Gigi visit

Gigi came to visit last week so Mommy could go back to work. Read finally got his shots, but he is still not over his cough and congestion, so we do not want to get him out in the weather or around other children. While she was here, she made us yummy dinners and created lots of art with the girls. Reader got some good lovin' too.

eating clean

We have started getting our recipes from an online community - the kitchen table off of the eat clean diet website.  We have had chicken cordon bleu, roasted tilapia, chicken/spinach pizza & chicken/spinach quesadillas.   We are 4 for 4.  I have lost 3 pounds already.  I do not think of it as a diet, just more choices for dinner.  I like that it uses so many fresh ingredients & the majority of the items I keep on hand.

 INGREDIENTS:
• 2 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 large spinach leaves, washed stems removed
• 2 wedges Laughing Cow Light cheese
• slice of no-sodium ham
• Paprika
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
DIJON YOGURT SAUCE
• 1/2 cup nonfat Greek-style yogurt
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp 1% buttermilk
• 2 tbsp chives, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pound chicken with a mallet to 1/4-inch thickness. Be careful not to tear apart the breast. Lay 1 spinach leaf on top of each breast. Then spread cheese wedge to cover spinach. Top with 1/2 slice ham, folding ham over as needed to fit breast. Gently roll up each breast and secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle outer side of breast with paprika. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
2. While chicken is baking, sauté garlic in oil in a nonstick skillet for 1 minute on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and pepper. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes until soft. Remove from heat. Cover and set aside.
3. To prepare sauce, whisk together yogurt, mustard and buttermilk. Mix in chives.
4.  Divide mushrooms equally between 2 plates, about 1/4 cup each. Then place chicken on bed of mushrooms and drizzle 1/4 cup yogurt sauce over top. 
Nutrients per serving (1 chicken cordon bleu, ¼ cup mushrooms, ¼ cup yogurt sauce): Calories: 281, Total Fat: 9 g,Sat. Fat: 3 g, Carbs: 10 g, Fiber: 2 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 38 g, Sodium: 587 mg, Cholesterol: 80 mg
http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/Recipes/Recipe/Chicken-Cordon-Bleu.aspx

Snow in Texas

texas weather part 2

You know what they say about Texas, if you don't like the weather just wait till tomorrow.
Shorts on Sunday and snow on Friday.

Texas weather

memories

One of my favorite childhood memories is playing games with my Granny. I played 21 or dominoes, so thankfully there are more kid versions available for the girls than poker. It still was a special site for me to see LE playing with her Granny. She says Granny is the best card player and she wants to be as good as her. Bella is not a game player, her time is usually passed with dress up clothes and spinning.

winter wonderland '11

Earlier this morning I noticed some interesting ice patterns in my front yard. I thought it was odd that the ice seemed to stop right at our property line. I look down the street and no one else has any ice in their yard. That is when I noticed the sprinklers were all on in my front yard. I could have sworn those were turned off at the control box in the garage. I double-check. Yes, the sprinkler system is off. I have a busted pipe somewhere.

So I put on my coat and shoes and step out onto the front porch. Every blade of grass is about an inch thick with ice. The trees and shrubs are all iced over from the ground up to about 2 feet high, it’s very pretty actually. But I shake off the distraction of the winter wonderland my yard has become and I focus on the task at hand. I’ve got to shut off that water. I have no idea how long the sprinklers have been on, and I fear my next water bill is going to hurt. I need to get to the sprinkler shutoff valve at the far end of the yard.

I hurry off the front porch and immediately slip and fall on the icy sidewalk. After a quick recovery, I rethink my strategy. I should probably avoid the sidewalk, but I can’t see a path through the yard that will keep me dry from the sprinklers. I limp down the driveway into the street and go around the yard to where the sprinkler system valve is, this time staying clear of the ice. I see water gushing down the street and it’s all coming from my yard! I find the sprinkler valve cover and open it up to find it is filled to the brim with water – about a foot and a half deep. I can see the shutoff valve at the bottom of the icy abyss, taunting me.

Right now I am thinking “how do I get out of sticking my arm down into this icy water”? But then I remember the gushing water and the inevitable water bill. So I pull up my coat sleeve and reach down into the cold. I find the valve and start trying to turn it, but it won’t budge. Wow that water is cold! While I am arguing with the sprinkler valve, one of the sprinklers about 2 feet from me turns my direction and sprays me in the side of my head. I try turning the valve in the other direction and it works. I see the all the sprinklers shutting down! Man that water is cold, my arm is tingling now.

Feeling victorious, I walk out into the street and slip and fall again on the ice. I wonder how many neighbors saw that?

True story.
-Ben

2 months

Reader is 2 months old and is growing like a weed.
He is 11 pounds 7 oz (45%), 22 3/4 inches long (50%).  He loves to smile and coo at us.  He is sleeping around 4 hours straight on a regular basis at night, and is starting to nap.
At his appointment, we found out he has torticollis.  It means he naturally turns his head to one side and his neck muscles are not developing properly.  We will start therapy with ECI or Any Baby Can.   They will teach us massage techniques and hopefully and with prayer he will be right back on track.  He has a cold right now, so we are treating with an infant decongestant.  We could also use some prayers that it does not develop into RSV. 
He is such a happy baby and such a blessing to our family.

wordless wednesday

long term goals

One month down, eleven to go...
Our new year's goals had the typical ones, take off the baby weight (both Ben & I) & get more organized (with chores, home school, fitness, and no sleep).  The one goal we did not share with many people has proven to be the easiest.  Ben & I gave up our eating out part of the budget.  We have set aside cash for a monthly date night, but other than that we will not be eating at fast food joints, ordering pizza or making a Sonic drink run.  If invited out and we have date money left over we will do restaurants with friends and family. 
We are saving up for a big family vacation.  More importantly with our budgeting system that we have used the past 2 years I was able to see how much we spent on eating out.  It made my stomach turn.  I told a few people about our plans and I got the "whatever" look or even better "whatever" comments.  But truth be told I have not wanted to.  I have been purposeful in our meal planning. We keep a case of cokes in the spare fridge for those special occasions that used to call for a sonic run.  We make gourmet pizzas for those nights and my next goal is to learn to make our own sushi rolls.  Hey, I lived in a 900 sq foot duplex for 2 1/2 years, I survived that I think I can survive without Sonic and Chick-Fil-A.