Have A Bite Of...

Taco Stuffed Peppers

Nothing like the stuffed peppers of the 80's, I swear!

Easy, healthy, and flavorful. Did I mention E-A-S-Y? 

These babies are a dream come true on hectic weeknights!

Ingredients:

3 peppers, any color

1 tbs avocado oil

1/2 lb lean ground turkey (or beef)

2 tbs diced onion

1/2 cup water

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 tbs taco seasoning (more or less to preference)

Optional: Cheese

Toppings:

Corn, fresh or frozen

Fresh tomatoes, diced

Black olives, sliced

Green onions, sliced

Yumm sauce

Sour cream

Salsa

1) Wash peppers, slice in half, and remove stem/seeds. Place in baking dish, cut side up, and bake at 400 for 8 minutes*.

2) While the peppers are cooking, heat the avocado oil in a medium skillet and brown the meat. Add diced onion, sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Stir in water, cooked quinoa, and taco seasoning and simmer until liquid has reduced. 

3) Spoon the meat and quinoa mixture into the peppers, top with cheese if desired, and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

4) Serve warm with any combination of toppings. My favorites are corn, tomatoes, olives, green onions, and Cafe Yumm sauce. 

*This dish will reheat beautifully if the peppers are not overcooked. 8 minutes of pre-baking will result in al dente peppers. Add another 2 minutes to the pre-baking time if you like softer peppers or are not planning for leftovers.

Life Update:

We've stumbled our way into a functioning routine, which is a huge relief after the chaos of the newborn months. I've actually done grocery shopping and Costco with both kids (and no backup), Little Miss is tolerating car rides, and Jr is handling sharing Mama a little better. Sleep is still a precious commodity - naps are short, two night feedings qualifies as a great night, and sometimes the kids sleep in until 7am. 

Little Miss is growing (mostly) steadily and her personality is really starting to show. We're still fighting reflux at times, but things are getting better on the whole. She has learned to roll from back to tummy, started on solid foods, is starting to enjoy bath time, and loves playing peekaboo.

Grumpy snuggles.

Squash!

Houston, we have a roller.

Jr is a talking, dancing, singing machine. He's constantly picking up new words and parroting everything which, after months of focusing on his language skills, is an absolute delight. He knows all of his letters, is always looking for ways to be a helper, and has been determined to start doing things on his own/in his own way. Watching him gleefully run towards big kid independence is equal parts exhausting and amazing.

My grocery assistant was pretty thrilled with our cucumber selection.

I. Love. Christmas.

Finally making progress on the nursery artwork!

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."

Thornton Wilder

Life at Seven Weeks

So much has changed in so little time - quite honestly it kinda feels like we've been to hell and back. Little Miss was diagnosed with reflux, which is just now starting to get under control with medication. It was a couple weeks of an unhappy, screaming, vomiting baby who only napped for 15 minutes at a time and also had a severe diaper rash thanks to the fact that there was a new dirty diaper pretty much every time she blinked, and a toddler who stopped sleeping through the night and couldn't understand why Mommy's hands were always full with the baby.

Two landfills and countless loads of laundry later, it seems like we're finally making progress on those issues. The best diaper rash treatment we've patched together (with pediatrician approval) is a rag and water cleaning, Mylanta applied topically, followed by a layer of Triple Paste, and topped with a layer of extra strength Boudreaux's Butt Paste. Plus a daily application of hydrocortisone cream. At its worst, that entire production was redone every 20 - 30 minutes, but we've graduated to three (or six) diaper changes per waking period. I'll admit right now that Jr watched way more TV than I ever intended during the worst of that transition. #honestparenting #realitycheck

For now, we still don't have a "typical" day. I'm working my basic daily and weekly routines, but sometimes even that doesn't happen. And that's ok, even though it frustrates me. Some days are good, some days I have to call for reinforcements, and every day requires flexibility. Such is life with an infant and a two year old!

It's a good thing he likes to help!

Life At Three Weeks...

Our little miss arrived safe and sound... three weeks ago! And I'm already wondering just how it went by so quickly.

So far, birth and recovery could not have been more different from the first time around. Aside from an initial delay of one day, which to be honest didn't phase me, everything has gone extremely well. My recovery is progressing nicely, little miss has stabilized her weight, and we've avoided nearly all of the major issues that were experienced after Jr's birth. *knocks on wood*

As far as settling into a new routine, we're still working on it, but I'm hopeful that I will get the all-clear for driving and more normal activity levels by the end of the week which should help. In general news: the baby sleeps pretty darn well, Jr hasn't been too disturbed by the new arrival, the house is in somewhat controlled chaos, and we're not surviving exclusively on take-out (thanks to very kind friends/family/neighbors and my predilection for making freezer meals).

Brand spanking new.

Such a snuggler...

First family selfie!

And the compromises begin...
"Yes, you may use your toy truck as an eating utensil."

Apparently happiness expands in direct proportion to the bags and lines under my eyes...

"Walking through the house at night is wonderful to me; a symphony of breath, each person a separate instrument as they collectively breathe in time to the metronome of life itself."

Edwin Leap