Hi, followers! =) Hope your weekend is going fabulous.. Yesterday I spent the day lounging around with some of my girls, and today I spent the day with my VERY best girlfriend Ashley, and I must say.. it doesn't happen enough. I stay so overloaded with Cash that I find it near impossible to make time to just sit down & have a laugh with good friend. These past two days have been the exception, and not only have I enjoyed laughing until my stomach hurts, but the extra help with Cash doesn't hurt either! My friend Ashley has lived 4 hrs away for the last 2 years of our friendship, which just so happened to be the most important 2 years of my life. I got "knocked up", gave birth, and celebrated Cash's first birthday..and although Ashley lived far and couldn't be here frequently to watch Cash grow, she managed to make it here for these important milestones. She now (thank the LORD, for my own sanity!) lives only about 40 minutes away from us, so I have spent much more time with her. The other day she told me she was worried that Cash wouldn't "know" her because she hasn't been able to be around as much as she wanted to, but she was sadly mistaken. Today, Cash could NOT get enough of his Ashley.. (which was fine with me because I carry that 25 lb. rocks solid line backer around all day!)
Can't wait to watch Cash's love for her grow as much as mine has! I didn't manage to get a pic of the two today, (Cash was a MESS.. Whiney & sleepy!) but here's a picture of me & Ashley when we only lived a street away from each other in college. Good times!


I love the feedback I got from the Canvas's I made.. It feels nice to complete a project & actually be told it's cute! I have to admit that I'm not much of a crafter myself.. My creativity has always come out in the kitchen. My MOM, on the other hand, can make anything & everything out of absolutely nothing.. We always had the CUTEST homemade things growing up, so it's nice to know I can always lean on her for all of the fabulous ideas that come to my head. She's one crafty, lady! Along with spending more time with my girlfriends, I'd like to "craft" a little more & be better at it in 2011. It's still okay to come up with new New Year's Resolutions, right? We're still in January so I'm sure it's fine! ;) I'm now working on a Mardi Gras wreath for the door for February/March that I'll share when completed . I really wanted to put out one for Valentine's day out for the entire month of February, but J's response was "Wait.. you have to have one up for Mardi Gras Preparation AND through Fat Tuesday" so it looks like Valentine's Day decor will be officially skipped in my household. Oh, the joy of living with a man from New Orleans! ;) Can't wait to show ya'll the final project!
Lucky for you, (yes, you. All 5 of you who read this amazing blog) this is an insanely long blog because it's been a while since I've posted. I always get questions about what skincare/bath products I use for Cash. I know firsthand that as an expecting mother, it's difficult to walk around with the zapper (oh you know.. the crazy contraption they give you at Babies R Us when you're registering. Zapper works as a perfect name for it..) and "zap" a certain Shampoo/Lotion when you don't know what will work for YOUR baby. Bad news. I don't know what will work for YOUR baby either, but I DO know what worked for mine. These are the skincare/bath products that I can't live without for Cash:
Huggies Shea Butter Baby Wash:
Let me just start by saying that I LOVE me some Johnson & Johnson. We all love that "clean baby" smell, but you can't be afraid to venture away from the big pink bottle! Huggies Shea Butter Wash smells JUST as good (I think even BETTER!) than Johnson's and it leaves Cash's skin so so so smooth. We've never had a dry skin issue, and I know that Shea butter is a key moisturizer in MY skincare, so I figured Cash deserves the same! I can assure you, it's worth the try. It still has the "clean baby" smell.. Only it's more of a "my baby is clean, super soft & pampered smell!"
Johnson's Baby Lotion:
No. I'm not a hypocrite. You can venture away from the big pink bottle in baby wash. Just NOT baby lotion. Ever. Classic.
Aveeno Baby Daily Moisturizer:
As for Cash's face, I feel like it deserves an entirely different moisturizer. I wouldn't dare cover his gorgeous face in a highly scented body lotion (Again with that freakin big pink bottle!) I don't do it on mine, and I wouldn't do it on his! When I saw that Aveeno made a BABY version of MY daily moisturizer, I had to snag it.. And I'll NEVER go back! When I was pregnant, I wasn't aware of whether Cash would inherit my sensitive skin (THANKFULLY he didn't!) but if he would have, I would've been well equipped with this moisturizer. Trust me on this one!
Desitin:
Yeah. Okay. We all love the cute bottle & name of "Boudreaux's Butt Paste" but my baby's bottom is NOTHING to play about! Frankly, I do NOT think it is a good diaper rash cream, by any stretch of the imagination! Cash has managed to steer clear from diaper rash, aside from serious times during teething, but the grainy consistency of Boudreaux's Butt Paste was NOT what I wanted for my child. I use Desitin not only for treatment but for PREVENTION. I put it on him every single night after a bath, and it is on the next morning when I change his diaper. This stuff is simply the BEST!
Noodle & Boo Sunscreen:
I have to admit, I LOVE my little brown baby, but I've also come to realize the importance of sun protection at an early age. Although (lucky for us) I can see my little man getting brown rather than burnt, I plan on keeping his pretty skin thoroughly coated throughout the entire summer, as I did last summer. My sunscreen of choice: Noodle & Boo. Noodle & Boo is like the Gucci of all baby skincare products.. They have everything from Shampoo to Rash Cream to THIS Fabulous Sunscreen. At a $22 price tag, it's a little high but it will last you the ENTIRE summer. I still have some leftover from last year! Totally worth it.. If you're interested in their Pediatrician recommended products, their website is:
www.noodleandboo.com
NEED:
Let's get to the best part: FOOOOOOD! I love a good recipe that tastes like my restaurant faves. Call me crazy, but we tend to eat out once ever two weeks MAXIMUM. I love to cook, and love for us to eat at home as a family, not to mention the price tag on a week's worth of restaurant meals can be a bit alarming.. ANY P.F CHANGS FANS IN THE HOUSE!?!?? If so, I've perfected a copy cat recipe of their World Famous Lettuce Wraps, and I just can't get enough! For those of you who haven't had them, do NOT be turned off by the "lettuce" part. They are absolutely DIVINE! And healthy. Can't forget that one!
P.F. CHANGS LETTUCE WRAP REMIX
NEED:
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup water chestnuts (I did NOT use the water chestnuts because I pick them out anyway at P.F Changs, but if you like them, use a cup!)
- 2/3 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 4 -5 large leaves iceberg lettuce
- S & P
"SPECIAL" SAUCE:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon hot mustard
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 -2 teaspoon garlic and red chili paste
STIR FRY SAUCE:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
DIRECTIONS:
1. Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.
2. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.
3. Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve.
4. Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.
5. Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard & garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over wraps.
6. Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan.
7. Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done.
8. Remove chicken from the pan and cool.
9. Keep oil in the pan, keep hot.
10. As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.
11. Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
12. When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are.
13. With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil.
14. Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
15. Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve beside lettuce "cups."
16. Serve sauce on side. Enjoy!
Yummmm... can't wait for ya'll to try the Lettuce Wraps! Here's another Valentine's Day dessert.. I saw these STRAWBERRY flavored Marshmallows at the store, and couldn't help thinking about my favorite Valentine's dessert: CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES.. but a Marshmallow Version! I picked up a bag of the cute pink Marshmallows, a variety container of Valentine's Day sprinkles, lollipop sticks, and a bag of chocolate chips. I melted half of the bag of chocolate chips in the microwave in a medium bowl in 30 second intervals (took about a minute & a half!) I poked a lollipop stick into each marshmallow, and dipped it halfway into the melted chocolate & immediately topped it with sprinkles before drying. I found a piece of styrofoam around the house and stuck them through it to let dry. Aren't these the cutest? I would totally wrap these up as a Valentine gift for friends, or a "SWEET" party favor!
No comments:
Post a Comment