Girls Trip 2013

In January I took a much needed mini vacay with my besties to sunny St. George! It was so much fun and just what I needed... sleeping in, long walks, girl chat and no one to take care of but myself! Heaven!!!

We went into Vegas for the night and it was so much fun! Love these girls and I feel so blessed to call them some of my very best friends for so long!

Clean Eating

Dave's crossfit/paleo challanges have taken over our lives in a good way! We are all eating cleaner and healthier! 

I am bad at remembering to do this everyday but I try to give my girls fish oil, vitamin d and a probiotic in either a smoothie or oj! Its tough to get it all down them but its the effort that counts right?:)

Our favorite snack is not Paleo but its pretty clean.. The girls and I love almond butter mixed with greek yogurt and a little honey with apples bananas!!

This is my every Monday... costco and smiths! I plan my meals out Sunday night then restock at costco for meat and veggies and fruit and smiths for the rest.  I get chicken, beef and salmon at costco along with tons of veggies and fruit. I also get my coconut oil and coconut water, and agave nectar there! At Smiths we stock up on almond butter, unsweetend vanilla almond milk, terra sweet potato chips, greek yogurt, lara and naked bars, mint, cilantro and parsley, bananas and apples ( I don't like costcos for some reason). Smiths has a great health section where I can get all the random stuff I need. My favorite thing they have is the almond butter dispenser! It's the best and the almond butter is way better than the jar stuff! I get my raw honey from Alpine family clinics store by my house. I know you can get it from wild oats though too. Raw honey is totally unprocessed where as store bought honey is processed!  Also a lot of people ask what my girls eat! They do not do paleo all the time. Elsie loves peanut butter sandwiches, but I do use whole wheat bread and almond butter and either agave nectar or raw honey. I also give them yo baby yogurt which has no high fructose corn syrup and instead of fruit snacks I give them fruit leather from costco. If I am making a dinner I know they won't eat I make them annies all natural mac and cheese or  all natural chicken nuggets from smiths health section, or whole wheat noodles or whatever. Don't get me wrong though, I try to get them to eat healthy but I am not too crazy about it! They definetly eat their fair share of unhealthy food! I do my best but its not 100%. Daves been 100% because of his crossfit challenge, I eat paleo at home ( I do add greek yogurt and gf oats  which makes it not paleo so I have no idea what it is) but when we go out and don't do it, I don't have the control, I wish I did but I don't, I like certain foods way too much and I like dessert too much! Anyway there is a little bit more info about paleo for those that wanted it! Hope it helps!

Our new favorite dinner... Almond Chicken! I have a huge pale recipe book, if you want me to email it to you leave your email and Ill get it to you! It has so many great recipes! This one is so easy and fast and my girls both love it! 

Lilly is One!!!

My sweetest Lilly girl!!

How are you already one? One one hand is seems like this year flew by, one the other hand I can't imagine our lives without you so it feels like we have had you forever! Oh you are the sweetest little thing I could eat you up!! I love you so much, I melt when I see your sweet little face and smile! You are a whole lot of woman wrapped up in a tiny little ball! Who knew a 16lb  tiny little doll had so much personality! And to think I though you were going to be the calm mellow one... you have proved me wrong! You are a girl on a mission and I love it. So determined and focused to get what you need! I know now it is tough for a one year old to be so focused and strong willed but it will be to your advantage one day and I know you will channel it to your favor and accomplish amazing things!! You may be tiny but you are fierce! When you had rsv and had to be suctioned the nurse thought she could hold you down her self because you are so tiny but boy did you prove her wrong! They needed two strong nurses to keep you down! Now they all know you as the tiny yet fierce one! You are 16lbs (1%) in the 15% for height and 6% for your head! My tiny girl! You are one busy baby! Always on the move and wanting to be big!! You are the fastest crawler alive and have officially been crawling half your life. I though for sure you would walk by now but I think you are so fast and good at crawling the walking would slow you down! You love to be wild and play with your sister! You guys are so cute tougher and you adore her! You do get frustrated at times because you want to be bigger and do what she does but that day will come so fast so just be my tiny baby for now! We love getting you up in the morning and seeing you hop and flip around in your crib with your wild hair! Oh that hair!! It is a show stopper! So thick and long, its amazing! You have mastered your walker which you love ( you even let Elsie drag you around on it while you hang on tight to the handle bar), you can crawl down stairs, you love going up stairs, you only get table food and love mac and cheese, strawberries, yogurt, chicken and broccoli! You can say mamma ( i love to her you roam the house saying mama, mama), dada, uh-oh, baba, dis (this), and bark like a doggie, and you may say sissy sometimes! You are good to go to really anyone but in time of distress only your mama will do! You love to go into the office and get wild and crazy on the art table and start chucking things around! You also love to do this with the little toy bins in the family room! You are such a social little thing like your sister and love other babies (you love to steal their binkis too) You are a smart little thing and pick up on things so fast!! You also get really shy too sometimes and it is so cute! You love to smile and can be such a ham, then you get all shy and hide in my shoulder and duck your head down! Its my favorite! We love you so much! You are our little bundle of joy and we can't imagine our lives without your sweetest smile that lights up a room! I am so proud of you and see so many amazing qualities that I know you have been blessed with! You will do great things in your life and I hope you always remember how sweet you are and how much your Daddy, sister and I love you!

xoxo Mama

We celebrated the day with birthday pancakes, first pedi thanks to me and Elsie, then we went out with Nana, Papa, Ashley, Davey, Sissy, Daddy and Mommy to Five guys and then to the sweet tooth fairy for cupcakes!!

January/ February 2013 Re-cap

Im totally behind on this year, but here are some of my favorite pics for January and February!

These two girls love love love to play together! Most of the time it ends up with Lilly is tears because Elise loves on her sister a little too much but its so sweet to hear them laugh and giggle together!

My sweetest Elsie girl is growing up before my very eyes! She is definitely a little girl now! We do makeup everyday, pretend to go to school, have endless playmates, and play dress ups daily! I love my conversations with her and all the random thoughts she has! 

 

Our house has been the sick house since the beginning of the year I swear. Just when someone gets better another gets sick! Poor Lilly got the stomach flu, the high fever with no symptoms, a mild case of rev and bronchitis. Elsie got the high fever and croup! It was a rough few weeks!

My sweet Lilly baby is growing up to (not really in size though, smallest peanut!)

She loves playing and mauling her baby cousin Davey, loves to walk with her walker everywhere but is not walking on her own yet, had her first french braids and curls with the iron, and she loves to drink out of anything, bottles, cups, you name it! If she thinks she can drink it she's all about it! She is the cutest thing ever to get up form her nap or in the morning!

Last but not least Ive been lucky to get in lots of girls nights/ activities! (Its my sanity sometimes) Loves these girls!!

Sorry...

So i just realized in on my recipe post about the protein balls I forgot to add 1/3 cup of agave nectar! So sorry, that part is pretty crucial!  Also instead of making all of the mix into balls, I leave part of it in the fridge and use it as "granola" on top of greek yogurt! It is delish!!

Paleo/ GF Clean Eating Recipes

Okay so here are some of my favorite paleo recipes....
For those of you who want to know more about Whole 30 and Paleo, here are some links with more info

Whole 30
http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/
Paleo
http://thepaleodiet.com/

Be warned I hate to cook and  I am a terrible cook so these are really easy and simple recipes. If you like to cook and are more adventurous and don't have kids to feed there are really great recipes out there.

Some of my go to websites are
paleomg.com
nomnompaleo.com
theclothesmakethegirl.com
dirtyfloorsdiaries.com

Most of the recipes I find on off Pinterest on my paleo board

Okay so my top favorite recipes are..

Paleo Pancakes
2 eggs
2 bananas
almod butter (1-2 tablespoons)
mix together with blender and cook like pancakes
serve with pure maple syrup or agave nectar and berries
I eat greek yogurt even though its not paleo and these are great with greek yogurt (unsweetened of course)

Pineapple Chicken Kabobs

Marinate chicken for a few hours in a mixture of olive oil, lemon jounce, salt and pepper and garlic powder. Cut up chicken, bell peppers, onion, pineapple (I get our frozen from costco), and bacon (th bacon should be sugar and nitrate free from a health food store to be technically paleo). Put on skewers and grill. This is my all time favorite. I serve it with a sale with fruit, almonds, cucumbers and peppers, chia seeds and strawberry vinaigrette

Strawberry Vinaigrette
Vinegar of some sort ( I like pomegranate)
Dollop of Dijon Mustard
Strawberries
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

I eyeball everything and mix it to taste

For lunch we love chicken salad wraps

I mix chicken or tuna, apples, celery, almonds, chia seeds, and olives with paleo mayo and eat it in lettuce cups

Paleo Mayo
Watch this video for the fastest and easiest paleo mayo
http://nomnompaleo.com/post/16739191755/video-here-comes-your-mayo

My other favorite is Crock Pot Chicken Faitas from Dirty Floors Diary

Crock Pot Fajitas

Print recipe

Serves	6
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	4 hours
Total time	4 hours, 15 minutes
Dietary	Diabetic, Gluten Free
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Salad
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable
Region	Mexican

Ingredients

• 1 jar Gluten- and sugar-free salsa
• 2 Bell Peppers (Any Color, Chopped)
• 1/2 Red Onion (Diced)
• 1 cup Pineapple (diced)
• 4 Chicken Breasts
• 1 head Cauliflower
• 1 head Romaine Lettuce (For the )

Directions

Step 1

Place chopped bell pepper, diced pineapple, and diced onion into the CrockPot. Add Salsa and stir to combine. NOTE: the "heat" in a Medium salsa will cook off to be mild enough for your children.

Step 2

Nestle chicken breasts in with the salsa mixture.

Step 3

Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8 hours.

Step 4

When done cooking, shred chicken with two forks and mix in evenly with the salsa mixture.

Step 5

Grate Cauliflower in a food processor. Once grated, place in microwave for 3-4 minutes. Season with Salt and Pepper if desired.

Step 6

Place 1 spoonful of cauliflower rice on a lettuce leaf, then as much of the chicken and salsa mixture as you would like. Garnish with extra salsa, fresh tomatoes, or if you allow dairy - sour cream. This makes a lot so the next day I put on on salad with a cilantro vinaigrette which is just regular vinegar, cilantro, salt and pepper and tiny bit of agave nectar, garlic powder and olive oil I also love her creamy chicken Creamy Roasted Chicken Breasts This is reminiscent of my days as a Campbell’s soup dump & bake-er.  It takes a couple more steps, but is totally worth it, and can be prepped ahead of time.   Creamy Roasted Chicken Breasts Print recipe Serves 4 Prep time 20 minutes Cook time 40 minutes Total time 1 hour Dietary Diabetic, Gluten Free Meal type Main Dish Misc Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot Ingredients 4 Chicken Breasts 1 tablespoon Olive Oil 1 cup sliced mushrooms 1/2 yellow onion (Diced) 1/2 cup High-Quality Full-Fat Coconut Milk 1/3 cup Chicken Broth 1 teaspoon Paprika 1/2 teaspoon Salt Optional Salt & Pepper (for chicken breasts, to taste) Note Your family will love this creamy roasted chicken, especially if you are used to canned soup dump & bake style cooking.  It requires a few more steps, but the sauce can be made ahead of time and stored for up to 5 days, to save YOU time in a pinch. Directions Step 1 Preheat oven to 350*. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts and place in glass baking dish. Step 2 Heat olive oil in large pan and add onions and mushrooms. Saute until onions are translucent and mushrooms are brown. Step 3 Whisk in chicken broth, coconut milk, 1 teaspoon salt, and paprika. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and reduce slightly. Step 4 Pour mixture over chicken and place in the oven to bake for 40 minutes. Flavored Water Mint, cucumber, lemon Mandrin orange (cuties), mint, green tea Strawberry lime Other things from the grocery store I love that are Paleo... Terra sweet potato "chips", they are the best with homemade guacamole Lara Bars - coconut cream pie is the best in my opinion The almond butter that you grind your self at the store ( I just go to smiths and do it) So I don't eat Paleo all the time, I add in Gluten Free oatmeal and unsweetened greek yogurt. Here are some of my favorite gf oatmeal recipes Oatmeal Cups http://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/personal-sized-baked-oatmeal-with-individual-toppings-gluten-free-diabetic-friendly/ Protein Power Balls These are amazing! I got the recipe from my friend! They taste just like cookie dough and Elsie loves them!! I c. gluten free oats 1/2 cup of peanut butter (I use almond butter but it makes them less sticky so they kind of crumble easier) 2 T. honey (it should be raw) 1/3 c. agave nectar 1 c. coconut flakes unsweetened  3/4 c. flax seed ground 1/4 c. chia seeds 1/2c. chocolate chips ( I use dairy free from Good Earth) 1t. vanilla 2 scoops protein powder  mix together and chill in fridge 30 mins. Once chilled roll into balls and store in an airtight container in the fridge This is not the greatest list but for those of you that wanted recipes there they are!! Let me know if you have questions or it didn't make sense!!

Elsie & Lilly's Woodland Fairy Party

We did a joint birthday party for the girls this year and it turned out so fun! I wanted to do a Fairy theme since Lilly is our little sprite fairy! We invited our family and some close friends and had the best time ever! Tinkerbelle showed up, there was a piñata and lots of cake and ice cream! All Elsie wanted was a party with her friends and she had the time of her life! You couldn't wipe the smile off her face all night! Lilly was a trooper too! She loved Tinkerbelle and the piñata but was not sure of her cake which surprised me!! All in all it was such a fun day to celebrate our little sweeties!!