NEW BLOG

Hello All!

I have created a new blog - all the blog posts on this blog have been transferred to the new site.  Please visit and use:

www.myeverydayadventure.com

Enjoy!!

Friday Food Frenzy!

Hello again!! Finally doing FRIDAY Food Frenzy on FRIDAY! :-)

Well for Christmas we had everyone come to our house, so I cooked and tried to make it as Paleo as possible!!  So here are some of the recipes I used...

For Christmas Eve dinner we had soup:

Beef Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil (enough to cover bottom of large saucepan) 
• 1 medium sized Red Onion (chopped)
• 1-2 lbs of ground beef
• Sea Salt (few dashes)
• Garlic Powder (generous amount)
• Dried Basil (generous amount)
• Dried Oregano (generous amount)
• Cayenne Pepper (3 dashes)
• 4 (big) sliced Carrots
• 4-8 sliced Celery Stalks
• 1-2 handfuls of Green Beans (bite-sized chopped)
• 4 cans of Chicken Broth (preferably organic)
• 1 can of Diced Tomatoes (preferably organic & no-salt added)

How-To:

• Wash & prepare all veggies. 
• Cover bottom of a large pot with Olive Oil and let heat over medium-high heat.
• Add ground beef and all the seasonings - brown the beef.
• Once browned add all the veggies, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes.  Stir well.
• Turn heat to low, cover, and let simmer for about 45 minutes.
• Dish into a bowl (cover with cheese if you so desire) and enjoy on a cold night!!

*This was a very yummy soup and enjoyed by everyone on the cold Christmas Eve night sitting next to the fire!!

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Paleo Coconut Cake

Ingredients:

• 4 Eggs
• 1 can of Coconut Milk
• 1/2 cup of Almond Flour (or Coconut Flour)
• 1/4 cup of Coconut Oil (melted)
• 1 tsp of Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 Cup of Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• 1/4 Cup of Agave Nectar (or Raw Honey)

How To:

• Preheat oven to 350 
• Stir or blend all ingredients together well.
• Spray a pan with non-stick spray and fill with mixture. (or put in cupcake paper in a cupcake tin). 
• Cook for 40-50 minutes.
• Remove, let cool, then eat!!  

*Everyone that liked coconut liked this cake!!  

Happy Friday!!  Looking forward to Reflection tomorrow on the last day of the year 2011!!

Christmas Time Was Here...

Wow.  Did that just happen??  So much has been going on in the past week that time has flown by!!

Last week James, Aiven, and I went on a little staycation in Dallas.  We stayed at a hotel...

For the indoor pool...

Then we went to the Galleria the next day...

And then last Friday (Dec. 23rd) my baby boy turned SIX months old!! How did that happen?

I love this picture

Also that same day, he got his helmet (because he has a lop-sided head)

Don't let this picture fool you...he doesn't really like the helmet this much

Also that same day he had his first taste of real food...

Yeah, he did not like it!

We first gave him avocado.  This was a recommended food due to it's neutral flavor, texture, and fat content. But we tried it the next day and he still did not like it at all.  Then we tried pureed yellow squash, still no go.  The next day I tried that mixed with breast milk - it was a little better, but still no.  I just don't think he's ready for food yet and that's ok!  

*Side note: we are not starting him with rice cereal.  Since our lifestyle is eating paleo, we're not going to introduce him first to things that aren't paleo and then take them away later.  

Also, that SAME day he rolled over by himself for the FIRST time!!

Now he does it like he's been doing it his whole life!

So needless to say, December 23rd was a very eventful day for our little boy!!

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And then Christmas.  This year we had all the parents come to our house!!  A few months ago, traveling to Austin on Christmas weekend with a baby did not sound appealing.  So we decided to have Christmas at our house.  Thankfully, my sweet in-laws drove to us to spend Aiven's first Christmas with us.  

We were missing my mom and step-dad, but they went to Iowa to surprise my Grandma for Christmas, which I know she was VERY grateful for!

 the Men :-)

 Us with James' dad David, step-mom Lisa, and sister Christina

 Us with James' mom Sandie and sister Christina

 Us with my dad Gordon and step-mom Peggy

Our Family Christmas Picture

:-)

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Blast from the Past

Christmas 2008 (just engaged) 

Christmas 2009 (married) 

 Christmas 2010 
(with Cider & Hudson & baby Aiven about 12 wks old...inside)

Christmas 2011!!

Friday Food Frenzy...on Monday

Well I got distracted and had too many presents to make and wrap and a wedding to go to on Friday that I didn't have time to do my Friday Food post!  So here it is...on a Monday :-)
These recipes are a few of the things I made this past week. And I'll start with dessert first ;-)

PALEO Banana-Walnut Bread (Muffins)

Ingredients:

3 Eggs, separated

4 tbsp Agave Nectar (or raw honey)

4 tbsp Olive Oil

2 small bananas, mashed

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Cup Almond Flour

3 Handfuls of Walnut Pieces 

How To:

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk eggs yolks and nectar in a large bowl until "fluffy".

Add oil, vanilla, bananas, and almond flour and mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites till frothy.

Then pour in egg whites a LITTLE at a time to the rest of the ingredients, while stirring at the same time.

Pour into cupcake paper or a loaf tin.

Put in oven for 30-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. 

These are SOO yummy (They lasted about a day and a half)!! The hubs loved them and so did my friend Chelsea who does not eat Paleo!  We're having these at Christmas :-)

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Zucchini "Pancakes" (& taco salad)

Ingredients:

2 small-medium zucchini, shredded

3 Eggs

1/3 Cup almond flour

Salt & Pepper, to taste

1 tbsp Coconut Oil OR Olive Oil

How To:

Shred zucchini, either with a cheese grater or food processor.

(I used my food processor to do this for the first time and it was SO easy!! I recommend it!)

Heat coconut oil or olive oil in a skillet on the stove over medium heat.

Whisk eggs in a medium to large bowl.

Add zucchini, almond flour, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the eggs and mix well.  

Pour about 1/3 cup of mixture into the skillet and flatten it out a little bit with a spatula.

Cook on each side about 5 minutes or so.  I leave mine cooking a long time because I like them crispy!

We actually had these for dinner one night and added a taco salad with it!

This was my plate and I didn't have any lettuce.  But add lettuce if you want a real taco salad!

All this was, was ground beef, cheese, salsa, and sliced avocado!  Easy Peasy!

We had leftover fritter mix, so we also made this as our breakfast the next morning and just added bacon!

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Paleo "Lo-Mein" (w/steak)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Coconut Oil

4 Cups of Cabbage, sliced

1 Can of Water Chestnuts, drained

1 Can of Bamboo Shoots, drained

1 to 1 1/2 Cup of Broccoli, chopped

1/4 Cup of Onion (yellow or green onion), chopped

1/2 Cup Celery, chopped

Handful of chopped almonds (optional)

1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp ginger

Few splashes of Braggs Amino Acids (or low-sodium soy sauce)

Sesame Seeds

*You can add sliced chicken to this - we just didn't have any on hand the day we made this*

*You can also add sliced mushrooms - we also didn't have this on hand*

This is found in the health foods section of the grocery (Kroger)

How To:

Slice cabbage, broccoli, celery, and onions (and mushrooms & chicken if you have them) - set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet.

Once heated, add onions. (Then add the sliced meat if you have some).

Then add broccoli, celery, can of water chestnuts & bamboo shoots (and mushrooms).  Stir & let cook for about 3 minutes.

Then add the rest of the ingredients, except for sesame seeds.  Stir and let cook for 3-5 minutes, until cabbage softens a little. 

Remove from heat, garnish with sesame seeds, and enjoy!

Since we didn't have chicken to add to this, we had it as a side to some grilled steak!! 

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Crockpot Shredded Chicken Tacos w/Paleo "Tortillas"

We had this recipe a while back.  It was so easy & so good!

Ingredients:

2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts/tenders

1 jar (12 oz or more) salsa

1 can diced tomatoes w/green chiles (or rotel) 

2 egg whites (or more)

Sliced avocado

How To:

Put chicken into crockpot.

Put jar of salsa and can of tomatoes on top of chicken.

Cook on low for 5 hours.

When done cooking, use a fork to shred the tender chicken.

Spray a medium skillet with non-stick spray - Heat over high heat.

While skillet is heating up, whisk egg whites in a bowl.

Add whites to skillet and swirl around to cover the entire bottom of the skillet.

Let cook all the way through.

When done cooking, slide egg white "tortilla" onto a plate, put crockpot shredded chicken on top, and top that with sliced avocado, wrap it up, stick it with a toothpick, and eat!!

*2 egg whites = 1 "tortilla"*

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Well that is all the recipes I have for today!! If you happen to try any of my recipes, please leave a comment and let me know how you liked them!!  

A Compilation...

Well I've been wanting to blog, but have been stumped on what to blog about.  So now as I sit here with some alone time (Aiven's down for the night and the hubs fell asleep in bed reading his Bible) I'm just gonna blog about...whatever :-)

I love this time of year...I actually usually like the cold.  The air has a crispiness that is refreshing.  I love LOVE Christmas lights.  Every store or restaurant you go in to has Christmas music playing.  You get to go to or throw parties.  Gifts are given and received. The house always usually smells good for some reason.  Decorations are put up.  Memories are remembered and talked about. And Christ's birth into our sorry world is remembered.

This is our cozy living room.  Fire's going in the fireplace can make any room feel cozy!

This is us enjoying that cozy fireplace for our annual Christmas get-together

These are my High School FOR-REAL BFF's!!  Seriously, we've all known each other since at least middle school (some of us since elementary) and we still get together often.  Last year we decided that each month we'd all put $10 in a savings account and save up for all of us to go on a yearly vacation!
Last year we went to Gruene, TX and floated the river. This year we're just gonna keep saving because I had a baby...but next year we'll have all the more money to spend on a lovely vacay!! I love these girls so much and know they will always be life-long friends.

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Speaking of friends...this lovely lady is the BEST!  

as you can see, we're also enjoying that cozy fire!

As Steph and I (for now) live about 4 minutes from each other, we've been enjoying some much needed girl time!! We've been getting together usually every Monday evening.  Some nights we just talk and drink decaf coffee, while scolding my too-rowdy dog and helping her poor Charlie dog hide.  :-) Other nights we do crafts!! (more of those nights to come...thanks to you, Pinterest!!)  And then other nights we go on a Christmas-present date!!

First to Olive Garden 

Then to Starbucks...duh 

Then beautiful Christmas lights synced to Christmas music...awesome

Pretty sure we were acting like 8-year-old girls when we pulled up in front of this house and tuned the radio to the right station...

Yes, it was an awesome date :-)

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And then of course there's this love of my life (other than my wonderful husband)

this face just melts my heart!!  Every day is such a gift to be able to hold him, kiss those cheeks, and hear his wonderful laugh

Since Thanksgiving we've had his friend, Broden, come "play" every Monday and Wednesday while his mommy is at school.  They are about 2 months apart (Broden is older) and our play-dates will continue next semester!

Yeah, they're both super chunky ;-)

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Then with James still not working (he starts his new job Jan. 3rd) we've had some AWESOME family time...e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y  :-)  and we're loving it!

This is when we were putting ornaments on the Christmas tree.  Aiven wanted to be a part of it, so I put him in the sling my mom MADE :-) yeah, she's awesome like that.  

Maybe I'll see if she'll do a guest post for me and tell how she made it!

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Oh and Aiven got his pic with Santa (aka my old boss Chris at Sterling House) 

He didn't cry!!

Well that is all for tonight...I know this post is super random and maybe boring to some, but it's my life! :-)  Stay tuned tomorrow for Friday Food Frenzy!  

Aiven's Baby Dedication

A few weeks back on Sunday, November 13th Aiven had his baby dedication at our church, Denton Bible Church! It was a time for us to go before our congregation and pledge that we, as Aiven's parents, will raise him in a godly way, teaching him the Gospel of Christ.

Tommy Nelson, our pastor, wrote a letter to us that better explains what a baby dedication is. Here is a part of his letter:

"There is nothing saving in a dedication. At Denton Bible we don't baptize babies because a parent cannot bring a child into-covenant with God. The child alone can believe the gospel.  There is nothing magical about a dedication. It does nothing to insure a child's salvation or a blessed life.

So what is a dedication? It is the public accountability of a parent to model a godly life and to raise their child in the discipline and teaching of Jesus Christ and in the fellowship of His church." 

He also asked some questions in his letter to help us remember the way we ought to be living, I pray we think of and reflect on these questions often:

"Is the environment and home life the two of you create such a one as to promote happiness and peace in your child?"

"Do the two of you seek to model the biblical roles of a husband and wife? As a husband do you seek to be the spiritual leader of your home? Do you as a wife seek to follow the role of a submissive and godly wife?"

"Will you faithfully meet with Christ's church in worship?"

"Will this child be raised in truth and righteousness?"

These questions are so good to remind and convict us to live by them.  Our desire is for these questions to have the answer be 'yes' to them 100% of the time....unfortunately though we are sinners, but thanks to the grace of God and His Holy Spirit we can try and succeed at times...

It was a nice day, here are some more pictures....

walking up on stage with our little (aka big) bundle of joy

 This picture cracks me up - it looks like we drugged him beforehand so he would be good! haha - he was just sleepy, I promise!

Aiven's grandparent's (minus Mimi!)  - and yes, he has SEVEN total grandparents :-)

He's gonna be one spoiled rotten kid!

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Also, I thought I'd throw in some family pics that my mom took of us at her house a few weeks back:

 He was getting tired and cranky...

 yeah....

haha he was NOT happy - nice picture of James and I though! 

Happy Saturday!!!