Tag: summer

Katherine Eleanora | 7.10.2017

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

This little one is not so little any longer. She’ll be 6 months soon! My sister Jessica and her husband, Nathan along with their daughter, Sofia, welcomed Katherine into their home last July. I took these soon after she was born and then we did a mini newborn session followed by another session once they moved to their new home. So many favorites!

We see so much of this little smile now! She is such a happy baby and laughs easily.

 
Sofia is a sweet big sister! 
 

Welcome to the family Katherine!!

Cousin Camp | Castroville

Tagged , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

A few days with the cousins was in order before we began our new “school” routine. It was a great time and the kids, of course, had a blast being together. I love that we can make these memories with them.

Adriana and I called it “day care” and we were thankful Grandma was there in the craziness with us too.

Here’s to many more cousin camps!

Menu | 8.1.2017

Tagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

We’ve had some crazy high temps here lately. Like triple digit hot. I actually don’t mind it too much. I’d much rather be warm than cold. It does keep me from wanting to do a lot of cooking though or turning on the oven. This week my goal is to find recipes that are not only easy but summer friendly. And maybe the kiddos will even eat them too. One can hope.

Trader Joe’s fish nuggets with veggies

Have ya’ll tried any of TJ’s frozen foods? We visit maybe once a month and I usually stock up on 3 or 4 different things. They are nice to have in the freezer as back up meals. We tried their turkey corn dogs this past week and yum! We also like their Mandarin Orange Chicken and Fried Rice with chicken.

One Pot Ranch Chicken and Rice

Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

Leftover Night!

Pizza Night – another yummy frozen option from Trader Joe’s

Looks like I am going Instant Pot heavy this week! If you haven’t added this tool to your kitchen yet, you are missing out!

And my menu went through a bit of a change on Monday night when I realized I forgot to pause Hello Fresh AND Blue Apron deliveries. So those will be our weekend meals and thankfully a friend is taking the Hello Fresh off my hands.

Took this photo a week ago when Oma was here for a visit.

Menu | 7.12.2017

Tagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I have not felt like cooking in forever. Our dinners have consisted of eggs, beans, frozen meals, pancakes, chicken salad or pizza. Maybe it’s just the busy summer days or the heat. Or maybe I am just lazy. Haha! I don’t want to make big messes or clean them up. I am trying to be ok with the current state of things too. My boys don’t complain and to be honest, they prefer the simple meals anyway.

One Pan Crispy Chicken

Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas

IP Beans with rice and toppings

Use leftover beans for Crunchy Bean and Cheese Tacos (like a quesadilla)

One Pot Zucchini Mushroom Pasta

Hot Dogs

Photo taken at Ivywild School in Colorado Springs. Gem of a spot for lunch or afternoon snack!

Salmon, Avacado & Sweet Potato Kale Salad

Tagged , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I found this recipe on Pinterest but it comes from a Buzz Feed post for a GetFit Challenge. There were five salad recipes but I chose the salmon salad to make and it was amazing! It was so simple, so fresh but full of flavor. I thought I’d re-post the recipe here for others and for me to find again later on.

Makes 1 serving

For this recipe you need to roast a salmon fillet. If you want, you can roast several 6-ounce fillets at once, then eat leftover fillets for other lunches and dinners. Leftover roasted salmon will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS
1 6-ounce fillet salmon, skinless
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
2 ¼-inch slices of lemon
juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup kale leaves, stems removed, leaves sliced into ribbons ½-inch thick (I used baby kale)
½ cup roasted sweet potato cubes (recipe below)
⅓ avocado, peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
½ English cucumber, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped dill (optional, but recommended)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves

If you’re on the 1,400 or 1,700 calorie plan: Prepare this recipe as written. 519 calories, 23 g fat (3.8 g saturated fat), 29 g carbohydrate (9.7 g dietary fiber, 9.2 g sugars), 49 g protein
If you’re on the 2,000 or 2,300 calorie plan: increase to 1 ½ cups kale and ¾ cup roasted sweet potato. 595 calories, 23 g fat (3.8 g saturated fat), 46 g carbohydrate (12.4 g dietary fiber, 15.1 g sugars), 51 g protein

PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Season the salmon fillet with a little bit of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper on all sides. Lay the lemon slices next to each other on the baking sheet, then place the seasoned salmon fillet on top of the lemon slices. Roast in the preheated oven until the salmon is opaque on the outside and flakes easily with a fork, but still pink on the inside. A salmon fillet 1-inch thick will take about 8 minutes to cook; a thicker fillet will take about an additional 4 minutes per extra ½-inch of thickness. Let the salmon cool at least 5 minutes, then cut it into 1-inch cubes.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Whisk the mixture, then add the olive oil while continuing to whisk. Add the kale ribbons and use your hands to massage the vinaigrette into the kale until it starts to soften, about 30 seconds. Add avocado, roasted sweet potato cubes, cucumber, and herbs, and toss everything together.
Transfer to a bowl and top with the cubed salmon. If you cooked the salmon ahead of time, it’s fine to eat it cold in the salad.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Makes about 2 cups

INGREDIENTS
½ teaspoon olive oil
2 medium sweet potatoes
pinch of kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush the parchment with the olive oil.
Wash and dry the sweet potatoes, then cut them into ½-inch cubes. Spread the cubed sweet potatoes out over the baking sheet and season them with a little bit of salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven until they’re soft and lightly browned, 20-25 minutes.
Let the sweet potatoes cool slightly before eating; cool leftovers completely before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

First Day of Preschool | 8.29.16

Tagged , , , , , Leave a comment

I decided to send William to a mother’s day out program last fall. It was very last minute but it’s proven to be a great experience for him. I especially love his teacher!

He was never nervous or anything. Just super excited to go to his school and make new friends.

It’s only two days a week but I have really enjoyed the one on one time I’ve had with Lucas while William is at school.

I can’t believe we are almost into May and coming up on his last few days there. My baby is five now and ready for kindergarten!

Looking Back | Fourth Annual Beach Vacation

Tagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Port Aransas trip number 4! This time with two babies and two toddlers and seven adults. The kids may out number us one of these years!

We didn’t stay as long this year and I was a little glad of that. I can’t say I was feeling all that great or getting enough sleep. Some of it was pregnancy related and the rest was just sleeping in a new place. I was also on “mom alert” through the night listening for William who slept across the landing from us in his own room. I shouldn’t have worried, he slept great and in a twin bed! 

We took a different route this time that was through smaller towns. It was a nice change of scenery. This was William’s reaction to riding the ferry.

We were there Sunday through Wednesday (the rest of the crew stayed a day longer) so that gave us two full days of beach time. Monday we went out in the morning until nap time and then on Tuesday we went out after nap time for an evening on the beach. I have to say evenings on the beach are by far my favorite thing.

This was Monday right before nap time….can you tell?

William was still in love with the beach. Being dirty, wet and free. He would just run into the water, no fear at all.

Love this shot of the two kids sitting next to each other.

Nathan and Jessica made some amazing tacos for dinner on Monday night. I wish I could have eaten more….

Girl’s trip to the candy store!

Video games, family and bags of candy.

William found a microphone that went to the Rock Band set so he would come down to the landing and put on shows or we’d hear him upstairs singing his heart out. Best thing ever.

Trying out the community pool and practicing some of what he learned at swim school.

On Tuesday the three of us walked down to the beach a little earlier than the others and had some family time that was nice. It was a little too windy for our umbrella but a little too hot still not to use it so James and I took turns holding it up. Have to keep the boy(s) from burning!

Ahh, beautiful evening on the beach.

Adriana and I bought William and Maria a new shovel and bucket the night before. Big hits! Maria barely put hers down.

Hot dogs for dinner on the beach can’t be beat.

James and William had so much fun playing in the waves. No wonder William slept so well at night.

Jessica took a few photos for us….next year we’ll be a family of 4!!

There was a lot of napping on the beach too.

And some crying. Love this shot.

And a group photo before we headed home on Wednesday.

Ah! Doll baby in the outfit I got for her.

We stayed in a different house this year than the previous two years. It was only one street over and a great rental. I would say it worked pretty well for us but we may need to come up with a different plan for future years until the kids are older and can actually sleep altogether in a room with bunkbeds. With a new baby I am not sure how we’ll all fit next year. It’ll be interesting!

Cousins!!

What a fun trip! It’s great our kids can grow up with these memories. I hope we can continue the tradition for years to come.

Check out my Instagram feed or #chapsbeach2014 for some iPhone highlights as well.

You can take a trip back to the third annual trip here.

In My Closet | Day or Night

Tagged , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I love a good deal, I mean who doesn’t? And good deals on clothes are even better. The top and shorts only cost me $12 total! I am really excited to wear this outfit and maybe even add tights when the weather cools a bit. It’s a big maybe though…I may not be daring enough.

Top | Olivia Moon from Marshalls
Shorts | Mossimo from Target
Sandals | Bandolino from forever ago (These would also be cute!)
Earrings | World Market (These would be great!)

I think this outfit could be great for around town running errands, evening drinks on South Congress or brunch on Saturday morning. If I do wear this and am just doing errands, I’d probably wear different shoes. I love these sandals but all day wear is rough.

The shirt is kind of like a t-shirt in the front but more sheer in the back. Not just a boring tee.