Skinny Taco Soup

I made this yummy soup last week and wanted to share with you guys.  I adapted the recipe from HERE, but changed it up a tiny bit.  It turned out delicious and was super easy- pretty much just dump it all in the crockpot!


Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. ground turkey

4 cups chicken broth

1 small white onion, diced

2 (14.5 oz) cans Diced & Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Green chiles

1 (14.5 oz) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14.5 oz) can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (11 oz) can whole kernel corn

1 (3.8oz) can sliced black olives, drained

2 Tbsp. taco seasoning

Toppings: lite sour cream, jalapenos

 

 

 

 

Brown the meat in a skillet with olive oil and drain when browned.  Add the meat along with all other ingredients (except toppings) to your crock pot.  Cook on High for 4 hours.

 

 

 

 

Once served, you can add whatever toppings you like.  We did lite sour cream and a few jalapenos for some kick.  This makes A LOT, so be prepared to freeze some or eat for a few days.

 

 

Enjoy!!

Tilly - 8 Months

 

Oh my goodness.. these pictures are getting near impossible to take.  This month she was trying to climb up over to top of the chair.. along with trying to flip over the side!

 

 

 

Month: 8- February 21, 2015

Height: Not sure on this until her check up next month

Weight: 15.1 according to sitting her on my scale.

Diaper Size: Finally moved up to Size 3, which is so nice since that is when the nighttime diapers start.  This baby pees like crazy at night!

Clothes Size:  Still all in 6 month.  Some tops are getting a bit tight, but the 9 month are so much bigger.  Hopefully we can start switching over to them shortly.

Sleep:  The same here.. 8/8:30pm-7/7:30am with 2-3 naps a day. Most naps are an hour to 2 hours.  This girl is a fan of sleep! (thankful mama here!)

Morning snuggles with Mama once she wakes up

 

Eat: She was doing good still.. her average of 25-26oz with a 6oz in the morning and 5oz every 3 hours after. Well, then she got a horrible cold and went on a hunger strike. This baby is tiny and has no room to miss a meal, so it was a bit stressful.  She would scream and throw a fit anytime she saw her bottle and one day only had around 11oz total. ugh.  Thank goodness after 2 weeks of building it back up she is pretty much back to her normal routine, plus around a jar to a jar and a half of food.  I think my child has the smallest stomach in the world because she could care less about food and doesn't like to eat much.

 

Likes:  She loves her mama and daddy, that's for sure! She loves playing and climbing on EVERYTHING now.  She also loves to follow us where ever we go.. that baby can turbo crawl. She loves to just crawl into the hallway and sit there and play with her hands, it's too funny to see her sitting there all alone just grinning away.  She loves her veggies way more than fruits, but is not a fan with anything that has peas.

 

 

Target fun!

 

 

Dislikes:  I forgot to mention this last month, but she is pretty much scared of anyone except Lance or myself.  She is in turbo stranger danger mode and will cry and get terrified if anyone else holds her.  Not fun. She also is scared of loud noises and will start crying. I guess we just aren't loud people, ha, so she isn't used to it. She's not a big fan of most fruits, I think she doesn't like the bitterness.

Firsts:  She had her first REALLY bad cold. I have never seen her so sad and pitiful, it was horrible.  Thank goodness it's almost completely clear. She also started being able to get in the sitting position on her own this month.. which means a lot of falling backwards and smacking her head on the floor.  Luckily she seems to have a nice, hard head! :)  This also means that she now sits up in her crib when she wakes up.. along with standing up and banging on the side until I come get her! haha  She has started to try and wave, it's the cutest thing ever because she gets so excited! She finally got the hang of putting food in her mouth and actually chewing. I am starting with the puffs for practice.  I did have to start with breaking them in half since she tried to inhale the whole thing and might have choked on a few.. oops.  But she is taking whole ones now and chewing.. woohoo!  And she is finally getting the hang of her sippy cup and not just using it as a chew toy.. gotta get ready to get rid of that bottle as soon as the time comes! I'm the mean mommy and don't like any attachment to items. ha

Also big news here.. finally at 8 months old her first tooth is breaking through on the bottom!! It doesn't seem to bother her. No change in sleep or fussiness. She's also never been a drooler and hasn't started.. yet.  We will see how it goes as she gets more.  I've felt it about a week and finally am seeing it pop through some, it seems to be taking forever!

My poor baby on her worst day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our little Valentine

 

 

Extra Updates:  We are just moving right along! I love watching her grow and learn new things constantly, though this crawling/pulling up has brought on a whole new world.  A much, much more stressful one.  She is such a happy little baby, but with a 16 year old teenager living inside.. she has got some sass and boy will she let you know if she doesn't want to do something.  I'm assuming she gets this from me.. oops! :)

 

 

Overall she is such an amazing baby and we feel so blessed every day that she is ours. I can't even imagine life before her.. and how sad that her 1 year is in 4 months.. ahhh!! Time to start birthday party planning! :)

We love you baby girl!!
 

 

 

Foil Wrapped Chicken Veggie Dinner

So I said I would share any great recipes I came across, and I knew I would definitely be sharing this one.  I made this last night and it was super easy and turned out delicious!  You can mix and match this a ton of different ways, but I will post how I made ours.

Foil Wrapped Chicken and Veggies

Ingredients:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (I used thinly sliced ones)
Red, Yellow, and Orange Peppers
Red Onion
Tomato
Garlic (I used jarred chopped)
Fresh Basil Leaves
Carrots
Vinaigrette Dressing (I used Zesty Lime)
Aluminum Foil

Tear off enough pieces of foil to completely cover each chicken breast and veggies.  Chop up enough vegetables for each wrapped chicken and divide. Lay chicken on your foil sheet, top with garlic, pour on enough dressing to cover chicken, top with veggies, and then place 1-2 basil leaves on top.  Wrap up completely and place on cooking sheet.  I made 4 servings, enough for dinner and then lunch the next day.  Cook at 325 for 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. 

 

 

Once complete, I just scooped everything out and left most of the dressing in the foil to toss.  You can either keep the veggies on the chicken and eat it together, or move them to the side to eat as your "side". I think it took about 10 minutes of prep.. super fast, easy and delicious!


I would also like to throw in my new gadget I got recently that I am obsessed with! The one I got retails $40 at JcPenney, but with a sale and coupon I ended up getting it for around $15.  It makes slicing your vegetables a breeze! I LOVE it!!

Purchase HERE.  It is on sale now and they have a $10 off $25 code for in store and online!

 

 

Enjoy!

Quick, Healthy Recipes & Ideas

So around 3 weeks ago I decided to start meal planning and eating a bit better. We never really eat "bad" as in fast food or tons of fried things, but were bad about getting processed items.  I really wanted to try and start eating clean.  I mentioned before I have some leftover "baby weight" (can I still call it that 7 months later? ha) I want to lose, so I figured this would be a good start.  So far I have lost about 4 1/2 lbs in 3 weeks just from diet.  Now it's time to add in some exercise, boo! haha 

When searching for recipes, I try to find ones that are mostly natural foods and most importantly, simple! Now some of these do have packaged items, but overall most of them are pretty healthy.  I am just going to share a few I have tried so far that were a hit.


First off we have been making these about a year or so, and I love them! Simple and delicious.  Mini pizzas! 

Ingredients:
Any type of pita or tortilla, though I like FlatOut brand products.
Lite Laughing Cow Cheese
Shredded Cheese (not a must)
Olive Oil
Spinach
Tomato
Garlic

Neither Lance or I are big fans of pizza sauce, so we always make the "white pizzas", but you can easily add marinara to this if you like.

Bake the Pita for around 5 minutes, take out and add all above toppings (the olive oil is our sauce), and put back in the oven around 8 minutes. Simple and delicious! Also very low on calories!

 

 

 

Next, I made a Shrimp Pasta with Zucchini Noodles and roasted radishes.  This whole meal was under 175 calories.. INSANE!

 

I got a Vegetable Spiralizer for Christmas (yea, I asked for this haha) I spiraled (is that a word?) some zucchini, and then sauteed them in a bit of olive oil. I added a few chopped yellow peppers I had left over from another recipe as well.  Then, I cooked the shrimp in a skillet with a few different spices and added it to the noodles once heated.  Now, I was a bit nervous about the radishes, because I normally don't like them.  I saw them on a cooking show where they promised they didn't taste like a raw radish this way, and they were right! I really, really liked them!  All you do is chop up your radishes, cover with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.  Once you take them out of the oven, sprinkle with lemon juice and you're done! They have more of a potato taste this way.

 

(I didn't notice the picture I took was blurry until after I ate all my food.. oops)

 

 

 

Third, I tried this simple chicken marinade idea and the flavor was very good.  Overnight you will marinate boneless, skinless chicken breasts with the following:

 

2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tbsp. parsley flakes

2 tbsp. lemon juice

 

Cook at 350 for 30 or so minutes, depending on thickness and size.  I served these with a side of fresh broccoli chopped and baked with a bit of olive oil and salt/pepper.  The chicken is also something you can prepare and then freeze in the marinade until you are ready to thaw and eat.  Great freezer meal idea!

 

 

 

 

Fourth, I tried an Orange Chicken crockpot recipe.  This one I didn't have all the correct ingredients so I'll put exactly how I made it, since I liked the taste!

 

Orange Marmalade (I just dumped in the whole jar since I knew I wouldn't use the rest for anything)

1/2 cup of BBQ

1/4 cup Honey ((it called for 3/4 cup of Honey BBQ sauce, but I improvised since I only had reg))

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast chopped into large pieces

 

Cook on Low 3-4 hours.

 

I'm sure if you dumped the sauce all over these once you took the chicken out it would add a lot more calories, but I just picked out the chicken and only had the sauce that had soaked into them.  I really liked this recipe, even though Lance didn't like the orange flavor (he doesn't like anything fruit flavored ha).

 

Mainly we try to use recipes with a baked meat, mainly chicken or fish, and then a side of fresh vegetables.  We also like to get the Turkey Tenderloins that are pre-seasoned and bake those- which is 2 nights worth of meals! I can tell a difference in not feeling so bloated since eating more clean.  It has also been a HUGE help with the meal planning. I plan out my weekly menu on Saturday, and then make my lists of needed ingredients for my Sunday shopping trip.  It helps save money, not waste food, and makes the nights so much faster and more organized.

 

I also try to drink as much lemon water as I can, eat fresh for breakfast (avocado toast with lemon juice, yogurt, fresh fruit, special k with skim milk) and lunch (salads, fruits, veggies, leftover meats from dinner), and not snack.  I recently bought some Ezekiel bread (made with sprouts and not flour) that is supposed to be much better for you and doesn't have any crazy preservatives. You have to keep it in the freezer though unless you can eat it all within just a few days.  I also found Silk Almond Milk now makes a coffee creamer, which I am so excited for because I know how HORRIBLE and chemical filled those yummy coffee creamers are.  I see so many people focus on low calorie foods, but they don't realize how many chemicals and fake things they are eating just to get low calorie.  I will eat more calories/fat if I know that it's actually an overall healthy option.

 

I am definitely not a pro at this, nor do I eat good all the time. I just thought I would share a few tips and tricks I am trying to focus on more this year.  Sometimes you just want a yummy, chemically processed cookie.. and that's ok. (I'm human.. it's not the end of the world).  I am still trying out new recipes weekly, so I will post more as I find ones worth sharing. I am making some hummus crusted chicken tonight that I am pretty excited about!

 

 

Hopefully this can help if you are looking for some healthier, quick options. :)  I am always open for ideas you have tried, so share away if you have any recommendations!!

 

 

Tilly - 7 Months

 

7 months old!

 

 I think these were the hardest pictures yet to take! She was either trying to climb off the chair, rock it back and forth (nice, blurry pics), or smash the elephant in her face. It was a challenge!

 

 

 

 

(the only one with the elephant by her! haha)

 

Month: 7 - January 21, 2015

Height: (didn't get this month)

Weight: 14 lbs 10 oz

We only had a nurse visit to get the flu booster and they weren't going to measure or weigh, but I did ask for a weight check so I don't know the percentiles for this month either. I won't get all that again until her 9 month check up in March!

Diaper Size: Size 2

Clothes Size: All size 6 month tops & pjs. Mostly 6 month pants, but some 9 month fit.

Sleep:  Still awesome! Average night is 8:30pm-7:30am. 3 naps a day that average around an hour or so.

Eat: 6oz bottle when she wakes up, and then 4 more 5oz bottles that average around 3 hours apart.  She has a jar of food around 2pm each day.  I was going to make all her baby food, and did make some, but it's so much easier to just buy- especially all the mixed flavors.  I buy the BeechNut brand that is 100% puree foods with no add-ins. So far she has had Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Bananas, Apples, Pears, Peas, Green Beans, Pumpkin/Apple, and Banana/Blueberry/Green Beans.  The only one she wasn't a fan of so far has been peas. 

 

 

Likes:  She loves chewing on anything and everything, crawling, rolling (anything that keeps her moving), her door jumper, her stationed jumper, playing either by herself or with mommy or daddy, and just blabbing away. This baby is "talking" and/or moving ALL day. She also loves to watch back videos of herself on my phone, it's hilarious. She will super grin and just stare at herself.  She also loves our cell phones and the remote.  If those things are in the middle of a pile of toys, she is going for them. Sigh.  I just ordered her her own little "baby" phone. Hopefully this helps her not slobber all over ours!

Dislikes:  Nothing really here. She is such a happy, smiley baby!

Firsts:  We had our first Christmas and she loved tearing open the presents. It was such a fun morning and I can't wait for next year when she's older and understands a bit more what is going on.

 

 

 

(The only picture I got in her cute outfit.. oops!)

 

She also officially got past the rocking and is now a CRAWLER.. Ah!!! She started by being on her hands and knees and just rocking for weeks.  She finally figured out how to go forward and now it's non stop! She used to just stay in the living room and play while I would go start laundry or make lunch.. Not anymore! Now she immediately wants to follow me everywhere. It's fun, but exhausting and a bit nerve racking!

 

She also is saying Mama and Dada way more. Unfortunately she normally says Dada around me and Mama more around Lance! haha


We recently put her in the top of the shopping cart and it was too cute to watch her look all around and get so excited to see everything in the store.  I had to make the strap as tight as possible since she's still so tiny and was flopping around.

 

 

Extra Updates:  We are just moving right along. I feel like each week I have a new baby because she is constantly learning new things.  It is amazing to watch how much she grows and how independent she is becoming.  She loves to sit and play with all her toys now.  Sadly, she only likes to cuddle when it's time to put her to sleep.  She can't sit still long enough to do it other wise (just like her constantly moving daddy!)  She loves to super scrunch up her face and laugh all the time.  When she gets really excited or focused, she'll scrunch up her face and start breathing really loud. She is a determined little baby, that's for sure.  We are so thankful for this amazing, healthy little bit! 

Oh, and still no teeth!!

 

We love you Tilly Ann!

 

 

Pineapple Sweet Tea

I actually have quite a few healthy recipes I have been meaning to post, as I finally started meal planning and decided after 7 months I should probably lose the rest of this "baby weight".  Well, that can wait a bit because I wanted to share this simple recipe.  I love to watch Trisha Yearwood's cooking show on Saturday mornings and everything she makes look so good (it's all Southern and not healthy.. of course it looks good!)  She made a Pineapple Sweet Tea last week that I just had to try.  If you like Peach Tea and other flavored tea, you should love this!

((I didn't make the pineapple ice cubes like they suggest, but it sounds like a good idea!))


Ingredients:

• One 20-ounce can pineapple chunks
• 4 family-size tea bags
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1/2 cup sugar  (on the show she said 1 &1/2 cups so I'm not sure if this is a typo or not.. I started with a 1/2 cup, but it was too bitter for me, so I ended up using 1 cup total)

 

Directions:

Drain the pineapple chunks and reserve the juice. Place the pineapple chunks in 2 silicone ice cube trays and fill the trays with cold water (it's ok if the pineapple floats up). Freeze overnight.

Pour 2 cups boiling water over the tea bags in a heat-safe measuring cup and let the tea stand for 10 minutes. Into a large pitcher, add the reserved pineapple juice, sugar and 1 cup cold water. Stir to mix slightly. Remove the tea bags from the tea mixture. Pour the hot tea into the sugar mixture and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add 8 cups water to the pitcher and refrigerate until serving.
When ready to serve, drop the pineapple ice cubes into the tea

Recipe courtesy of Trisha Yearwood ~ source 

Jamberry Nails - A Review

A few weeks ago I was contacted by an old high school classmate, Brandi Thompson, about doing a review of a product that she sells, Jamberry nails.  I love doing my nails so I thought, sure!  I am a nail polish junkie and told her I would love to try them as an accent nail, that way I could compare it to my polish. I normally only use OPI or Essie, so I never really have a problem with my polish staying on unless I am just really rough on my hands that week.  My thing is my nails grow SO fast- I only keep my polish on a week max because the growing out drives me insane.

 

I got my kit in the mail and was ready to go. 

 

 

 

I went with the floral strip since I was in the mood for pink and girly.  I was able to do 2 nails with just one strip.

 

The application process was very easy, just heat up the strip for a few seconds with the blow dryer and apply on your nail.  I cut the strip in half first since I was using it for 2 nails.  Once you have it on your nail, just trim down the excess and file it down. Simple as that! I took some pictures to document my week.

Day 1 - Monday, December 22. Applied and ready to go!

 



 

Day 4- Christmas, Thursday December 25 (excuse my dry hands and cuticles! ha)

 

 

and the day I took them everything off.. Day 7- Sunday, December 28.

 

 

As you can see from the side few, a bit of chipping from my polish, but the Jamberry nails still looking great besides growing out!

 

To remove, all you have to do is apply a little bit of heat and they peel right off. There was no damage to my nails or any weird sticky residue.  Overall I really enjoyed using these products and think they're a great way to jazz up your nails without worrying about your polish chipping or having to change them too often.  They are made to last up to 2 weeks!

 

 

 

A little extra information:

A sheet will give you 2 manicures, 2 pedicures, plus accent nails.. and only cost $15!

 

If you are interested in hosting a Jamberry party, you are able to get many amazing exclusive incentives, like FREE wraps!

 

If you would like to learn more about these products you can check out Brandi's Facebook page or her Direct Jamberry page.  You can also reach her at 901-305-2931.

 

You can also click HERE to request a free sample kit to try them out first.

 

Brandi has also offered to give away a free half sheet of one of her personal wraps to the first person who would like to book an online party! Contact her for more details.

 

 

Thanks again Brandi for letting me try out your products! :)  Happy Monday everyone!!!