Monday morning randoms

Happy Monday! Braved another rainy weekend....when will it end?!  Brandon was sick Friday and Saturday, so Hadley and I had lots of quality time together. Thankfully he was feeling better Sunday so we went to church and brunch afterwards at Tomato Head.

I've decided that rainy weather makes me crave sweets. Like bad. I pin a lot of sweets on Pinterest.  But, the last 2 I've tried have been major fails. 

Skinny Raspberry Lemonade Cake

Skinny Flourless Carrot Cake

 

The Rasberry Lemonade Cake was HARD.  Almost like playdough.  I did use GF flour and greek yogurt, so maybe those substitutions were to blame? The carrot cake recipe never baked fully...I was really bummed about this one! Full fat desserts from here on out!

 

Our Punta Cana trip is right around the corner...I finally ordered 2 books to read while we are on our trip!  I am SO excited to be able to lay at the pool and beach and just read in the sun for 4 whole days!  I've heard wonderful things about both of these books and I'm really looking forward to both of them.

 

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God



 

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

 

 

I went to a sports injury doctor about my knee. I've been experiencing knee pain for weeks and it's driving me crazy that I can't run like I used to/want to.  He fitted me for orthotics for my running shoes and also gave me a bunion splint to sleep in for my right foot.  I've been breaking the orthotics in since Wednesday of last week and I really do think they are helping...YAY!!!  I ran outside in them for the first time this morning....almost 4 pain free miles which is so encouraging! 

 

 

 

 

 

On the menu this week?

 

Strawberry Berry Salad with grilled chicken

 

 

via

 

 

Breakfast, egg white muffins, greek yogurt pancakes, and fruit

 

 

Out for Sushi Night - Hadley's first which I'm excited about!

 

Have a great week friends!

 



 

 



Wonderful Weekend

We had such a fun weekend and loved having some awesome houseguests :)

Our good friends came in from Kingsport last weekend and brought their precious 5 month old, Oliver.  Hadley was excited all week leading up to their arrival on Friday....of course she was SO shy when they actually got here. She warmed up though - it was so sweet seeing her with him.  I think she will be make an excellent big sister one day if we are blessed with another :)

We started off our weekend with an awesome time at dinner at Chez Guevara on Friday evening...10 adults, 2 kids, and lots of cheese dip! 

Saturday Julie and I took the kiddies to the zoo. Thankfully the rain held off!

 

 

 

Saturday night we went to our college roomie's wedding reception. We had an awesome time, thanks to my mom for watching the kiddies :)

 

 

Mother's Day

Two and a half years have past since I began my journey as a mother....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes words can't describe all the emotions I feel as a mom...it's amazing and it's hard, but I love it and want to fully embrace all of the ups and downs that come with this job.  Most of the time I laugh, but sometimes I want to cry when I think about my little baby growing up and experiencing the hard parts of life.  Sometimes I am frustrated when I want to put her to bed, and she's running around with panties on her head, or saying "no mommy!!"  Sometimes I go in her room when she is sound asleep and pick her up to rock her and love on her, because it just fills my heart with so much love. 

 

There is no sweeter sound than hearing my little girl say "I love you mommy" and put her tiny little arms around my neck and then grab me with her sweet little hands for a kiss.  I wish I could bottle up moments like that because they make it all worth it.

 

Today, I love looking back at the last 2.5 years and seeing how my life has changed with this sweet little girl.  I feel like I've grown up with her in some ways, becoming who God has planned.

 

Want to wish all the amazing women in my life a very Happy Mother's Day! So many of you ladies shaped me into who I am today, and I am so thankful for each one of you!

Ready for the weekend + a recipe!

I am really, really ready for the weekend....been one of those weeks, friends.  I am praying for sunshine - the last 2 weekends have been completely rainy!  We did manage to take Hadley to a movie and she made it through the entire thing!  We saw the Croods on Sunday (very cute movie, by the way!) and she had a really good time. She snacked the whole time, so that probably helped. 

Our good friends are coming in this weekend. Hadley is very excited to see Baby Oliver!  I told her we had to be gentle because he's a baby.  She asked if she could pet him haha!  She is saying the cutest things lately, I need to blog about more of them.

The other night we were watching Doc McStuffins and she said "Oh, mommy, I need my telescope."  Meaning her stethoscope :)  I love her.

 

 

 

One new recipe that is super easy, healthy, and perfect for a weeknight meal. I love meals like this...

 

 

Hummus Crusted Chicken

 

 

 

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 yellow squash, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup hummus, homemade or store bought
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 lemons
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika or sumac

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare one large baking dish or two smaller baking dishes with cooking spray.

 

Season the chicken breasts with generous pinches of salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the zucchini, squash and onion with olive oil until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper.

 

If using one baking dish, place all of the vegetables on the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Lay the four chicken breasts evenly on top, then cover each chicken breast with the hummus so that the entire breast is covered. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken and vegetables. Then sprinkle the pan with smoked paprika or sumac. Thinly slice the remaining lemon, and place the slices in between the chicken and vegetables if desired.

 

**If using two pans, use one for the chicken and one for the vegetables.**

 

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve immediately.

 

 

I love breakfast for din din

We had breakfast for dinner last night and it was yummy! 2 new recipes to share!

Greek Yogurt Pancakes
6 oz favorite greek yogurt (I used Chobani Blueberry non-fat)
1 egg
1/2 cup flour (I used gluten free all purpose flour)
1 tsp baking soda

[I doubled this recipe!]

Mix the greek yogurt and eggs. In a separate bowl mix the flour and baking soda.  Add the greek yogurt mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.  The mixture is pretty thick and a bit hard to spread.  Add to a hot griddle or pan (add cooking spray so they won't stick).  Top with your favorites!

Egg White Muffins
1 small carton egg whites (or eggs if you prefer)
Fresh spinach
1 diced tomato
Diced green onion
Feta

Spray muffin tin with cooking spray (this make 12 large egg muffins for me).  Add a few pieces of spinach, tomatoes, green onion, and a spoon full of feta to each cup. Fill with egg whites, about 3/4 of the way full or so.  Bake at 350 for 25ish minutes until firm.

TGIF!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Love these cute garden markers. We could use something like this in our little garden.

 

 

Been thinking about Hadley's 'big girl' room.  Here are some inspiring rooms I found on Pinterest.  I'm looking forward to starting this fun project, but can't believe she's already big enough to have a 'big girl' room.  She has grown up so much, just in the last few months! 

 

 

 

Chobani Flip yogurt - these are the real deal y'all. YUM.

Emily Ley Great Day Mugs and Notepads. I love everything on her site...my office needs a little sprucing up and could use a few of these goodies!

 

 

 

 

Days till vacation! Cannot come too soon.

 

 

 

I love, love, love this sweet little blessing...