Happy Christmas!

We drank lots of coffee, made cookies, played piano, pool and ping pong. Made wreaths! Drew names for presents this year. Ashley made BK some princess dress up crowns and individually folded Aaron 20 1$/5$ bills into origami. Seriously. Haha, she's talented and said it took her like a week! So fun. And Aaron appreciated her effort. :)

Christmas is August

Schedules are crazy for everyone and unfortunately, Aaron's brother, Ryan, will be deployed to serve our country in October. We all try to not focus on him leaving but the reality of it is unfolding. He is an amazing guy with a very sweet wife, Ashley, that he will be forced to leave for 6 months. We decided to celebrate Christmas early for these reasons. It was a fun, relaxing, do-nothing day but we still sat and cried talking about him being gone and the things he will encounter. I just pray for his safety mostly-but also pray for Ashley and him in that separated time. I can not imagine functioning without my spouse. Aaron does so much for Brooklyn and I that I often don't appreciate enough. I pray for that time to be filled for her so she doesn't have to focus on the pain of being away from him. We all enjoyed having time together to eat, reminisce, and relax!

"Food, Glorious food!" -Ice Age

We like to make omelets bc they don't take long and we always seem to have eggs and random ingredients to fill them. Until recently, I used one egg with a yolk and then just an egg white but now we only use egg whites to decrease cholesterol consumption. My staple items for my omelet are spinach, deli meat, and diced onion. I like to put cottage cheese or salsa on top too! And I know these aren't the best pictures but its the only way I can post food so much. I overcooked a bunch of mini sweet potatoes that I was super excited about so I decided to put them in a blender skin and all with a non-overcooked regular size sweet potato, added brown sugar, cinnamon and a little melted real butter. It made delicious mashed sweet potatoes!!! I may never eat them the "regular" way again. We also finished off our pasta to tonight. I post a lot about food but the truth is: I think a lot about food. Posting the healthy options I chose today help me want to choose those options and be proud of them again tomorrow. "Health is the greatest wealth!" :)

Chunky Spinach Pasta

I have made my own version of this pasta to erase a bunch of unneeded and unwanted calories. I use any kind of whole grain pasta. Organic is preferred but it's not a perfect world an organic gets expensive!! Chicken breast, lots of tomatoes (fresh, sundried,canned-depends on how saucy you like your pasta). If you are using canned, try to buy organic and check the sodium. I use probably 6 cups of spinach. It adds calcium and vitamin K and is super delicious in my opinion. :) Add onion, peppers, etc to taste. The original recipe calls for a pkg of feta cheese which is delicious but very high in fat/calories. I add a few tbsp of cottage cheese instead to mine to give it the creamy flavor and texture of a feta cheese. This pasta lasts Aaron and I probably 5 days. Quick and easy! I like to pack it for my lunch. :)

A Tuesday Morning

Went to Farmers market this morning followed by a trip to Squash Blossoms. We were excited to see Squash Blossoms had such a variety of things! I've found that you have to be careful with Farmers Markets because a lot of stuff isn't organic there. Still, I think it probably safer than produce in major grocery stores. Maybe not, but it's local and I enjoy helping the people out by purchasing produce from their farms. Also, I bought some pretty peacock feathers for $1 a piece. They're $7 at hobby lobby! Score! Brooklyn brought her tiger "Stripes".

A healthy Quesadilla

It has been so hard to get Brooklyn to eat lately. I've found she really likes quesadillas per her Grandma taking her to Taco Bell. Don't get me wrong, I could eat Taco Bell til I am sick. In fact, that's why we don't eat there anymore; it makes me sick. So, I decided to make a healthy version and try it out. I would much rather have Ezekiel tortillas but found these wheat ones at Walmart for now. I try to add in some kind of random vegetable-Bk won't eat asparagus but she will bite the tops of so hey, thats progress. I used unseasoned chicken breast and mozzarella cheese. Mozzarella cheese is the best if you are wanting to eat a cheese with a little less fat and less calories. (The white cheese sticks most people buy are mozzarella cheese. ;) -and if you buy low sodium mozzarella cheese, you are saving yourself 20 calories per serving. Little decisions like that make the biggest difference over time.) I like to put organic onions from the Farmers Market in ours, mushrooms, spinach etc. For Brooklyn, I do meat and cheese only. Notice the portion differences for Aaron, Brooklyn and I. P.s she took a picture of hers. :) Also, I added a pic of my breakfast. Protein, whole grain and fruit under 150 calories. My meals are less calories and smaller portions but I eat every 3 to 4 hours to stabilize blood sugar. Plus, I just love to eat!

Doll House

Aaron's mom restored an old doll house for BK and she will play with it for hours. She's so creative and imaginative while setting up her rooms. I love it! Also, a random picture from when she was about 4 weeks old. Oh how I miss a tiny baby...minus the no sleep thing! ;)