One of my favorite things about summer is all the delicious fruit and veggies that are in season. Yum! It's no surprise that I love strawberries and this is definitely my favorite recipe that includes strawberries. Something about the salty pretzels with the sweetness of the strawberries makes my mouth (and my tummy) extra happy.
Ingredients
2 cups pretzels, crushed (about 4 cups)
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
Cool Whip
2 (3 ounce) packages strawberry Jell-O gelatin dessert
1 (16 ounce) package frozen sweetened strawberries (I love using fresh!)
2 cups boiling water
Directions
Crust: Combine pretzels, butter, and 1/4 cup sugar. Press into 9" x 13" baking dish and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
White Layer: Cream together cream cheese and 1 cup sugar.
Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over pretzel crust.
Red Layer: Dissolve gelatin in boiling water.
Stir in frozen strawberries, Chill until partially set (about 1 hour) and spread over white layer.
Chill until set and serve.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
growing up in a flash.
On Tuesday, my baby boy turned 4. Okay, okay. Sorry, Junior. I realize that you are "not a baby" and that you indeed are a "big boy". Excuse me a second while I go sob my eyes out, okay?
Not only did Junior introduce me to another side of me that I now wholeheartedly enjoy with every fiber of my being (motherhood), but he allows me to experience joy in ways that I don't think I really could, without his example. The simple joy, for example, in helping me make something as easy as scrambled eggs. The way he almost started crying happy tears because "he loves his birthday card" (just the card!).
This weekend, we will celebrate his birthday again and I'll reflect on the miracles that motherhood has truly shown me-- like laughter, experiencing your heart outside your body, the pure love that just radiates for your child. I'll do this again in July, with my little Adrian. Each birthday brings a new set of heartache for me-- my babies are getting all grown up, closer to a time when they won't need me as much, when my hugs and love will probably embarrass them. Even closer to a time when they will have their own life, separate from my household. While I'm sure each of those milestones will bring with it a new excitement, all I can do is dread the time when being Mom won't require such an active role in their life.
But for now? I'll just savor these little moments-- the birthdays, the joy, the laughter, and yes, even the temper tantrums and the tears.
Happy birthday, baby boy.
Friday, May 22, 2009
summer is almost here!
And I just love summer foods. Seriously, the grill will be my best friend from now until... well, probably until there is snow on the ground again, and in Northwest Indiana, that's a pretty unpredictable span of time.
My favorite (and easiest) recipe is kabobs.
Our family loves chicken kabobs!
Chop up some veggies and chicken. We usually do seasonal veggies! Yesterday, we did mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and zucchini. Coat veggies and meat with Italian dressings! It's my marinade of choice. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to cook.
Then, fire up your grill, stick the veggies and meat on skewers, and grill away!
I always serve it with a salad and baked potato, and it's such a filling meal that is so healthy and delicious.
In other news, my biggest boy is turning 4 on Tuesday. This week, I've signed him up for preschool and pretty much walked around in a state of shock. I cannot believe that he is turning 4 and will be going to school in the fall.
As a funny aside, when I was at the school signing him up, I had to run over to the school nurse and have her check out his vaccinations and see if he was up to date. As I handed her the card, the two nurses on duty started looking at each other.
Me: Hi! Just wanted to make sure that my son has all the needed vaccinations to start preschool in the fall.
Nurse One looks at Nurse Two
Nurse Two: Are you this child's mother?
Me: Yes!
Nurse One: You gave birth to this child?
Me: ... yes?
Nurse Two: So, you are the child's mother.
Do you hear that sound? It's me, banging my head against the wall!
It's one of the things about being a young mother and looking even younger than I am!
My favorite (and easiest) recipe is kabobs.
Our family loves chicken kabobs!
Chop up some veggies and chicken. We usually do seasonal veggies! Yesterday, we did mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and zucchini. Coat veggies and meat with Italian dressings! It's my marinade of choice. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to cook.
Then, fire up your grill, stick the veggies and meat on skewers, and grill away!
I always serve it with a salad and baked potato, and it's such a filling meal that is so healthy and delicious.
In other news, my biggest boy is turning 4 on Tuesday. This week, I've signed him up for preschool and pretty much walked around in a state of shock. I cannot believe that he is turning 4 and will be going to school in the fall.
As a funny aside, when I was at the school signing him up, I had to run over to the school nurse and have her check out his vaccinations and see if he was up to date. As I handed her the card, the two nurses on duty started looking at each other.
Me: Hi! Just wanted to make sure that my son has all the needed vaccinations to start preschool in the fall.
Nurse One looks at Nurse Two
Nurse Two: Are you this child's mother?
Me: Yes!
Nurse One: You gave birth to this child?
Me: ... yes?
Nurse Two: So, you are the child's mother.
Do you hear that sound? It's me, banging my head against the wall!
It's one of the things about being a young mother and looking even younger than I am!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Wordless Wednesday
He can't quite walk yet, but this boy can climb. Seriously gives me such a heart attack.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
here's to you, mommies.
It's Mother's Day morning, and I'm sitting here, listening to my crazy boy crawl and climb on everything in his sight, mumbling and squeaking. If you are anything like me, Mother's Day comes with a fleeting hope in your eye for something special, but the reality of it is, it falls on deaf ears.
But this morning? I decided that it's okay. I will celebrate my own motherhood and the blessings I've been given to be able to be celebrating my fourth mother's day. Because for every poopy diaper and sleepless night, there is an equal happiness in the depth of my soul when I witness my babies do something amazing, something sweet, something loving. Each hug they share together, each hug I'm given, each kiss. Those are the gifts I receive for Mother's Day every single day of my life.
Just having these sweet boys? That's the best gift I could ever receive and when I get caught up in the disappointment of knowing that Mother's Day may be overlooked, it may just be another day, in the long run? I'm okay with that. The disappointment will fade when these chubby little arms wrap themselves around my neck and slobbery little kisses meet my lips.
Happy Mother's Day, mommies.
But this morning? I decided that it's okay. I will celebrate my own motherhood and the blessings I've been given to be able to be celebrating my fourth mother's day. Because for every poopy diaper and sleepless night, there is an equal happiness in the depth of my soul when I witness my babies do something amazing, something sweet, something loving. Each hug they share together, each hug I'm given, each kiss. Those are the gifts I receive for Mother's Day every single day of my life.
Just having these sweet boys? That's the best gift I could ever receive and when I get caught up in the disappointment of knowing that Mother's Day may be overlooked, it may just be another day, in the long run? I'm okay with that. The disappointment will fade when these chubby little arms wrap themselves around my neck and slobbery little kisses meet my lips.
Happy Mother's Day, mommies.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
I've been thwarted.
By my own body.
So yesterday, I'm on the treadmill, and I'm feeling just short of amazing. It feels great, because getting on the treadmill lately has been more of a struggle than I care to admit.
I'm really going great, about 6 minutes left in my weight loss program I'm doing on the treadmill, and then I was planning on doing some extra walking and taking advantage of how great I feel.
Then, bam. My knee gives out and I'm hopping on the treadmill on one leg, while trying to pull the emergency stop switch.
And now I can't walk today. My ACL, again. So what's a girl to do?
In other weight loss news, I'm only 3 glorious pounds away from my pre-J weight and then it's the journey to my goal weight.
Weight loss is such an up and down journey, and not just on the scale. For me, it's such an incredible battle of wills. I don't want to be this weight anymore. I'm not happy. I'm trying so hard to find a good balance of dedication without bordering on obsession. It's totally a hard thing to find, because my husband has entered into the weight loss realm and he's totally kicking my butt. And silly little details like he has more weight to lose than I do, he is a man, he isn't breastfeeding (okay, you might have figured that out when I said "he's a man," but details here, people. details). He totally can operate on one meal a day (which isn't healthy and I yell at him for this, but I'm just his wife, what do I know?!) while I'm like the ending pit of appetite.
A delicious little dinner last night consisted of a pan of lightly seasoned veggies (zucchini, onion, mushrooms, and green beans), a baked potato, and a small side of pasta with even more veggies. It's incredible to eat like this, and watch my whole family eat like this (even J!) and know that I'm preparing my boys for a much healthier relationship with food than either of us have ever had.
So yesterday, I'm on the treadmill, and I'm feeling just short of amazing. It feels great, because getting on the treadmill lately has been more of a struggle than I care to admit.
I'm really going great, about 6 minutes left in my weight loss program I'm doing on the treadmill, and then I was planning on doing some extra walking and taking advantage of how great I feel.
Then, bam. My knee gives out and I'm hopping on the treadmill on one leg, while trying to pull the emergency stop switch.
And now I can't walk today. My ACL, again. So what's a girl to do?
In other weight loss news, I'm only 3 glorious pounds away from my pre-J weight and then it's the journey to my goal weight.
Weight loss is such an up and down journey, and not just on the scale. For me, it's such an incredible battle of wills. I don't want to be this weight anymore. I'm not happy. I'm trying so hard to find a good balance of dedication without bordering on obsession. It's totally a hard thing to find, because my husband has entered into the weight loss realm and he's totally kicking my butt. And silly little details like he has more weight to lose than I do, he is a man, he isn't breastfeeding (okay, you might have figured that out when I said "he's a man," but details here, people. details). He totally can operate on one meal a day (which isn't healthy and I yell at him for this, but I'm just his wife, what do I know?!) while I'm like the ending pit of appetite.
A delicious little dinner last night consisted of a pan of lightly seasoned veggies (zucchini, onion, mushrooms, and green beans), a baked potato, and a small side of pasta with even more veggies. It's incredible to eat like this, and watch my whole family eat like this (even J!) and know that I'm preparing my boys for a much healthier relationship with food than either of us have ever had.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
all you need is love.
Love-- my life is overflowing in love: I have the love of my children, my sisters, my husband.
But one big thing I'm lacking in life is friends. Maybe that's because it's hard to find like minded people in my area. Most of the young moms are... should I just say, less than stellar individuals.
So when I stumble on friends, I definitely am grateful. So imagine my surprise when I happened to stumble on one of the coolest women ever, who shares my beliefs, philosophies, and parenting ideas. Best of all? She's local.
Erin is really amazing. I'm lucky that we both share a love of the Internet and that it brought us together!
That's why you should mosey on over to Ultamate Mom and vote for Entry #2. Because there could not possibly be a more deserving person than Erin. Really, don't even take my word for it. Head over to her blog and see for yourself.
But one big thing I'm lacking in life is friends. Maybe that's because it's hard to find like minded people in my area. Most of the young moms are... should I just say, less than stellar individuals.
So when I stumble on friends, I definitely am grateful. So imagine my surprise when I happened to stumble on one of the coolest women ever, who shares my beliefs, philosophies, and parenting ideas. Best of all? She's local.
Erin is really amazing. I'm lucky that we both share a love of the Internet and that it brought us together!
That's why you should mosey on over to Ultamate Mom and vote for Entry #2. Because there could not possibly be a more deserving person than Erin. Really, don't even take my word for it. Head over to her blog and see for yourself.
I love muffins.
They are so yummy, moist, and they just make you feel much better than say, eating a cupcake, am I right?
So when I noticed I had zucchini and carrots in the fridge that needed cooked, my brain started ticking.
Zucchini Carrot Muffins
Ingredients:
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
generous amount of ground cinnamon
nutmeg
About 1 1/2 cups finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
About 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
Preparation:
Grease and flour 12 muffin cups. Heat oven to 375°.
In a mixing bowl, beat the oil with eggs, sugars, and vanilla extract.
Combine the flour, soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; add to the wet ingredients; stirring until blended. Fold in the shredded zucchini and carrots.
Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or granulated sugar, if desired. Bake for 20 minutes.
There are about 200 calories in these muffins if making only 12. I made 18 muffins, here is the information:
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 52 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 179
Calories from Fat 80
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.8g 14%
Saturated Fat 1.8g 9%
Cholesterol 24mg 8%
Sodium 47mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 22.9g 8%
Dietary Fiber 0.7g 3%
Sugars 11.8g
Protein 2.3g
So when I noticed I had zucchini and carrots in the fridge that needed cooked, my brain started ticking.
Zucchini Carrot Muffins
Ingredients:
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
generous amount of ground cinnamon
nutmeg
About 1 1/2 cups finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
About 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
Preparation:
Grease and flour 12 muffin cups. Heat oven to 375°.
In a mixing bowl, beat the oil with eggs, sugars, and vanilla extract.
Combine the flour, soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; add to the wet ingredients; stirring until blended. Fold in the shredded zucchini and carrots.
Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or granulated sugar, if desired. Bake for 20 minutes.
There are about 200 calories in these muffins if making only 12. I made 18 muffins, here is the information:
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 52 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 179
Calories from Fat 80
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.8g 14%
Saturated Fat 1.8g 9%
Cholesterol 24mg 8%
Sodium 47mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 22.9g 8%
Dietary Fiber 0.7g 3%
Sugars 11.8g
Protein 2.3g
Friday, May 1, 2009
I love the spring and summer seasons.
But I'm always left feeling like I'm gasping for air.
There's something so "time to ditch responsibility" about the fresh spring air at the windows. It kind of forces you to enjoy it, especially in Chicagoland, where we know that it's 70 one day and snowy the next.
And honestly? I really don't mind playing ditch every now and then. But my body has definitely been paying for it. I've been going to bed consistently later and later, trying to play catch up once the sun goes down with all my work.
Let me just state for the record: I don't like being so tired.
Tired doesn't even really properly describe how I feel. Little A seems to finally be getting some teeth, so he's decided that instead of sleep, he's throwing a part at 3AM, so not only am I going to sleep at 1AM or later on average, but then he's waking me up to have an open bar for at least two or three hours in the middle of the night. So coffee is really my best friend right now.
I'm so tired, I'd be willing to pay $20 for a babysitter and a nap. Any takers?
There's something so "time to ditch responsibility" about the fresh spring air at the windows. It kind of forces you to enjoy it, especially in Chicagoland, where we know that it's 70 one day and snowy the next.
And honestly? I really don't mind playing ditch every now and then. But my body has definitely been paying for it. I've been going to bed consistently later and later, trying to play catch up once the sun goes down with all my work.
Let me just state for the record: I don't like being so tired.
Tired doesn't even really properly describe how I feel. Little A seems to finally be getting some teeth, so he's decided that instead of sleep, he's throwing a part at 3AM, so not only am I going to sleep at 1AM or later on average, but then he's waking me up to have an open bar for at least two or three hours in the middle of the night. So coffee is really my best friend right now.
I'm so tired, I'd be willing to pay $20 for a babysitter and a nap. Any takers?
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