomes slightly sticky. Roll into a log and place in plastic or parchment. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour. Cut into cookies and bake at 375 for 10 minutes.


Texas Sheet Cake Cookies
The name pretty much says it all. 

Cookies:
1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 c. flour
1/2 c. chocolate chips, melted

Icing:
1/2 c. butter
2 T cocoa
3 T milk
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Mix butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add in egg vanilla and combine. Mix flour, salt and powder together in a separate bowl and gradually add them into the wet mixture. Finally, add in the melted chocolate chips. Shape into cookies on an ungreased cookie tray and bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes.

While baking, make the icing by melting the butter and adding int he cocoa and milk. Stir in the powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. When cookies are done, pour icing over cookies. Allow to cool before eating.


Brown Sugar Cookies
Holy Schnikes, I may never make regular sugar cookies again! 

2 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c. butter, melted,
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 c. granulated sugar (optional - for rolling)

Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Add in egg and vanilla, then slowly add in dry ingredients. Chill for 2 hours.

Roll cookies in sugar if desired, then bake at 325 for 8-9 minutes.


Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars
Possibly the most fattening, delicious thing I've ever put in my mouth. And SO simple to make!

1 stick butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. flour
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/4 c. heavy cream

Mix the butter, brown sugar and vanilla together. Alternate adding in the flour and sweetened condensed milk. When combined, add in 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips. Chill for 2 hours. In a microwave or on the stove, melt remaining cup of chocolate chips and heavy cream together. Pour ganache over bars and spread evenly. Let chill another 2 hours before serving.

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From the Mouths of Babes (Okay, just one babe).

I've been trying to write down the cute things that Samuel says and does lately. I haven't been super successful. I do have a few things though. I'm afraid part of the problem is that I just don't realize some of the cute things he does until he stops doing them.

For instance, my friend Mary Claire pointed out a few weeks ago that he calls cookies "tookies." She and her husband thought that was HILARIOUS. I was totally oblivious! And now his hard "c" sound has developed a lot in the last few weeks, and he's not even doing it anymore. It's kind of a bummer.

Anyway, here are some of my favorite things Samuel does right now:

Songs.
He LOVES to sing to himself,often songs I'm unfamiliar with that he's either
a) made up,
b) learned at preschool or
c) heard on the cd that plays at the Y.
Last night Eric and I spent most of dinner trying to figure out what in the world he was singing. It sounded like a song about a bunny, but then he started screaming, "fire! fire! fire! fire!" in the middle. We finally figured it out it was:

Something's burning! Something's burning!
Watch out! Watch out!
Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
Pour the Water! Pour the Water!

Haha.

He also told me one day that Barney is a dinosaur. He learned that at preschool. I asked his teachers. They did listen to a Barney soundtrack one day. I thought it was crazy that he remembered that!

Other favorites are the alphabet, the "months of the year" song, "Jesus Loves Me," B-I-N-G-O and the Bob the Builder Theme Song.

Thoughts on Family
We've been discussing a lot lately about how Samuel is a boy, mommy's a girl, etc. etc. When asked about daddy, though, he informed me, "Daddy a MAN!"

Glad we're clear. ;-)

Also, "Mommy, you a bear. I a lion. You grr. I ROAR!!!"

I asked him one day how old everyone in our family was. "Seem-yule 2, Daddy 3, Mommy 21!"

I don't know whether to be honored or offended.

Also, Samuel typically gives me a big hug every morning when I go get him from his room. Eric had a nice month in April where he didn't go to work until 8, so he and Samuel got to see each other every morning. By the end of the month, I'd walk into his room and he would run past me and say, "No hug mommy! HUG DADDDY!!!"

I probably should be offended by that one, but, let's be for real, it was just too darn cute!

Sassiness and Such
Or whatever the boy version of sassiness is. Let it be known this does not work on us one bit. But it IS funny. ;-)

We are constantly getting told, "Hey! You come back hee-uh!"

His favorite response to questions: "Of course."

His favorite question: "Whah-chyoo doin hee-uh?"

And, of course, "Seem-yul duh boss." Nope, sorry kid.

"Mommy, I hungry. You go get food?" Sometimes he asks (demands?) this when there is food in his mouth/hand.

And, my favorite, "You give kisses! More hugs! More noses! More eyes! (he likes us to put our foreheads together -- I don't know where he got that from!!)" He usually wins on that one (except when he's just really fighting bedtime. ;-)

Pastimes

Samuel is all about collecting rocks and sticks right now. It's not uncommon for us to bring 5+ of each home anytime we go on a walk/go to the playground. And that's just what I allow. He'd bring the whole park back if I let him.  REALLY big sticks get held over his head and called, "umbrellas."

We're into wearing sandals a lot now since it's warm out. He sometimes calls them sandals, but, when he gets lazy, he just calls them his, "toodles."

We love to go. Sometimes Samuel wants to skip a step and he just comes out of his room in the morning with his shoes on over his PJs. Too bad we can't all run around like that.

Other Cute Things

We also have a lot of bumble bees around our house these days. They are affectionately known as, "buzzy bees." Always.

Samuel LOVES his little toy dog that sings and plays music. One night, I went to go tuck him in, and he said, "Mommy, duh dog need new batte-wees please!!" How can I say no to that one?

He's also getting really interactive with our cat (much to the cat's dismay). He's always tattling on the cat to me, ("He on duh cown-tuh mommy!") or running up to him and saying, "Connuh! Wha you do-in? You wants to play with me?"

Of course, everything is also "mines" right now. Particularly Eric's brown recliner. We mostly let him sit there, but every now and then he just doesn't get his way. Like earlier this week when I was in the chair. He said, "I sit in mommy's lap?" Well, of course. Then he started kicking me a little. I told him he needed to get down if he was going to kick. He said, "Or mommy move to couch."

Stinker.

Samuel is an amazing counter. He can easily count to 30 without help and we've gotten as high as 75 with him asking me for help at 40/50/60 etc. (He just got bored or I think he would have gone to 100). He gets the concept, though. Now he's really into counting backwards, except for some reason he always skips 7. "10, 9, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." His 13 also sounds a lot like 15. I'm not correcting him any time soon. ;-)

Okay, one last story and I'm done. I just know it will probably be 2 more months before I get any of this down.

I got Samuel these cute PJs with bugs all over them. He was really excited about them, so we wore them the first night we took them home. About 30 minutes after I put him to bed, he started crying and would NOT stop. I went in to check on him and asked him what was wrong. He said, "Mommy! THE BUGS!!! NO MORE BUGS!!" Haha. Poor baby. We changed jammies and he went right to sleep. So now I guess I'll be selling those brand new PJs...


There's probably still a ton I'm forgetting. He's just growing so stinkin fast! He says and does so much now I often forget things soon after they happen. Anyway, at least I'm getting something down. I know I'll be grateful later on!

It's May/Beach Trip in March

Did I even post anything in April? Probably not. The laptop I usually post from is on its last leg... or maybe last 1/8th of a leg. Seriously, it's done-zo. And once it dies, we will have not one, not two, but THREE dead laptops hanging around our house that my husband doesn't want to get rid of. Le sigh.

Anyway, I can hardly believe that it's MAY! I feel like 2015 is just flying by! I'm super behind here, but I thought I'd post a quick blurb about our beach trip in March. It was an adventure all its own.

Eric had two weeks of vacation, so we spent the last 6 days at Kiawah Island, SC, about 45 minutes outside of Charleston. Eric's parents and sister and brother in law came out for the last few days of it, so we stayed in this super nice house about a mile from the beach. The island had tons of bike/running trails and a cute little shopping area. It totally felt like a place you could come stay for the whole summer like they do in the movies.

Unfortunately, we only got to go to the beach one day of our six. The other days were rainy and cold. Which was fine, since we had our amazing house to stay in and Charleston not too far away. We had a lot of fun watching March Madness and playing pool. At least until our dear sweet son decided to stop sleeping...

That's when things got a little (a LOT) not-vacationy. The first day was fine. On Day 2, Samuel decided napping was lame and climbed out of the pack and play repeatedly until we finally gave in and let him skip his nap. On day 3, we went to Charleston and didn't even bother with the nap. He crawled out of the pack and play at night a couple of times, but still went to sleep,

He skipped his nap again on Day 4. This happened around 3 pm. 

But then the rest of the family got there, and he REALLY didn't want to go to sleep. Day 4 meant not going down until close to 10 pm, and then a little nose in my face at 6 am the next morning. "Mommy, watch Peppa Pig?" And it all would have been well and good if he would have actually just WATCHED Peppa Pig,but he wanted to run and jump and kick me a bunch. Oh my.

And of course he still didn't nap.

Sleeping in the car on the way home.

By the last night, Eric and I were sleeping in a big bed with him... We fell asleep at 11 pm, I don't know when he went out. And we were up at 6 again doing nothing. As you can imagine, it turned out to be a very grouchy week. We were still so thankful we were able to go, though. We got to visit with family, go to the aquarium, eat some yummy food, and see some more of God's beautiful creation!

When we got home, Samuel decided that, since he could crawl out of the pack and play, he should just crawl out of his crib too. So he did. Three days later, we moved his mattress onto the floor, rearranged his room, and put him in his "big boy bed" for the first time. It's been an adjustment and he still isn't sleeping as much as he needs to, but he at least stays in his room all night.

Hopefully our next "relaxing" beach "vacation" will be a little less adventurous. ;-)

Winter Made Me Do It - Part 3

I mentioned in my first post that Samuel had been super trying lately.

Because of course, the day it starts snowing, setting off a chain of relentless preschool cancellations and child care closings, IS the day my child would decide to:
a) learn how to climb over the baby gate
b) learn how to open the refrigerator
c) decide that napping is for losers (thankfully THAT only lasted 4 days. whew).

So, since Eric's month of nights is over (he still has 2 more weeks coming, but I'm in denial about that), and Samuel has officially made himself allowed upstairs, we converted our guest room into a full-fledged playroom.

This has simultaneously been my best and worst decision of the winter. At least 28 times a day I hear, "Upstairs, mommy!" And, after we are up there for 8.5 seconds, "Downstairs! Take TRACTOR downstairs!" Oh, don't worry, he wants tractor back upstairs within 5 minutes.

There's also no good way to block the playroom off from the cat's litter box and food, Eric's computer and other office supplies, or the bathroom. That's led to a lot of Samuel's stuffed animals "eating cat food" and "going potty (both in the toilet and the litter box)," multiple re-sets of Eric's desktop, and lots lots LOTS of time outs and various other punishments.

Le sigh.

At least he's been pretty funny.

Like when he told me that "Daddy eats cat food." Hmm. He's also been informing us that "Daddy too big!" (to play with his toys).

Or how he wants to say happy birthday to his puzzles, elmo, his books, and, of course, himself ("Now cake!") Except he just says "Happy to you!" That's pretty cute. (Really, it's for any holiday, because at Valentine's he said, "Happy to you valentines!!")

We did make it to a birthday party last week a few hours before snow storm #3. I felt kind of bad for him, because his little face lit up SO much when everyone started singing Happy Birthday, and it got SO sad when he realized it was not for him. It's tough being 2.

We've been asking Samuel who to pray for at night. Usually it's his preschool teachers. Sometimes he throws in Elmo, his playroom, trains, and baby Moses. We make it work. ;-)

Today in the car, Teddy was "praying" - for Grammy, Pappy and the BEACH!

Samuel also told me that Teddy was his best friend. And Thomas the Tank Engine. And Percy. (He finally listed some real people too. But NOT mommy and daddy. We're the mommy and daddy).

Eric asked Samuel what show he wanted to watch on TV. Samuel told him, "NOT Friends!!"

He's also taken to calling Eric whatever I call him. Lately that's been, "Baby," "Honey," and just plain "ERRRRICCC!" Haha.

Everytime he realizes there's snow on the ground, he goes, "Ooh! Snowflake time!" Never "snow." Always "snowflakes." I love it.

After the latest snow storm, we decided to build a real snowman (much larger than our previous 10-inch tall one, "Olaf.") I asked Samuel what to name him. "Olaf 2!!"

He's gotten pretty good at counting, until fourteen, that is -- then it goes "sev-uh-teen, fi-teen, TWENNNY!"

And today, driving home, he started singing. I'm pretty sure this isn't what he said, but it definitely sounded like: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, How I want to eat you -- ARR!" Haha.

I feel like he's way funnier in person than when I write things down. Maybe it's because I've lost it from being trapped inside for 2 weeks? ;-) Whatever the case, trying as he may be, I'm REALLY glad he's around!! He makes me laugh every day!

Winter Made Me Do It - Part 2

1100 Miles, baby.

Eric correctly pointed out that that is pretty much the equivalent of running to Dallas. I countered that it took me a whole flippin' year, so that's really not that impressive.

It is a lot of miles, I suppose. An average of just over 3 a day for the last year.

I like that running is something that's steady in my life.

February did not make it easy on me. I never ran more than 6 miles at a time and the darn snow tried to keep me away. It was too slippery and cold to run outside, the gym child care kept closing early, and my nose and lungs made breathing particularly hard (who am I kidding? I'm still sitting here sniffling and coughing as I type). I'm not going to pretend like I enjoyed it last month.

I definitely enjoyed meeting a GOAL though. I'm way too goal-focused. But maybe that's not the worst thing in the world. I think I also felt like if I did this in spite of the dumb winter, in spite of the laziness I felt, that it would really be a victory, not just a goal achieved.

Hopefully I can keep up with last year's mileage for the next few months to maintain 1100. I want to try some new classes and diversify my work outs though. I also need to work on that eating healthier thing. ;-) If only brownies weren't so good!

Winter Made Me Do It.

It snowed some more. And we all got a cold. Samuel has been testing us a TON -I think, because he is bored and tired of being trapped inside (just like his momma!). So all in all, not our favorite week ever.

Some good has come of it though. We've tried some new recipes, Samuel has said some funny things, and I did accomplish a fitness goal. I'll dedicate this post to recipes. ;-)

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Easy and yummy!

1 lb. ground chicken
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 T. garlic powder
1 egg
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
(the recipe also calls for some lemon zest, but I omitted that).

Mix ingredients together, roll into balls, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Chocolate Molten Cake
Gnam Gnam. 

3/4 c. butter
12 oz. chocolate chips
1/2 c. heavy cream
5 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
2/3 c. flour

Melt butter, cream and chocolate chips together until smooth when stirred. Add in eggs, then sugar and flour. Pour into greased (buttered) cupcake pan and let cool for one hour, up to one day.

Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes, until the outsides are set. The inside should still be a little runny. Let cool 3-5 minutes before serving.

Eggless Pancakes
For the days you plan to make fish, but the grocery store doesn't get any in since it snowed. So your husband requests pancakes, but you have no pancake mix. Or eggs. Or even bananas (which seem to be a popular pancake base). Man, I am thankful for Pinterest!

1 1/4 c. flour
1 T baking powder
1 T sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. water

Mix it up... Make pancakes. ;-)

I've also made multiple attempts at the perfect brownie. I've made some pretty darn good ones, but still nothing that lines up with the Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate boxed mix. I *will* figure out their secret one day (artifical flavors?).

I also made granola, some more banana bread, a few batches of banana oatmeal (my favorite breakfast!), and some homemade chicken alfredo and a sausage and rice casserole - they were both good, basically just meat and veggies in a white sauce, so nothing I can't come up with again.

There were also a few batches of Cowboy cookies and no-bake cookies in there....

Can you tell I have a cooking/baking problem?

Snow (ish)

I'm not going to pretend that I understand what it's like to live somewhere really cold. I've got Texas blood, after all. But even this born-and-raised-in-the-south gal thinks it is really really crazy how life totally stops when we get the teeniest bit of snow around here. Like, an inch or two and everything shuts down all. week. long.

I'm not saying I blame them for closing schools - I don't want 5 year olds waiting for the bus in -10 degree windchills, nor do I want 16 year olds driving on black ice to try and make it to school on time. I get why they put school on hold. But, good golly, everything seems to close early or stop completely. Like the pharmacy - closed early all week. A consignment sale I tried to go to today 5 days after it snowed? Closed "for inclement weather." ?!?!?!

And somehow it makes my child super duper extra intense. He's pretty much always 100% on or off, but this week it's been like 500%. And the emotions - oh, my! He just needs to go run outside. He needs it.

He did enjoy the snow when we were out in it, though. He kept telling me (over and over over), "Mommy, snowflake time! Snowflake time!" He never just says "Snow," it's always "Snowflake!" That's pretty cute.

We built a snowman ("Olaf"). And when he sees snow melting now, he says, "Oh, poor poor Olaf!!!" I chuckle at that, too.

And he does look pretty cute in his snow boots (that he refuses to take off) and hat and coat. Getting all that stuff on and off adds an extra 15 minutes to our coming and going though.

So, you get the point, it made for some cute pictures, but I'm over the "snow" (aka, the few patches of ice that are left lying around). See ya next year, winter. Bring on the heat!

Throwing snow in his own face. Goofball. 

"Olaf."

The sun was really bright reflecting off the snow, so all week he has been yelling, "GO AWAY SUN! NOOO SUN! AHHH!" until he gets his sunglasses on. Drama King. 

Hard working man. 

Recipes. A Lot of Them.

I've been on a serious cooking/baking spree lately. I blame it on Eric working a ton. It's really not good, because the more I cook/bake, the more I eat. I have no self control. Thank goodness I run.

Here's some favorites from the last few weeks:

Parmesan Zucchini & Corn
Eric thinks I'm silly for making this like 3 times this week. It's just so easy and good!

1 T olive oil
1 clove minced garlic (or garlic powder if you're lazy like me!)
1-2 zucchini, diced
1 c. corn (I used frozen, but you can probably do canned/fresh/roasted if you prefer)
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
2 Tbsp. parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
(The recipe also recommended lime juice and cilantro, but I wasn't diggin' that).

Heat olive oil in skillet and add garlic and zucchini. Let cook for 3-4 minutes, then add corn. Once cooked through, add remaining spices, finishing with cheese when removed from heat. Serve warm.

The Best Scones 
I made cranberry white chocolate chocolate chip versions. They were equally fabulous. I'm obsessed with scones. 

2 1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 c. cold butter, cut into pats
2 eggs
1/2-2/3 c. half and half or cream
Additions - chocolate chips, cranberries, etc.

Icing:
1 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. milk or half & half
Any additional flavors (I added orange juice for the white chocolate cranberry scones and vanilla for the chocolate chips ones).

Mix flour, sugar, powder and alt together. Cut butter in until a coarse mixture forms. Add in eggs, cream and additions. Scrape dough onto a well-floured surface and roll out, then cut into triangles. Place the pan uncovered in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. While baking, prepare icing by mixing together all ingredients until smooth (Pour the sugar into the wet ingredients graduatlly) and top immediately upon removing from oven.



Cinnamon Crumble Banana Bread
The actual bread recipe was average, but the crumb topping was one of the best I've tried! 

1 egg
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. buttermilk (or you can just add 2 tsp. vinegar to regular milk and let it sit for 5-10 mins)
2 bananas, mashed
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon

Crumb topping:
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. flour
4 T butter, melted
1 tsp. cinnamon

Beat together sugar, egg, butter and vanilla until fully blended. Add in buttermilk and bananas. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, baking soda, powder and cinnamon. Gradually mix into wet ingredients. Pour into a bread pan. Combine all crumb topping ingredients and sprinkle over bread mixture. Bake 40-50 minutes at 350.

Veggie Bites
These were so easy, and I couldn't believe my child actually ate them! Like, a TON of them! I just told him they were cheese balls. ;-) I thought they were pretty good too!

1 bag frozen/steamed cauliflower and broccoli, cooked and cut small
1/3 c. Italian bread crumbs
2 eggs
2/3 c. shredded cheese.

Mix all the ingredients together and form into balls. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes on a greased or foil lined cookie tray. Makes about 20 bites. 

No Bake Bars with Coconut Oil
This is just a healthier version of regular no-bake cookies - honey instead of sugar and coconut oil instead of butter! Yum! 
1 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. honey
2 c. oats
1/4 c. dried cranberries or nuts
1 c. chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
(Can also add shredded coconut if desired)

Melt peanut butter, coconut oil, and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. remove from heat and add in chocolate chips, then oats, vanilla and berries/nuts/coconut. Pour into a greased pan and cool in the fridge. Cut into bars and enjoy!


Chipotle Maple Sweet Potato Burgers
I thought these were really good, but Eric didn't go for them, so they got moved to my "So-So" list on Pinterest. That being said, I would totally make them again for just me. I thought it was a fun and filling vegan/vegetarian dish! 

2 medium sweet potatoes
1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced small
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 c. quick cooking oats
1/4 c. pecans
2 T nutritional yeast
2 T ground flax seed
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 T maple syrup
8 hamburger buns

With a fork, poke several holes in sweet potatoes. Microwave in a glass bowl for 4-5 minutes or until tender. Remove and allow to cool. While sweet potatoes are cooking, cook the onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent and fragrant. In a large bowl, add oats, pecans, nutritional yeast, flax seed, salt, chipotle powder and black pepper. Gradually mix in onion mixture. Remove the skins from the cooled sweet potatoes and mash them, then mix them into the bowl. Finally, add in maple syrup.

Grease a cookie sheet well or line with parchment paper (you may want to grease that too!). Form the dough into patties and bake at 400 for 45 minutes, turning the patties halfway through. Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving on hamburger buns with BBQ sauce.

Chocolate Chip Muffins
These could potentially be made fluffier with the addition of an egg white - I'm going to play with the recipe a bit more. They were pretty darn good, though! 
2 1/2 c. flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1 T vanilla
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Mix wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls, then gradually mix dry ingredients into wet. Bake at 425 for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 for an additional 10-15 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before enjoying. 


I've also tried a handful of other recipes that didn't turn out very well at all. I think that's enough for now though. :-)

Valentine's Day

One day I will include some pictures in a post.

It's funny how your perspective changes.
10 Valentine's Days ago, Eric left a teddy bear and a rose and a card in my car (in the pouring rain). I thought that was pretty great.
8 Valentine's ago, he took me to dinner at a fancy restaurant and we went walking on the Boardwalk in Shreveport. That seemed pretty amazing too.
3 or 4 Valentine's ago, he had ordered flowers to be delivered to my work, but the order got messed up and we didn't get them until late that evening, so he went to Whole Foods to get me a bouquet so I'd have something. Sweet man.

Today, though, today my biggest gift was him. Here. After a month of stupid night shifts and barely seeing each other for more than 20 minutes a day, all of which he was a total zombie and I was running around like a crazy woman.
There were no flowers or teddy bears or expensive restaurants or fancy dresses or jewelry.
There was just us, hanging out, cooking an amazing dinner together (steak, baked potatoes, parmesan asparagus and molted chocolate cake. yum), eating as a family with our amazing kid.
And then, the very best present of all, we put our son down to bed together, and he helped me clean the house.
For the first time in a month+, I had help. Isn't it silly how something little like that can make you so joyful?
My house is clean. My husband is home.
And after cleaning, we were able to sit on the couch and cuddle in our warm house and laugh at silly tv shows while the cold wind whipped around outside, making the very bones of our house creak and our hearts well up with thankfulness for our home and each other.

Is it weird that this seems perfect to me? I love flowers and chocolate and cute stuffed animals and fancy food. But I love this man far far more. That's a pretty happy Valentine's if you ask me. <3>

Samuel Says

I may add more to this later, but here are some fun things Samuel has said lately (I feel like I forget to record half of them though!):

(On our way to the Y)
"Church? Nooo.
Mya house? Noooo.
Ryan house? Nope!
School? Noo.
Adela house? Uh-uh!
Laneys house? Nooo.
Owie house? Nope!
Gym! Gym! YES! Two Maters!"
(There are two toy "Mater" trucks from the movie Cars in the gym nursery).

(from his crib when he's ready to get up)
"Mommy, [where] aaaare you????" 
(A lot of times he leaves the "where" out :-)

(While watching tv, NOT eating anything)
"Mommy, Mac-Roni DElicious!!"

(Singing in his crib)
Bunny, bunny, OHHH, Buuunny!

"Super Why, Super Why, Oh yeah!"

"Mommy, Samuel siiiilllly! Silly boy! Hahaha!"

(when I sneeze, which is a lot lately) "Blesh Shooo, Mommy!!"

(Telling me who he played with at church)
"Playground, slide, stairs, Emily, crackers, fire truck, Elly, school bus, poopie diaper, Gray!"

(Also in his crib one morning)
"3-2-1 Blast off! S makes sssssssss sound! Race car! Fly Teddy! Teddy teddy teddy!"

(After realizing we have more than one teddy, holding them both up in the air victoriously)
TWO TEDDIES!!! YEEEAAHH! TWO TEDDIES!!

You can guess how it went when he realized we actually have FOUR. He now sleeps with all of them.

During Eric's month of nights, Samuel would always ask me, "Daddy work or daddy sleepy?" It was pretty exciting when he was finally done and instead he said, "Daddy work? Daddy sleepy? Nooo! Daddy HOME!" <3 nbsp="" p="">
We talk about manners a LOT, and he's super into saying "Thank you, mommy!" right now, which I stinkin' love! It's adorable. 

Samuel sings a LOT, most commonly a very loud combo of twinkle twinkle and ABC. His favorite places to sing it are in the grocery store and when exiting the preschool building at church - there's an attendance poster with star stickers on it out in the hall that compels him to stand in front of it and sing the song the whole way through. It goes something like this:

TINKLE TINKLE LITTLE STAH, OOh-uh- HO-uh, You-UH AHHH! Q R ESSS TEE OO VEE! DUB, EX, IN DA SKY! TINKLE TINKLE OOH Ah STAH! OW UH OOH AH You UH ARE!!! 

2nd Birthday!

Samuel turned 2 on January 28th! His actual birthday was pretty low-key, but fun. Eric was in the middle of a month of nights, so he brought home doughnuts for breakfast and hung out with us for 10 or 15 minutes before heading off to bed. We let Samuel open a couple of presents during that time. I had Bible study at church and then I took Samuel to Chick-Fil-A with some friends for lunch. He pretty much passed out when we got home and slept for 2 1/2 hours.

After nap, we watched a show and hung out with Eric for a few minutes when he woke up. Samuel also got a balloon delivery from Gran-Gran and Granddaddy! Eric left for work and my parents arrived about 15 minutes later! We got them all settled, then went out to Carrabba's for dinner, where Samuel thoroughly enjoyed some shells and cheese.

We went to Ikea the next day (Thursday) and picked out some more train tracks for him and let him get a stuffed bunny. My parents also got him a cute little table and chairs. We came back home and let him open one of his big gifts - a Cozy coupe Truck. He was pretty excited about that one!

On Friday we had his check up. Not-so-surprisingly, here are my crazy active child's measurements from his 2 year appointment:

Height - 36.5" (96th %)
Weight - 26 lbs. 9 oz (32nd %)
Head circumference - 18.5" (12th %)
BMI - 14.02 (1st %)

He had to get a shot, so I took him to get a doughnut afterwards. Because that's how we roll. ;-) We went back home to pick up my parents and then took him to get a haircut. He let the lady use the clippers for the first time. He looks so grown up now!!

Friday night, we took him to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time (and the last for a LONG time!). He had fun, but there was an elementary school fundraiser going on and it was CRAZY. He got stuck in the play area and had to have a "big kid" get him out. We had fun riding every mechanical car there, though, and Eric and I even got to sneak away and play some skee ball.

Saturday my parents and I went to the gym while Eric slept, then out for Bibs BBQ for lunch, Samuel's favorite ;-) (Okay, it might be mommy's favorite too!). Saturday evening we had Samuel's "party." He was SO much more into presents than he was even at Christmas. He knew they were all for him and, once he was done opening one, he wanted to move right on to the next. The delight on his little face with every gift was priceless. It's amazing how it makes you want to lavish the whole world on this sweet little guy.

He's been asking me every day if today is "present day" again? Haha. (He's also been singing "Happy Birthday Samuel" over and over. LoL).

I also made him a little Thomas the Tank Engine cake and we let him have ice cream. He was pretty pumped about that.

Even though it was low-key, I think baby boy had a great second birthday. I know I sure enjoyed it! I can't wait to see what year 3 will bring! :-) 

Samuel at 2.

I know I've said this before, but I don't think I ever comprehended how much I could love one little person until Samuel came along. Sometimes it still amazes me. When I look at him or cuddle him or play with him or have a silly conversation with him, I am in total awe of how this little guy has captured my heart so completely and how lucky I am to get to be his mom.

Now, don't get me wrong, he throws his fair share of hardcore 2-year-old tantrums that make me question why I ever had a child in the first place. But 90% of the time it's the mushy-gushy-I-love-him-so-flippin-much stuff.

Anyway, I'm going to try these next few days to record a little taste of Samuel as he's turning 2.

Here's a sample of an "interview" I did with him the other day.


C: How old are you going to be this week?

S: See-yule Yates!

C: No, how old? What number?

S: TWO!

C: That's right!! And what's your favorite number?

S: TWO! Sev-uh. hahaha. Nooooo.

C: You're so silly. What's your favorite color, Samuel?

S: Purple! Red! Blue! Reeeeed! Color color! Shapes?

C: Okay, what's your favorite shape?

S: Square! Suh-Cull! Ti-gle!!

C: Those are good shapes! What kind of food do you like to eat?

S: Nuh-nuh.

C: Banana or nuggets? (I'm never sure which he means).

S: Yes! Olaf Book? Nooo! No eat book. Hehehehe. (but he does eat books. Crazy kid).

C: Is Olaf your favorite book?

S: Olaf book! Hop on Pop! George? Baby Moses!

C: And what's your favorite show?

S: Show! Watch show! Peeeeasse!

C: But what's your favorite?

S: Cars! Mater! Thomas? Shapes! Cars! Show show show!

C: One more question. What song do you like to sing?

S: Car song? Eyes! Mmmm. ::sings REALLY loudly:: Tinkle tinkle liwle stahhhh!!!


You get the picture. ;-) He's fun! I'm sure I'll have more to share over his birthday week. I can't believe he's going to be 2!

10 Years!

It's hard to believe it's been 10 years this month since Eric and I met.

10 years since  my college freshman self noticed the cute high school senior hanging out with my friends that had grown up in town. I thought I'd try to make him feel more welcome since I knew he was planning on coming to school with us next year.

I had no clue that in the next few months I'd come to realize he wasn't just a cute, sweet kid, but funny, smart, thoughtful, caring, and genuine.

That when other girls started chasing him, I would realize I liked him a little more than I wanted to admit, even though he was "too young" for me and I was kind of seeing someone else.

That we would spend way too many nights hanging out, flirting, watching CSI (which I kind of hate, but didn't mind so much with him :-), making up excuses to spend more time together.

That he'd ask me to go to his prom with him, and then ask me to be his girlfriend a few weeks later.

And that one day that cute boy would ask me to be his wife, to move across the country with him, to have his children, to be his person.

10 years since this life began. And I wouldn't change a minute of it. <3 nbsp="">

Fish!

I'll keep this brief, but, basically, for the first time ever, I made a fish recipe that we actually enjoyed! In fact, Eric took his fork to the pan afterwards and ate every last bite of what was left over. That happens... well, it pretty much never happens.

So, before I forget, here is the recipe that was very appropriately titled:

"The Very Best Fish Recipe Ever"
3/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese
1/3 c. butter + more for greasing the dish
1/4 c. mayo
3 tbsp. lemon juice (I just squeezed one lemon)
1/4 c. green onion (I used more like 1/3)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. dill, optional (I left it out)
2 dashes tobasco sauce
2 lbs. boneless, skinless fish (I used cod and just a little over a pound. We're poor.)

Pre-heat broiler and grease baking dish with butter. Arrange fish in a single layer in dish and broil for 8-10 minutes. While fish is broiling, make sauce by mixing together cheese, butter, mayo, lemon juice, green onion, salt, pepper, dill and tobasco. When fish is flaky, remove from oven and spread sauce on top (it will be pretty thick before going in the oven). Broil for 4-5 more minutes until sauce is lightly browned. 

Yum. :-)

Christmas 2014

We got to go to Arkansas for Christmas this year for the first time since 2011! We decided this past summer we would probably try to make it work this year since we will have to start paying for a plane ticket for Samuel after he turns 2.

God totally worked everything out for us, though - another guy in Eric's program asked for their days to be switched around, and as a result, Eric got 9 days off instead of 6!

My brother's college graduation also ended up being the same weekend we flew in, so we got to see him, and my grandparents, one of my aunts and two of my cousins, which probably wouldn't have happened otherwise.

Getting there was a little wild and crazy. Eric worked until almost 8 pm his last day on and then we picked up Chick Fil A and drove to Charlotte to stay the night in a hotel. Samuel was way too hyped up to sleep, so it was close to midnight before we all knocked out.

And of course we were up at 6 and out the door a little after 7 to catch our 9 am flight. It's a good thing we left when we did too - the airport was crazy. Samuel did way better than I expected in the long long lines. The coveted use of our iPhones probably had something to do with that. ;-) We got to our gate about 3 minutes before they were going to close the doors and were the last ones on the flight. Whew!

Flying with an almost-2-year-old isn't the most fun thing ever... I was definitely glad Eric was with me! We watched a lot of tv shows on the iPad and passed him back and forth and took turns singing silly songs and holding him while he cried about not being able to run around. (To be fair, he had a cold, which didn't make things any better!)

We made it, though!

We met my family in Little Rock to celebrate JJ's graduation. Then we all drove back to DeWitt and had "Christmas" there. We went to church on Sunday and spent Monday just hanging around. Samuel got to watch Frozen about a million times and ride on some tractors, play the piano and drink way too much sweet tea. He had a blast.

Morning music time with Grammy!

On Tuesday we made our way towards Magnolia. Most of the week was rainy and dreary, so we spent a couple of days there just hanging out by the fire and watching too much tv.

We did finally get to have some Backyard BBQ (our absolute favorite restaurant!), but it took some serious effort. We attempted to go on Tuesday night when we got to town, but, upon ordering, found that they were out of, um, MEAT.

I promise you, this is the only place in the whole flippin' world that can run out of meat (it's a BAR B QUE PLACE!), be soooo nonchalant about it, and we would still go back the next day. But we did. Or my MIL did, because they weren't actually open, they were just processing the first to-go orders they got. Until they ran out of meat again.

Seriously, though, this stuff is that good.

We made Christmas cookies for Samuel to "decorate" on Christmas Eve. :-)

He loved playing with Eric's old toys!

Anyway, Christmas rolled around on Thursday and I'm pretty sure I was way more excited than Samuel could have imagined being. He had no clue at all what was going on. I, on the other hand, woke up every hour waiting for him to make a peep so I could get him up to show him his new toys! We just gave him his train set and basketball goal on Christmas morning. That was enough to entertain him for a while!

Reading a new book with Granddaddy.

Just watching some Christmas morning PBS. ;-)

We spent a few hours Christmas afternoon out at Eric's aunt's house. They have a few horses, so Samuel got to ride on one of those and play on one of their tractors. He also got cars from pretty much every family member. He was pretty much in heaven. :-)

There were a few more gift exchanges over the next few days. I got Samuel's cold and was a little on the miserable side, but still enjoyed spending time with our family. Eric got the cold on the last day, fun fun!

Samuel was way more cooperative on the flight home and the lines were practically non-existent (Though I should probably add that he was kind of a terror in the airport, throwing major tantrums on the floor multiple times right before getting on the plane. I was pretty afraid getting onto the flight, as were all the other passengers. The magic iPad fixed all of that though. :-)

We had a lot of re-training to do when we got home. Baby boy took some seriously hardy naps the first few days back after missing them most of the week. He's still adjusting to NOT getting electronic devices whenever he wants and NOT getting to watch PBS all morning long while drinking sweet tea and eating whatever he feels like.

It was a ton of fun though, and I'm so grateful we got to see so much of our family at one time! :-)

2015 Fitness Goals

I'm always a little hesitant to set many running/fitness goals. After all, there are so many injuries that can occur and other factors that play in (health, weather, when I can afford new shoes).

2015 hasn't started off quite as hardcore as I was hoping it would. But we're only just beginning. I do think having goals helps me push myself a little more. So here are a few goals I think are pretty attainable:

1) Hit the 1000 miles in a year mark again, and stay there as long as possible. (I should be at 1000 by the end of January. Then I just have to keep up with last year me. :-)

2) Get faster in at least one race.

3) Do more weightlifting/cross training.

4) Eat healthier and less.

A few more specific, harder goals:

1) Hit 1100 in the last year.

2) Run a 6:30 mile/23:00 5K.

3) Lose 3-5 pounds. (I'm pretty okay with my weight, but it wouldn't hurt me to lose
 a little. Or to at least turn some fat to muscle. ;-)

4) Get rockin' abs.

So now that's out there. Let's see what 2015 brings. :-) 

Spinach & Onion Strata + Avocado Cookies

I should really write about something else but... well, I love food. (For what it's worth, I have been crafting/working a lot around the house, I just don't feel those types of projects are worth writing about without pictures and I'm terrible about remembering to take pictures!)

Spinach & Onion Strata
I made this for our church group this morning and it was a total hit! I prepared it last night and then just popped in the oven this morning. Easy, no-hassle - a great brunch option!

1/4 c. butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 pkg. spinach (I used Fresh Express, 5 oz)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
dash of nutmeg
1 loaf French bread, torn into pieces
6 oz. Gruyere, shredded
2 oz. Parmesan, shredded
7 eggs
1-1/2 c. milk

Melt butter in a pan and add onion. Cook until translucent, about 3-5 minutes, then add spinach and cook until wilted. Arrange torn bread around a 2-1/2 quart baking dish and pour spinach mixture on top. Top with half of cheese. Scramble eggs and milk together and add in salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour egg mixture over bread and vegetables and top with remaining cheese. Let chill overnight. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, or until set.

Avocado Cookies
Okay, these were a little different, but Samuel loved them and I ate a few myself. They've got an extremely rich, creamy chocolaty flavor. Just beware of too much avocado (I won't go into details. ;-) Next time I will only serve one a day!

3/4 c. of avocado, mashed - I used about 3 small ones.
1/2 c. sugar/coconut sugar/honey
1 egg
1/2 c. dark cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
A handful of chocolate chips or chunks

Put the avocado, sugar and egg in a food processor and mix together. Add in cocoa and baking soda. Remove and stir in chocolate. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. All to cool, then store in the refrigerator.

Sweet Potato Chili & (Crockpot!) Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

A new year often brings a new fervor to accomplish things. In my case it's been a fervor for cooking healthier meals. It probably should be keeping my house a little cleaner (though I have been on an organizing spree). One thing at a time though.

This week I've made two yummy veggie-filled dishes that were both fairly quick and painless. They'll both definitely be appearing again soon! I may try to lessen the meat and replace with lentils at some point. I don't know if my husband will stand for that though. Baby steps, right? :-D

Sweet Potato Chili

I combined a couple of recipes for this and didn't measure super well... as always. It was good though! 

1 lb ~ish of hamburger meat, preferably lean and grass-fed (but if you're broke like me - use what you have!)
1 medium sweet potato, peeled
3-4 carrots, peeled
1-2 squash/zucchini (I didn't bother to peel that)
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp - 1/4 c. chili powder
1-2 tsp. cumin
1-2 tsp. oregano
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (if desired)
EVOO

Brown hamburger meat. While it's browning, grate or dice sweet potato, carrots and squash (I grated it until my hand hurt, then diced the rest. Because I'm lazy like that).

When the meat is browned, remove from pan. Squirt a tablespoon or two of EVOO into the pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until turning translucent, then add in the other veggies. Cook for 3-4 more minutes, then add in tomatoes and spices and return meat to the pan. Let it all simmer together for about 30 minutes. You may need to add an additional 1/2 c. or so of water (or more tomato sauce or V8 or something if you prefer) to keep the consistency.

Serve with grated cheese and crackers. Yum!


Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs

This was yummy, healthy, and best of all - a crockpot meal! This was by far my favorite spaghetti squash meal yet! 

1 large spaghetti squash
1/2-3/4 lb. ground hamburger meat (depending on how many meatballs you want)
1 egg
1/3 c. breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. minced onion
Spaghetti sauce of your choice

Put the spaghetti sauce in the crockpot and turn to low. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds, then place face down in the sauce. Make your meatballs by mixing hamburger meat, egg, breadcrumbs, cheese and onion in a bowl. Roll into balls and either place in the crockpot, or, if there's not enough room, bake on a cookie sheet in the oven @ 350 for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for later (this is what I did).

Let the squash cook for 5-6 hours, then scoop out and top with sauce and meatballs!

Banana Bread(s)

I'm a pretty big fan of banana bread. It's easy to make, I almost always have the ingredients on hand, and you can add extra fruits and veggies to it really easily to make it semi-healthy.

I'm really really terrible about measuring out ingredients and doing things exactly the same every time. Every baked good needs a flour, a fat, a sweetener and a binder. I usually just try to keep these things in proportion and roll with it from there.

Here's kind of a basic outline of what I do for banana bread and some variations.

Basic Banana Bread
2-3 mashed bananas
1/3 c. maple syrup or maple/agave blend
1/4-1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/3 c. applesauce
1/3 c. oil or butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour (I usually do half wheat and half white, or sometimes use some bread flour for the white)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

I also like to add:
3/4 c. oats
1/4 c. flaxseed

Mix all the wet ingredients then add in the dry, bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes and you have some yummy banana goodness. ;-) 

Now, as I mentioned I am not a stickler for measuring or following a recipe to a tee. I like to mix it up. I usually just eyeball... pretty much all of my measurements these days.

I also rarely make plain banana bread. Adding in other fruits and veggies not only makes it a little "healthier," but also more moist.

My three favorite add-ins are grated zucchini, carrot (usually a whole one of each), and crushed pineapple (I do 1/4-1/2 cup). I've also added in vanilla yogurt before and that's really tasty too!

Other add-ins include cinnamon/nutmeg, walnuts, chocolate chips, cocoa (1/3 c. in the mix makes it good and chocolaty - just add some milk too if it makes it too dry), and peanut butter. The possibilities are endless. ;-)

Sweet Potato Muffins/Bread

I've mentioned before that, since Pinterest came into my life, my original idea of food blogging has kind of fallen to the wayside. I really have been quite the cooking/baking junkie lately, though, so I've been thinking that perhaps I should revitalize my food blogging.

Like yesterday, I just had to bake something. Being the week after Christmas, I still felt like a blimp from all the junk food I'd been cooking/baking/eating. So I decided to make something healthy-ish that I wouldn't feel awful feeding to my kid. Plus I really really am trying to incorporate more vegetables and whole foods into our diet.

I had a sweet potato, which seemed like a good base for a muffin. I found a couple of Pinterest recipes, took what I liked/had from each one, and this is what I came up with:

Sweet Potato Muffins
1 mashed sweet potato (I poked holes in it and cooked it in the microwave for 5 minutes, then peeled and mashed)
2 eggs
1/3 c. maple/agave blend
1/3 c. applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. coconut milk
1 c. oats
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/3 c. flax seed (definitely not required, I threw it in just because.;-)
1 box raisins

I mixed all the wet ingredients together, then the dry, then poured the dry into the wet and voila! Muffin mix. I was out of cooking spray, so I melted a tablespoon of butter in the bottom of a bread pan, then poured the batter in and baked it at 350 for 45 minutes or so.

It's not the most amazing thing I've ever eaten, but it's pretty healthy, and we all had some for breakfast and were happy to have seconds. So I can't complain. I may try some banana in it next time too (I didn't have any on hand yesterday). All in all, not a bad dish!