What would we do without...

Legos and paint?!

Getting us through the late summer lulls.

I just didn't realize

Lila's first morning waking up in her big girl bed

Last week Lila moved out of her crib.  Drew and I had been talking about it for a long time since she crawled in and out of her crib and has been potty trained for a few months.  We have procrastinated in refinishing the bed that would be hers so we'd just left her in the crib.  Lila is very particular.  She is a very good staller...something Andrew just never did.  She wants certain books and if she is awake in her crib for too long, she would yell out for us to get her more books.  Then she began using the potty as an excuse to call out.  One night last week I had enough.  The next morning I bought mattresses and tore down her crib and moved out her rocking chair.  It wasn't until I laid down with her that night that I realized I hadn't taken a picture of her sleeping in her crib in some time.  Then I realized that I just might not ever rock her to sleep again.  In such a rush, I lost a few precious moments.

My baby girl is getting so big.  She loves to look at books in her bed.  She arranges her babies on the     end of her bed so they can listen to her stories.  She was given a few princess gowns and wants to wear one every night.  It won't be long and she'll be blowing out 3 candles on her birthday cake.  Gotta remember to slow down and take this all in.

Noodle Less Lasagna

The easiest way (in my opinion) to eat clean is grill a meat and serve with veggies.  That's pretty much what I've been serving my family for the past few months.  But I'm starting to get a little bored with our dinners.  So last week I tried making traditional spaghetti and meat sauce except I substituted spaghetti squash for pasta.  It was a huge hit (unlike Moroccan Chicken I made the week before) and gave me confidence to keep experimenting.  

So tonight I made Noodle Less Lasagna.

Here's what you need:

1 lb ground beef (ours came from Yonderway Farm)

1 jar of spaghetti sauce or make your own (if pre-made, look for one without added sugar)

2 eggs

15 oz ricotta cheese

1/2 cup of shredded parmesan

~1/4 teaspoon each of basil, oregano, thyme

Salt & pepper to taste

8 oz shredded mozzarella

2 large zucchini sliced lengthwise with a veggie peeler (sub for noodles)

Brown ground beef.  Drain.  Add red sauce.  Simmer.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease 9x13 baking dish.

Mix eggs, ricotta, parmesan, and spices.

Layer 1/2 meat sauce, 1/2 zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, 1/2 mozzarella.  Then repeat layers.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove foil, move to top rack for an additional 2-5 minutes until the cheese reaches your desired color.  (I don't like mine to get dark)

Day trip to the beach

Drew and I moved to Houston 7 years ago.  Today we visited Galveston beach for the FIRST time!  I cannot believe we waited this long.  We drove down to Stewart Beach in a little over an hour, pulled right up to the beach front parking lot, and had a day of fun.  Andrew loved riding the waves on his kick board.  Lila liked searching for sea shells.  They both enjoyed crushing the sandcastles we built. Drew had a great time chasing the kids and I soaked up some much needed, uninterrupted family time.

I had very low expectations so they were easily exceeded.  The beach was clean and the water (although murky) had no debris other than a little seaweed.  There's an $8 per car fee to park at Stewart Beach.  They have a grill and shop, bathrooms and showers, umbrella and chair rentals, and a snow ball cart that travels up and down the beach.  While the sand wasn't white and the water wasn't blue (like the Destin, FL area), the kids certainly didn't notice.  

Oh My Breakfast!

This morning's breakfast was a KEEPER!  I'd been told about this recipe a while back and put off trying it.  While browsing my new copy of The Primal Blueprint Cookbook, I saw it again and decided to try it this morning.  Here's how I made

Egg Muffins

12 eggs 

4-5 oz chopped link sausage

diced tomatoes

1/2 c shredded cheese (used pizza variety b/c it was in the fridge)

**Adjust this to your pan.  1 egg per muffin**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray muffin pan or use liners (great for taking to church or brunch)

Beat eggs (I add a splash of milk but optional)

Stir in meat, veggies, and cheese.

Spoon into muffin pan.

Cook 18-20 minutes.

Serve with a side of fruit and YUMMY!

The cookbook called for ground beef and red peppers.  I'd like to try it with crumbled bacon and maybe onions.  The possibilities are endless.  You can always make extra for mornings you know you won't have time to cook but want to have some healthy for your family to grab on their way out the door.